Ad-free experience
Study Guides for 1,000+ titles
Full Text content for 250+ titles
No Fear Translations of Shakespeare’s plays (along with audio!) and other classic works
Flashcards
Mastery Quizzes
Infographics
Graphic Novels
AP® Practice & Lessons
Note-taking
Bookmarking
Dashboard
Book 12
. . . listen closely to what I tell you now
and god himself will bring it back to mind.
First you will raise the island of the Sirens,
those creatures who spellbind any man alive,
whoever comes their way. Whoever draws too close,
off guard, and catches the Sirens’ voices in the air —
no sailing home for him, no wife rising to meet him,
no happy children beaming up at their father’s face.
The high, thrilling song of the Sirens will transfix him,
lolling there in their meadow, round them heaps of corpses
rotting away, rags of skin shriveling on their bones . .
In Book 12, Circe outlines to Odysseus the obstacles he will face once he leaves her island—namely, the island of the Sirens, who will tempt him with their enchanting voices. If he succumbs, he will never reach home.
Book 13
Come, enough of this now. We’re both old hands
at the arts of intrigue. Here among mortal men
you’re far the best at tactics, spinning yarns,
and I am famous among the gods for wisdom,
cunning wiles, too.
In Book 13, after Odysseus is deposited in Ithaca, he encounters Athena disguised as a shepherd. Like her, he conceals his true identity. Athena then reveals herself and invites Odysseus to do the same, praising his ingenuity and drawing a parallel between the two of them: one the cleverest among mortal men, the other the goddess of wisdom. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Theme: The Power of Cunning over Strength and Quotes by Character: Athena.
Book 14
Trust me, the blessed gods have no love for crime.
They honor justice, honor the decent acts of men.
Even cutthroat bandits who raid foreign parts —
and Zeus grants them a healthy share of plunder,
ships filled to the brim, and back they head for home —
even their dark hearts are stalked by the dread of vengeance.
In Book 14, Eumaeus the swineherd tells Odysseus, who is disguised as a beggar, that the gods honor justice. He likens the suitors to “cutthroat bandits” who may head home with plunder but must then spend their days knowing vengeance is coming.
