The Paradoxes of Pleasure Island - "The Odyssey" Book V - By Homer

Stephen Alexander Beach 

Book V opens with a connection to the opening of Book I in which the reader is taken back to the council of gods discussing Odysseus' fate. Again, it is declared that Odysseus is to return home and that Hermes should be sent out to Calypso to announce that he must be set free. When he arrives, even he is entranced by the pleasure island. "Why, even a deathless god who came upon that place would gaze in wonder, heart entranced with pleasure. Hermes the guide, the mighty giant-killer, stood there, spellbound ...".1 Indeed it is an island of paradox, in that despite its beauty, despite Calypso being beautiful and using Odysseus as her lover, despite offering him immortality to become her husband, Odysseus just wants to go home and be set free. "But as for great Odysseus - Hermes could not find him within the cave. Off he sat on a headland, weeping there as always, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish, gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears." 2

Calypso finds him in same state."... found him there on the headland, sitting, still, weeping, his eyes never dry, his sweet life flowing away with the tears he wept for his foiled journey home, since the nymph no longer pleased. In the nights, true, he'd sleep with her in the arching cave - he had no choice - unwilling lover alongside lover all too willing ... But all his days he'd sit on the rocks and beaches, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish, gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears." 3 

Calypso is angry that the gods do not approve of relationships with mortals, even though there is certainly hypocrisy with this. Nevertheless no one can stop Zeus' will, and so she must agree. And so she gives him tools to build a boat for himself. Odysseus, though, makes her swear that she is not tricking him, and she does. This doesn't mean she doesn't try to tempt him to stay one last time, providing him with food and sex, but Odysseus must return. "... I long - I pine, all my days - to travel home and see the dawn of my return." 4

Finally, his boat is done and Calypso sends him off with all the rations and items he needs, including clothing him in rich clothes, and gives him guidance on how to navigate the stars. As Odysseus sails and is about to reach the Phaeacian's island, Poseidon returns from his trip away and begins to rage in anger at Odysseus. He is struck by a storm in which his boat break apart and Odysseus is left afloat at sea hanging on to timbers. Calypso's clothes are also weighing him down. In his dire straights he encounters Ino, a former mortal become sea goddess, who has pity on him. She tells him to strip away the clothes and leave the ship and swim for it. She grants him a special scarf to help him, though he must leave it behind in the sea when he is safe. Odysseus goes for it and survives swimming to the island, but there is still one problem. There are reefs and breakers which will kill him if he cannot find a safe way to shore. He keeps his wit about him and manages to find a river inlet where he can safely pass. 

He makes it to shore and beds down beneath two huge olive vines which (possible foreshadowing his bed back home?). "...two bushy olives sprung from the same root, one olive wild, the other well-bred stock. No sodden gusty winds could ever pierce them, nor could the sun's sharp rays invade their depths, nor could a downpour drench them through and through, so dense they grew together, tangling side-by-side." 5

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1 - 80 - 85

2 - 90 - 95

3 - 165 - 175

4 - 241

5 - 525 - 545