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oa Wraak en gerechtigheid in de Odyssee
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: Lampas, Volume 51, Issue 1, jan. 2018, p. 3 - 25
Samenvatting
This article offers a reading of the Odyssey that places emphasis on the wrath of Poseidon as a factor in the structure of the poem’s plot. Even though the god does not play a role as character in the second half of the poem, his wrath against Odysseus is apparent in the presence of the Suitors in Odysseus’ house and in the problems resulting from their death. The inland journey that Odysseus has to undertake after the action of the poem ends is a direct consequence of the murder. This scenario, which revolves around revenge and leaves the poem’s plot open-ended, is set against the folktale pattern of the ‘returning husband’ in which the killing of the suitor(s) of the returning hero’s wife is presented as a case of justice done which brings the plot to closure. The presence of both scenarios is studied in light of the Odyssey’s ambition to transcend its folktale roots and present itself as heroic epic poetry.