This lecture is part of a course from The Great Courses called Great Mythologies of the World. This course and over 300 other courses can be accessed with a subscription to Wondrium.
For this free 30-minute lecture provided by The Great Courses, Professor Kathryn McClymond gives a close-up analysis of Odysseus, the Greek hero of Homeric myth, master schemer, and perhaps one of the earliest “everyman” superheroes. Odysseus’s clever nature serves him well during the Trojan War, but becomes a liability as he and his men encounter countless obstacles in a 20-year effort to return home. Themes of identity are also at play throughout the epic of The Odyssey, as Odysseus can’t help but hide his true nature under different guises before coming to peace with himself in the arms of a loving wife and son. What we see in Professor McCymond’s lecture is a complex hero who is capable of withstanding incredible physical hardships, yet finds the ultimate challenge to be his own flawed character.