The Odyssey Quotes

At once she prayed intensely to Poseidon:
"Hear me, Sea-lord, you who embrace the earth –
don’t deny our wishes, bring our prayers to pass!
First, then, to Nestor and all his sons grant glory.
Then to all these Pylians, for their splendid rites
grant a reward that warms their gracious hearts.
And last, Poseidon, grant Telemachus and myself
safe passage home, the mission accomplished
that sped us here in our rapid black ship."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 61-69. Prompted by Nestor’s son Pisistratus, Athena prays to Poseidon to honor Nestor and his sons. It is ironic that Athena prays to Poseidon. For she is working against the god who is punishing Odysseus, by giving advice to Odysseus’ son Telemachus.

"Nine years we wove a web of disaster for those Trojans,
pressing them hard with every tactic known to man,
and only after we slaved did Zeus award us victory.
And no one there could hope to rival Odysseus,
not for sheer cunning –
at every twist of strategy he excelled us all."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 131-136. Using a metaphor, Nestor compares the siege of Troy by the Greeks to a spider weaving a web. He attributes the Greeks’ eventual and hard-won victory to the will of Zeus, but also to the cunning of Odysseus.

"it meant no joy to Agamemnon, not at all.
He meant to detain us there and offer victims,
anything to appease Athena’s dreadful wrath –
poor fool, he never dreamed Athena would not comply.
The minds of the everlasting gods don’t change so quickly."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 159-163. Nestor is speaking of how Athena created a feud between the brothers Menelaus and Agamemnon after the fall of Troy. Menelaus wanted to return home immediately, but Agamemnon wanted to stay and sacrifice to Athena. Nestor calls Menelaus a "fool," saying that it is not easy to change the fate that the gods decide for you.

"Ah how fine it is, when a man is brought down,
to leave a son behind! Orestes took revenge,
he killed that cunning, murderous Aegisthus,
who’d killed his famous father."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 222-225. Nestor relates to Telemachus the story of Agamemnon, murdered by his wife and her lover Aegisthus after his homecoming from the Trojan War. Agamemnon’s son subsequently took his revenge by killing Aegisthus. Nestor’s story is a warning to the young prince of the importance of protecting his home and family.

"If only the gods would arm me in such power
I’d take revenge on the lawless, brazen suitors
riding roughshod over me, plotting reckless outrage.
But for me the gods have spun out no such joy,
for my father or myself. I must bear up,
that’s all."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 233-238. Telemachus wishes that the gods would give him the power of Orestes, who avenged his father’s murder, so he could take his revenge on the shameless suitors. Telemachus believes that the gods have no such plan for his father and himself. We have dramatic irony here, since the reader is in the know about Athena helping Odysseus to return home, where he will be able to deal with the suitors. The passage foreshadows the suitors’ fate.

"If only
the bright-eyed goddess chose to love you just
as she lavished care on brave Odysseus, years ago
in the land of Troy where we Achaeans struggled!
I’ve never seen the immortals show so much affection
as Pallas openly showed him, standing by your father –
if only she’d favor you, tend you with all her heart,
many a suitor then would lose all thought of marriage,
blotted out forever."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 247-255. Nestor’s words to Telemachus, wishing that Athena loved and helped him as much as she did Odysseus, are ironic. For the reader is aware that the goddess cares very much for Telemachus and his father and is dedicated to helping them both.

"Never, your majesty,"
Telemachus countered gravely, "that will never
come to pass, I know. What you say dumbfounds me,
staggers imagination! Hope, hope as I will,
that day will never dawn…
not even if the gods should will it so."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 255-260. This is Telemachus’ response to Nestor, who says that if only Athena favored Telemachus as she did his father Odysseus. This is an example of dramatic irony since the reader knows that Telemachus is being guided by Athena, disguised as Mentor, in his search for his father. It also shows Telemachus’ modesty and lack of pride.

