Rhapsody 20

Homer commentary

A sampling of comments on Odyssey Rhapsody 20

2017.08.03 / updated 2018.10.13 | By Gregory Nagy Rhapsody 20 reveals the darkest thoughts of Penelope. There she is, lying awake in bed, unable to fall asleep, and now she starts to think the unthinkable, tearfully spilling her private thoughts by praying to Artemis: I want to die in the worst way, she confides to the goddess, so why don’t you shoot me with your arrows, putting me out of… Read more

Homer commentary

A Sampling of Comments on Iliad Rhapsody 20

2016.12.09 / updated 2018.09.20 | By Gregory Nagy By now Achilles has a new set of armor, and he is ready to fight the Trojans. But his first major opponent seems to be a distraction. At least, our initial impression may lead us to think that there is a distraction going on here. The first major opponent of Achilles in Iliad 20 is Aeneas, hero of epic traditions that eventually… Read more