ESSAYS
by Meghan Gandy
"Homer's
Odyssey in the Past"
[
"Homer's Odyssey in the Present" ]
"Greek Vases with Themes from Homer's Odyssey"
The goddess Circe, a character that fascinated ancient artists, found a place in this exhibit in the work of artist Ruane Miller. Circe is the "dread goddess endowed with speech" (10.136) who turns Odysseus' companions into pigs. Odysseus is also subject to Circe's powers, and while he escapes her magic potion he succumbs to her physical charms and wastes a year on Aeaea. Miller hoped to recapture the mysterious and menacing aspect of this story in her piece A Goddess' Web. When she first began reading the Odyssey , Miller says she "looked for passages about women that I could relate to. I found that difficult, as women in the Odyssey are depicted from a male point of view. However, I did come to be intrigued by how goddesses are depicted and defined. Circe and Calypso are threatening to men, and this fascinated me. Circe and Calypso represent a side of the female that is threatening because of their mystery and sexuality." With this in mind, Miller then began to look for descriptions where she could attach her visual and aesthetic sense. "I chose this passage (10.242-245) because of the words 'enchanting web' and 'shimmering glory.' It gave me a visual image to start with. I wanted it to be a powerful image with a sense of beauty and mystery."
The sometimes unfortunate consequences of Odysseus' curiosity are particularly evident during his adventure with Polyphemus. While exploring the island of the Cyclopes, Odysseus and his men are trapped by the Cyclops Polyphemus. Crafty Odysseus, however, offers the Cyclops wine, and with the help of his companions blinds him after he has fallen into a drunken sleep. Odysseus then ties his men to the bellies of Polyphemus' sheep so they will not be detected. In this way the hero and his companions return safely to their ships and prepare to sail away. What follows is a critical turning point in the Odyssey . Odysseus displays uncharacteristic indiscretion when he allows his pride to overcome his sensibility and reveals his true name to the Cyclops. Polyphemus is then able to curse the man he formerly knew as "Nobody," and asks his father Poseidon to delay Odysseus' journey home and fill it with suffering. Thus, Odysseus' subsequent ordeals are a product of this episode.
Artist Charles McVicker chose to illustrate Odysseus' escape from the island of the Cyclopes because of its importance to the overall theme of the epic. "Odysseus and his men are escaping throughout the entire adventure," says McVicker. He believes that the story is essentially an adventure tale, but one that also examines the complexity of human nature. "Odysseus is a complex character. He is the hero, but he can be devious and deceptive at times. The way he treats the Cyclops is downright nasty." Nevertheless, McVicker believes that everyone can relate to the troubles and narrow escapes of Odysseus. "It is the story of everyone's life. We are all trying to get home, some of us make it and some of us don't."