BA#5 Melanthius

1. Melanthius first appears in book 17 when Eumaeus is escorting Odysseus to the palace(17.231).



2.Melanthius is a goatherd who worked for Odysseus. He has been in service of the suitors since Odysseus left and the suitors favor him, especially "Eurymachus, who favored him the most" (17.282) He probably is favored because he gives the suitors "the pick of his flocks" (17.233, 20. 192) The two times he encounters Odysseus he insults him for being a beggar.(17.239, 20.219)

3. Melanthius does not have the same heroic qualities as (Pamela H. pointed out were "the class' evolving definition of a hero") as Eumaeus which are, loyalty, bravery, humility, selflessness, courage, "admirable" and someone who is "true to task". Melanthius has not been loyal and has betrayed his master Odysseus by serving the suitors in his master's home, being their informant and by helping them do away with Telemachus' inheritance. He is not an admirable, humble or selfless person since he treated Odysseus badly just because he is a beggar. He considers himself to be part of the suitors, "your begging makes us sick"(20.200).Unlike Eumaeus, Melanthius is not"true to task" and hires "worthless fieldhands" (17.270) to work for him.

4. Melanthius is not a hero because he does have the qualities to be considered a hero. He acts only on selfinterest, easily betrays his master and is not humble, loyal or admirable.

BA#3

Princess Nausicaa; Book 6: The Princess and the Stranger, line 20

Princess Nausicaa is a hero because she is courageous and clever. When she finds Odysseus naked in the open, she does not shy away or show weakness. Neither does she view him as lowly and ignore him as though he's not worth her time. When he begs her for pitty she doesnt baby him. Rather, she is understanding yet stern. She acknowledges his troubles and tells him he must "bear" his pain.(6.210)

Princess Nausicaa can be compared to Calypso. Both women have power and beauty, but they use stregnths differently. When Odysseus came across Calypso, she used position to mystify him and kept him with her by "force."(5.16) Nausicaa was unwed and looking for a husband. She could have used Odysseus' weak state as an opportunity to take advantage of him. When Odysseus tries to flatter her by commenting on her "build, bearing, and lithec flowing grace" she doesn't become gitty and forget about her respectable position.(6.167)

Princess Nausicaa shows she is a hero not only because of her character, but because she assisted Odysseus using compassion and common sense. She was selfless and smart when making decisions. She may not have defeated a cyclops or endured Poseidon's wrath, but she has proved herself to be a hero.

BA #5 Post 1

How Eurykleia kept Odysseus's a secret is a very hard thing that should be acknowledged. Here is Eurykleia, Odysseus's old nurse who has remained faithful to the family, who is trusted with the secret of Odysseus's identity. Eurykleia has seen everything that has been going on in the palace by the suitors and all of the mistreatment on her peers and more than likely herself. Most people in her shoes would want to go charging in at the suitors with this great warrior behind you and take the palace back. But instead she does as she is told and shows where her loyalty and trust is.

BA #5-Post 1

1.) A hero that emerges in Book 20 is Philoetius, the good cowherd (20.203).

2.) The character is loyal to his king and kind to strangers. He greets Odysseus with a warm welcome saying "Cheers, old friend, old father, here's to your luck, great days from this day on..." (20.219-20). Philoetius also proves his loyalty to his "lost" king while speaking to Odysseus by saying "Odysseus, my great lord and master...set me in charge of his herds...I could have fled, ages ago...but I still dream of my old master" (20. 230-49). Lastly, Philoetius is a brave character, willing to fight for the king he is loyal to by saying that if Odysseus were to come home, "you'd see my power, my fighting arms in action [against the suitors]" (20.263-64).

3.) Philoetius is very similar to Eumaues. Besides both being herders for their king's livestock, both men are extremely loyal to their king and pine for the day Odysseus is to return so that they may take their vengeance against the suitors. They are also both loyal to Telemachus with Philoetius stating "What a traitor I'd be, with the prince still alive, if I'd run off to some other country" (20.242-43).

4.) What make Philoetius a hero is that he exemplifies characteristics the class found to define a hero. He is brave, loyal, noble in the the way he treats Odysseus in the guise of a beggar and in how he talks and enduring, staying on Odysseus's estate to tend the cattle even though the conditions there are unkind.

BA #5

Odysseus shows again his heroic attributes when he returns home to Ithica, because of how he hides his identity to Telemachus when they are finally reunited. This is because he restrained himself from revealing his identity until he heard the condition of his house. That way, he wouldn't need to worry about the distractions of their rejoicing or catching up, once he finally did. This kept their task important, because he could think up a plan in advance, and stay coordinated with his son, rather than sloppy because details were left out in their celebration (catching up). The way he chose to reveal himself to Ithica proved that he is a true hero, because of the cleverness. He used his disguise to his advantage.

BA #5

Telemachus shows to be a true hero in chapter twenty by standing up for everyone in Odysseus's house. There are endless times in this chapter he is standing up for people. He also stands up for himself and makes a change that everyone can see from being a boy to becoming a man. Telemachus also stood up against the suitors telling them "This is no public place, this is Odysseus' house my father won it for me, so it 's mine" (book 20 line292-294). Telemachus was was making a statment that "No insults now, no brawling, no or it's war between us all" (book 20, line 295-296).

It is agreeable that anyone can be a hero depending on what they consider a hero. Throughout this book there has been many heroes’ because everyone shows a heroic trait. This is shown throughout the book and the line that reads “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" (Book 14, line. 44). Shows how at this point or time Eumaeus was being heroic by his loyalty.