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Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Book 1
Explanation and Analysis—Athena's Prophecy:
In a speech saturated with dramatic and verbal irony, Athena, a powerful goddess, disguises herself as an old man and tells Telemachus that "the immortal gods" have "planted" a vision of the future in her mind:
And now I’ve come—and why? I heard that he was back . . .
your father, that is. But no, the gods thwart his passage.
Yet I tell you great Odysseus is not dead [...]
Wait,
I’ll make you a prophecy, one the immortal gods
have planted in my mind—it will come true, I think,
though I am hardly a seer or know the flights of birds.
He won’t be gone long from the native land he loves,
not even if iron shackles bind your father down.
He’s plotting a way to journey home at last;
he’s never at a loss.
Athena has traveled to Ithaca in order to prepare Telemachus for the return of his father and the ensuing battle against the suitors who harass his mother, Penelope. When a mournful Telemachus suggests that his father, who has not returned from the Trojan War after many years, has likely died, Athena predicts that Odysseus is still alive. Further, she makes a "prophecy" that he will return to Ithaca soon, though she notes that she is "hardly a seer" and instead credits the gods. There are multiple levels of irony operating in this scene. The reader, unlike Telemachus, is aware that he is speaking to the goddess Athena, who exerts a powerful influence over the fates of men—a clear instance of dramatic irony. Verbal irony shows up in her careful and deceptive language, as she claims to merely transmit a "prophecy" from the gods when she is a god herself and in fact plays an active role in shaping Odysseus's fate.
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Book 10
Explanation and Analysis—Elpenor's Death:
In a darkly ironic passage, a member of Odysseus's crew dies under embarrassing and mundane circumstances:
There was a man, Elpenor [...]
He’d strayed from his mates in Circe’s magic halls
and keen for the cool night air,
sodden with wine he’d bedded down on her roofs.
But roused by the shouts and tread of marching men,
he leapt up with a start at dawn but still so dazed
he forgot to climb back down again by the long ladder —
headfirst from the roof he plunged, his neck snapped
from the backbone, his soul flew down to Death.
The youngest member of Odysseus's crew, Elpenor is neither particularly strong nor brave, but he has survived numerous dangerous trials during their return voyage to Ithaca. After Odysseus secures the release of his men from the magical Circe, his men enjoy a rare moment of peace and security that proves, ironically, more dangerous to Elpenor than any dangerous enemy or fierce battle. He breaks his neck after falling asleep on the roofs of "Circe's magic halls" while drunk and falling off in the morning. This ironic scene contrasts the incredible odds that Odysseus and his men have overcome with the mundane nature of Elpenor's death. Further, Elpenor dies right before Odysseus and his men make a journey to the underworld, only narrowly beating his former companions to Hades.
Book 13
Explanation and Analysis—Like a God:
In a scene containing high dramatic irony, Odysseus returns to Ithaca and greets the first person he sees, vowing to "pray" to her "like a god." That woman, he later learns, is Athena herself:
Odysseus, overjoyed at the sight, went up to meet her,
joining her now with salutations on the wing:
“Greetings, friend! Since you are the first
I’ve come on in this harbor, treat me kindly —
no cruelty, please. Save these treasures,
save me too. I pray to you like a god,
I fall before your knees and ask your mercy!
And tell me this for a fact —I need to know —
where on earth am I? what land? who lives here?"
When the Phaecians sail with Odysseus towards Ithaca, he falls into a deep and forgetful sleep. The Phaecians then leave him on the shore of his homeland, and Athena uses her magic to protect him while he sleeps. When he awakens, he is confused about his whereabouts and, seeing a woman, begs her for information, even offering to pray to her "like a god." Through this simile, he emphasizes his gratitude to anyone who can offer him assistance. Unbeknownst to Odysseus, however, the woman is no other than Athena herself, rendering his simile ironically redundant. Though Athena has come to Odysseus's aid at many different stages of his long journey, she is not yet ready to openly announce herself to him.
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Book 14
Explanation and Analysis—Eumaus's Prediction:
When Odysseus returns to Ithaca, disguised as a beggar through Athena's magic, he finds Eumaeus, a swineherd who works on Odysseus's property. As he approaches Eumaeus's dwelling, however, the swineherd's dogs almost attack Odysseus, not recognizing him. In a scene that exemplifies dramatic irony, Eumaeus unknowingly speaks about Odysseus to Odysseus himself:
Here I sit, my heart aching, broken for him,
my master, my great king —fattening up
his own hogs for other men to eat, while he,
starving for food, I wager, wanders the earth,
a beggar adrift in strangers’ cities, foreign-speaking lands,
if he’s still alive, that is, still sees the rising sun.
Come, follow me into my place, old man, so you,
at least, can eat your fill of bread and wine.
Then you can tell me where you’re from
and all the pains you’ve weathered.
Eumaeus treats his guest with hospitality while also acknowledging his deep unhappiness, occasioned by the absence of his "master" and "king," Odysseus. Expanding on this topic, Eumaeus predicts that, if Odysseus is still alive, he likely "wanders the earth" as a "beggar" living in foreign cities and unable to return home. Ironically, his prediction is more apt than he realizes, as Odysseus is indeed standing before him, dressed as a beggar. In this scene, Eumaeus affirms his loyalty to Odysseus, as he continues to praise his former master even when he thinks it unlikely that he will ever return to Ithaca. The later books of The Odyssey are full of similar scenes of dramatic irony as Athena and Odysseus both carry out their plans in Ithaca while disguised.
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