There is No Glory at Home

The Odyssey is among the greatest stories ever told. A riveting tale of homecoming and searching for glory; an evolution over the Iliad, for Achilles had to choose between eternal glory, OR a peaceful return home. Odysseus, on the other hand, seemingly managed to achieve both: he was immortalized in the songs of the poets, and he made it home to his wife and son, at Ithaca. It is never that simple, however. Beneath the veneer of a homecoming success, Odysseus in fact also has to make the same choice as the great Achilles: to seek glory and renown, or to retire in old age and comfort. There can only ever be either homecoming, or glory. Never both... In this video, we analyze this tension -- a tension which keeps the entire narrative of the Odyssey moving forward -- and consider it in light of the fact that Odysseus' post-Odyssey fate was rather... cruel. As I argue, Odysseus in fact did NOT achieve the homecoming he so suffered for; he, instead, opted for glory... Support the channel:   / pierrot_48   00:00 - Introduction 02:25 - The Homecoming Motif 23:45 - The Search for Glory 41:30 - The Choice 01:01:11 - A Final Thought