"So you,
dear boy, take care. Don’t rove from home too long,
too far, leaving your own holdings unprotected –
crowds in your palace so brazen
they’ll carve up all your wealth, devour it all,
and then your journey here will come to nothing."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 352-357. Nestor advises Telemachus, who has left Ithaca in search of his father, not to stay away from home too long, leaving his property unprotected. He is urging Telemachus to get back to Ithaca before all his family wealth is devoured by the suitors.

"Zeus forbid – and the other deathless gods as well –
that you resort to your ship and put my house behind
like a rank pauper’s without a stitch of clothing,
no piles of rugs, no blankets in his place
for host and guests to slumber soft in comfort.
Why, I’ve plenty of fine rugs and blankets here.
No, by god, the true son of my good friend Odysseus
won’t bed down on a ship’s deck, not while I’m alive
or my sons are left at home to host our guests,
whoever comes to our palace, newfound friends."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 389-398. When Athena tells Nestor that she and Telemachus must be on their way, the king insists that they stay with him for the night. Like the good host, Nestor won’t hear tell of them sleeping on a ship but offers them warm and comfortable beds in his palace in Pylos. The king is a strong believer in showing generous hospitality to visiting guests, in keeping with ancient Greek tradition.

With that the bright-eyed goddess winged away
in an eagle’s form and flight.
Amazement fell on all the Achaeans there.
The old king, astonished by what he’d seen,
grasped Telemachus’ hand and cried out to the prince,
"Dear boy – never fear you’ll be a coward or defenseless,
not if at your young age the gods will guard you so.
Of all who dwell on Olympus, this was none but she,
Zeus’s daughter, the glorious one, his third born,
who prized your gallant father among the Argives."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 415-424. Athena, disguised as Mentor, reveals herself when she turns into an eagle and flies away. Amazed at what he has seen, King Nestor tells Telemachus that this was none other than Athena who will protect him just as she prized his father Odysseus. So the young son of Odysseus gets the official stamp of approval from the gods.

The women shrilled their cry,
…Then, hoisting up
the victim’s head from the trampled earth, they held her fast
as the captain of men Pisistratus slashed her throat.
Dark blood gushed forth, life ebbed from her limbs.

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 3, lines 506, 508-511. This describes the slaughtering and sacrifice of the heifer in honor of Athena by King Nestor and his people. The animal’s horns have been covered in gold by a goldsmith. The slaughter is carried out by Nestor’s son Pisistratus.

"Strangers have just arrived, your majesty, Menelaus.
Two men, but they look like kin of mighty Zeus himself.
Tell me, should we unhitch their team for them
or send them to someone free to host them well?"

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 31-34. Eteoneus, aide-in-arms of Menelaus, announces the arrival of Telemachus and "Nestor’s shining son" Pisistratus to the king’s palace at Lacedaemon. In a simile, the visitors are said to look like relatives of father of the gods Zeus himself. Eteoneus doesn’t show the usual Greek generosity to those who have traveled far from home, suggesting that they be sent off to someone else.

"Just think of all the hospitality we enjoyed
at the hands of other men before we made it home,
and god save us from such hard treks in years to come.
Quick, unhitch their team. And bring them in,
strangers, guests, to share our flowing feast."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 39-42. Menelaus provides an insight into the highly valued ancient Greek practice of xenia: the law of offering hospitality to strangers. Having been treated well himself by his hosts, Menelaus in turn wants to treat his own guests well. He instructs Eteoneus, his aide-in-arms, to bring in Telemachus and Pisistratus to share in their feast.

"No man alive could rival Zeus, dear boys,
with his everlasting palace and possessions.
But among men, I must say, few if any
could rival me in riches. Believe me,
much I suffered, many a mile I roved to haul
such treasures home in my ships.
…But while I roamed those lands, amassing a fortune,
a stranger killed my brother, blind to the danger, duped blind –
thanks to the cunning of his cursed, murderous queen!
So I rule all this wealth with no great joy.
…Well, would to god I’d stayed right here in my own house
with a third of all that wealth and they were still alive,
all who died on the wide plain of Troy those years ago,
far from the stallion-land of Argos."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 87-92, 100-103, 108-111. Menelaus admits that he is a rich man, having amassed many treasures during his voyages to different lands. But he confesses to visitors Telemachus and Pisistratus that it brings him no great joy. For while he roamed these lands, his brother King Agamemnon was killed, thanks to the treachery of his disloyal and cunning queen. Menelaus wishes he had stayed at home, with far less wealth, and that all those who died at Troy were still alive.

