Memory and forgetting play a huge role in Homer’s Odyssey, it seems to be something that reoccurs in the text many times. Whether it is Odysseus himself forgetting, or his men forgetting, it always seems to make their journey back to Ithaca an even longer, and harder process.
First, who is Odysseus? He is said to be hated by the gods throughout the story. Odysseus is also a man of many tricks, a trickster per say, he is also a very intelligent man, he was the king of Ithaca and he is said to be a family man, this is one of the most important characteristics of Odysseus, because this is basically what Homer’s Odyssey is about. Odysseus being reunited with his family is the one thing that is very important to Odysseus. He had been away from his homeland; which is Ithaca for seven years, and he is finally going to try and make his return home. He was living on Calypso’s island since the Trojan War, for seven years and he was finally given the chance to leave and hopefully get back to Ithaca. Calypso was a beautiful goddess with a beautiful cave. She even fell in love with Odysseus with his stay in her home. Odysseus grew fond of her as well, and Calypso actually tries to convince him to stay with her, however Odysseus kindly turned down the offer. “Stay right here, preside in our house with me and be immortal. Much as you long to see your wife, the one you pine for all your days… and yet I just might claim to be nothing less than she”(Book 5. 230-233). This played a part of the memory aspect of things. Calypso represented temptation, and she offered for him to stay, and even make him immortal. However,
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In the end he knew exactly who he was, and what he wanted to do even with the fact that he was forgetting about the purpose on the