Reading Notes Part B: Homer's Odyssey

Below is a continuation of my reading notes for Homer’s Odyssey:

Scylla

• Circe has given Odysseus a bag of wind in order to make it home after visiting Teiresias. It would be interesting to include a gift from someone to help my main character overcome an obstacle. I could even incorporate that the gift is a trick against the main character.
• It is interesting that one of Poseidon’s sons is actually Polyphemus the cyclops. It would make for a good story to incorporate the relationship between the god and cyclops.
• Teiresias tells Odysseus his fate on his travel back to Ithaca. I feel that Odysseus will lose a lot of his men on his way back home. If he makes it home, it may be unique to make him never make it home because he irritated the God Poseidon.
• I enjoyed the section where Odysseus talks with his mom. It really demonstrates how long he has been away and what toll this has brought on his family. Writing a story from the perspective of Anticleia or someone else residing in Ithaca could be interesting.
• I am considering writing a story where the main character meets many heroes that discuss their famous tales. I really enjoyed reading the section where I recognized famous characters such as Jocasta and Oedipus.
• Agamemnon discusses how his wife Clytemnestra killed him. I think it is funny how he is portrayed as a good guy in this story but in the Trojan War he is considered the antagonist.
• The Spirit of Achilles sort of parallels Odysseus’ story in regards to trying to make it home. Achilles was unable to make it home to Peleus whereas we do not know if Odysseus will.
• Scylla is a villain that may be worth writing a story about. She is a six-headed monster that eats six of Odysseus’ men.
• Even though it was not part of the detailed reading, I would enjoy reading about the sirens and how Odysseus escaped their grasps. 

Homer's Odyssey. Translated by Tony Kline. 2004.