ipl-logo

Examples Of Kalupto In The Odyssey

375 Words2 Pages

Odysseus finally meets the most formidable opponent to his desire for nostos in the goddess Kalypso, who offers him the unparalleled luxury and security of kalupto on the hidden island of Ogygia. Ogygia tempts Odysseus as the ultimate paradise, as “even a god who found this place would gaze, and feel his heart beat with delight” (5.79-80), and Kalypso, “a nymph, immortal and most beautiful, who craved him for her own” offers him love, care, and sexual pleasure for a decade (1.21-23). Kalypso and her island embody the idea of kalupto in its most enticing form yet, providing Odysseus with a lifestyle that even his hard-sought nostos cannot give. Ogygia’s kalupto is Odysseus’s most challenging test in proving his determination to come home, as he is given a choice to remain peacefully on the prosperous island or continue his perilous travels. …show more content…

After Kalypso expresses surprise that Odysseus still wishes for nostos after spending years with her, he answers that “it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home.” (5.228-229). This, paired with his daytime misery on the island expressed throughout Book Five, highlights Odysseus’s reluctance to give in to the temptations of kalupto any longer. In addition to leaving behind the luxury and privacy of life on Ogygia, he leaves behind years of physical safety. Kalypso reminds him of this, telling him, “If you could see it all, before you go- all the adversity you face at sea- you would stay here, and guard this house, and be immortal.”

Show More
Related
236 Words | 1 Pages

One can tell Odysseus’ need for Nostos when Circe gives him directions when passing the island of the Sirens. “She says, whoever draws too close [to the island], off guard, and catches the Sirens’ voices in the air – no sailing home for him, no wife rising to meet him, no happy children beaming up at their father’s face” (Book 12). If Odysseus did not care about what he has back home, he probably would have fell to the voices of the Sirens. However, when Odysseus approaches the island of the Sirens, he is bound to the ship to hear the songs of the Sirens, in which no one has ever lived past.

Read More
446 Words | 2 Pages

At this point in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus approaches Nausikaa with only an olive branch to cover his nakedness. He begins to use his speech in order to convince the Phaikian princess of his civilization. This passage is significant because it shows qualities of Odysseus’ character and infers the Greek theme of hospitality This passage reveals that Odysseus is a civilized and well-spoken character.

Read More
736 Words | 3 Pages

Odysseus Odysseus is able to show Alkinoos how loyal he is by expressing his faithfulness to his wife and town. His goal is to convince Alkinoos that he will be loyal to the people of Skeria if he is granted a ship to send him to Ithica. When Odysseus is telling the Phiakins about his journey, he says, “...I have long been detained by Kalypso, loveliest of all goddesses, who held me in her smooth caves, to be her heart’s delight, as Kirke do Aiaia, the enchantress, desired me, and detained me in her hall. But in my heart I never gave consent.

Read More
1277 Words | 6 Pages

Penelope, his wife, is greatly affected; as many greedy suitors disrespect her and move into their home to try and win her hand in marriage. Throughout ‘The Odyssey’, the greed and folly of men play a huge part in increasing the difficulty and severity of Odysseus’s situations and ultimately change his fate and the directions of his journey. The greed and folly of men are largely represented by Penelope’s suitors. In the very first book of The Odyssey, the disgusting actions of the suitors were introduced to the readers.

Read More
476 Words | 2 Pages

While on the island he had many affairs with Calypso, and became unfaithful to Penelope, but he longed for home each night. Showing that he was not strong enough to leave the island, he became as useless as a ragdoll, and relied on the gods to set him free. Athena was on his side so she used her power, and persuaded Zeus to order Calypso to let him go. With out the help from the gods and doing what Athena wanted, which was for him to leave Calypso's island, and return to Ithaca, we would have stayed on the island with Calypso for eternity. This event is a clear example of How Odysseus was a puppet of the gods, and could not control his

Read More
1217 Words | 5 Pages

The concept of hospitality is not foreign to anybody. It is the treatment of others with compassion, generosity, or respect. In Ancient Greece, this idea was known as xeinos. The word gained relevance at the same time that Homer wrote his epic poem, “The Odyssey,” in which this concept is a major theme. Kleos, the concept of glory and fame, is often contrasted with it because they are both common themes in Homer’s works.