Such memories
stirred in the young prince a deep desire to grieve
for Odysseus. Tears streamed down his cheeks
and wet the ground when he heard his father’s name,
both hands clutching his purple robe before his eyes.
Menelaus recognized him at once but pondered
whether to let him state his father’s name
or probe him first and prompt him step by step.

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 126-133. When Menelaus grieves the loss of Odysseus, not knowing if he is dead of alive, Telemachus cries at this mention of his father. An observant Menelaus witnesses this and recognizes who Telemachus is straight away.

"My heart tells me
to come right out and say I’ve never seen such a likeness,
neither in man nor woman – I’m amazed at the sight.
To the life he’s like the son of great Odysseus,
surely he’s Telemachus! The boy that hero left
a babe in arms at home when all you Achaeans
fought at Troy, launching your headlong battles
just for my sake, shameless whore that I was."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 155-162. Helen is looking at Telemachus, who is crying at the loss of his father. She immediately recognizes the similarity between between Telemachus and Odysseus. Helen describes herself as a "shameless whore" fought for by the Achaeans who waged a ten-year war when she was abducted by Paris of Troy. This speaks to the power of someone regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful women and great sexual icon.

"Right you are" – Pisistratus stepped in quickly –
"son of Atreus, King Menelaus, captain of armies:
here is the son of that great hero, as you say.
But the man is modest, he would be ashamed
to make a show of himself, his first time here,
and interrupt you. We delight in your voice
as if some god were speaking!"

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 171-177. Helen and Menelaus have been talking about how Telemachus looks like the son of Odysseus. While Telemachus remains silent, Pisistratus in this passage confirms that he is son of the hero. He explains that Telemachus is much too modest and humble to barge into King Menelaus’ conversation and interrupt him. If Odysseus sometimes has too much pride, Telemachus seems to suffer a deficit of it.

"Wonderful!" the red-haired king cried out.
"The son of my dearest friend, here in my own house!
That man who performed a hundred feats of arms for me.
And I swore that when he came I’d give him a hero’s welcome,
him above all my comrades – if only Olympian Zeus,
farseeing Zeus, had granted us both safe passage
home across the sea in our swift trim ships.
Why, I’d have settled a city in Argos for him."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 185-192. Menelaus is excited to have Telemachus, son of his great friend Odysseus, in his house. But Menelaus wishes that both himself and Odysseus had been given safe passage home by Zeus.

Then Zeus’s daughter Helen thought of something else.
Into the mixing-bowl from which they drank their wine
she slipped a drug, heart’s-ease, dissolving anger,
magic to make us all forget our pains…
No one who drank it deeply, mulled in wine,
could let a tear roll down his cheeks that day,
not even if his mother should die, his father die,
not even if right before his eyes some enemy brought down
a brother or darling son with a sharp bronze blade.

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 243-251. Helen slips a drug into the wine to make Menelaus and the visiting Telemachus and Pisistratus forget their sorrow and pain. They have been lamenting Odysseus’ delayed return home from Troy.

"but what a feat that hero dared and carried off
in the land of Troy where you Achaeans suffered!
Scarring his own body with mortifying strokes,
throwing filthy rags on his back like any slave,
he slipped into the enemy’s city, roamed its streets –
all disguised, a totally different man, a beggar."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 272-277. Helen tells the story of how Odysseus cunningly disguised himself as a begger to slip into Troy unrecognized during the Trojan war. This foreshadows the exact same tactics being used by Odysseus, with Athena’s help, to return unnoticed to Ithaca.
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