Sometimes, there’s more to Lit than meets the eye.
Odysseus spends so much time sailing home that the sea really takes up a good chunk of his life. This is fitting, since the sea and its perils work much the same way the Odyssey argues that life do...
The shroud is a symbol of female deception. Because she is a woman, Penelope doesn’t have much power to resist the suitors (as seen repeatedly by her son’s commands to go back upstairs...
The bow is a symbol of kingship and strength. Whoever strings it is worthy of King Odysseus and can rightfully take the throne. Physical strength was an important quality to the ancient Greeks, not...
Odysseus’s pet dog is a symbol of unconditional loyalty. Though Argos was a puppy when he last saw Odysseus, many years later he still loves him and shows his affection for his master by wagg...
In the Odyssey, disguises are usually a sign of divine intervention, manipulation, and sanction. The gods have no qualms deceiving mortals and helping their favorites deceive others. They often use...
In a culture that holds hospitality as an all-important test of character, feasting and festivities are a measure of hospitality and human civility. Often, defects in the banquet signal some fundam...
It turns out that Odysseus carved his bed from the roots of a live olive tree. As such, the bed is unmovable. It’s also growing, but evidently that’s not a problem for anyone. The point...