Read More
815 Words | 4 Pages

Odysseus had every luxury ever needed by man in Kalypsos’ Island, but he refused to stay there showing his dedication to return to his homeland. The action of him giving up the offer of living a perfect life illustrates the power of his motives to go back home. Furthermore, as he sails back home after a 10 year war at Troy, his mental and physical abilities were “questioned” when the giant Polyphemus asked “Odysseus’ honorable name… [he craftily replied] My name is Nohbody” to ensure that when “ he ran a pike in his crater like eye… rammed it… lean[ing] on it as a

Read More
825 Words | 4 Pages

Soon after Kalypso gives Odysseus permission to leave, she tries to convince him that he should stay. She tells him that she is better than his current wife and she is not any “less desirable than she is” (5.220). This lures Odysseus in and he agrees with her saying that “death and old age being unknown to [her], while [Penelope] must die” (5.227). During this scene, Kalypso is using her beauty, sexual appearance, and immortality to lure in Odysseus. This image of women constantly succeeds in attracting men.

Read More
1125 Words | 5 Pages

He is so loyal and goal oriented to getting home that he rejected the offer and wants to leave the island to find home. Odysseus breaks news to Calypso, “Yet, it is true, each day / I long for home. Long for the sight of home…. “(5. 85-86).

Read More
1601 Words | 7 Pages

Yes, Penelope struggles greatly with a very important decision throughout the course of the story. In the background of the main plot, Penelope struggles with a very important decision throughout the time Odysseus remains lost at sea. After many years without Odysseus’ return, the prospect of a new marriage inclines itself onto Penelope. The sons of the noblest families come to live with Penelope in order to court her for marriage.

Read More
231 Words | 1 Pages

Odysseus is not only courageous, but he’s also very determined like myself. When we set our sights on something we go and get it. Meanwhile, Odysseus is trying to return home he says to the Cyclops “... though [my] land lies far” (896). His meaning to that indicates that he’s determined to get home and see his love one at all costs. That’s just one of the ways he shows that he’s set his sights on getting home.

Read More
835 Words | 4 Pages

In The Odyssey, Odysseus makes many stops on his journey home, delaying his trip even further. Homer tries to make Odysseus out to be some hero, but on his mind set is throughout the book is that he can do anything he wants. Even if his actions do hurt other he still will not have any repercussions. One of the only times in the epic that Odysseus actually shows his dejected state is when he 's cries on Calypso 's Island during the day and sleeps with her during the night. A quote to support this is “Off he sat on a headland weeping, there as a always, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish, gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears...

Read More
1091 Words | 5 Pages

Furthermore, the ‘hollowed caverns’ of Kalypso’s island, invokes imagery of a womb, the critic Annette Giesecke agrees, Kalypso’s cave is ‘clearly represented as the womb of the Earth’(footnote). This supports the notion that Kalypso’s sexuality is the force that prevents Odysseus from leaving the island. It is not just the yonic image of the womb that imbues the island with Kalypso’s femininity, this is also presented through the fecundity and fertility of the island, for instance the ‘flourishing’ trees and ‘ripened grape clusters’. Moreover, through this feminine symbolism, Kalypso’s island takes on a mythical, paradisiacal quality, through the imagery of fertility. In this way, Kalypso’s latent sexual desire presents the otherworldly island as an obstacle preventing Odysseus from pursuing his homeward journey, and thus, this ‘unreal’ place functions as a barrier to male

Read More
755 Words | 4 Pages

Imagine being apart from your family for over ten years, fighting for your life in a war, and in the many battles and problems you will face on your way home from war. Would you be able to fight a cyclops, pass a dangerous whirlpool and have to face the fact that your crew betrayed you? In the novel The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus must do all of these things and more. He has been away from his wife, son and many other family members for over ten years now, fighting for his life on his journey home after fighting in the Trojan war.

Read More
1181 Words | 5 Pages

”(5.91-96). which Calypso is the cause of. This quote supports the reason because it shows that Odysseus does not like being trapped on Ogygia, especially with a woman he did not like. If he truly liked Calypso, he would have decided to stay with her forever, and forget his wife. But, he did not which proves his true loyalty to his wife Penelope.

Read More

More about Examples Of Kalupto In The Odyssey

Related Topics

Open Document