The Effect of the Sirens Essay

In the first section of Odyssey, mortal women are presented to us as controlled by the stereotypes and expectations of the culture of the day, and it is only within that context that we can consider the examples Homer provides of women to be admired or despised. He provides us with clear contrasts, between Penelope and Eurycleia on the one hand, and Helen and Clytemnaestra on the other.

The portrayals of the Siren in The Odyssey and “Siren Song” can be compared through point of view, tone, and imagery. In Homer’s poem the Siren is seen as an irresistible desire, a toxic aspiration that manipulated and captivated men to come closer. In “Siren Song” the Siren is portrayed as merely a taunting boredom. She herself tells us that to her it is boring, “But it works every

In the first passage it describes how Odysseus got the beeswax for his men to cover their ears. To prevent Odysseus from escaping while hearing the song, his men tied him to a post on the ship. The passage describes just how difficult it is to resist the voices of the Sirens by using figurative language such as personification. The passage stated, “Never has any sailor passed our shores in his black craft until he has heard the honeyed voices pouring from our lips and once he hears to his heart's content sails on, a wiser man.” This is an example of personification

Emotions and feelings are very tempting to give into. The Sirens are beautiful women who lure sailing men in by tempting them with this voice. They

"The Sirens", taunt and tease Odysseus as him and his crew sail towards the, “Land of the Dead". Crossing the bumpy ocean in order to reach the Land of The Dead, Odysseus and his man sailed into trouble. Sirens were on the horizon and Odysseus had to think quickly. As his mind raced he finally came up with a solution, he grabbed a handful of wax and rolled it in his hands. “Going forward I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears.” (Lines 712-713 The Odyssey). Whilst finishing this tedious task, Odysseus was tied down to the mast and left with his thoughts. The men continued to row while the Sirens flew in and sang

In the case of the Sirens, the theme is revisited simply for its own interest. With their ears plugged, the crew members sail safely by the Sirens’ island, while Odysseus, longing to hear the Sirens’ sweet song, is saved from folly only by his foresighted command to his crew to keep him bound to the ship’s mast. Homer is fascinated with depicting his protagonist tormented by temptation: in general, Odysseus and his men want very desperately to complete their nostos, or homecoming, but this desire is constantly at odds with the other pleasures that the world offers

This woman of surpassing beauty provides an emotional test for the hero along his journey. This role is filled by Calypso in the epic, a gorgeous nymph whose love for Odysseus makes him her captive for seven years. Ulysses’s trek to his homeland is significantly altered by the appearance of the Sirens down at the river, three women who try to capture the men for the bounty through physical attraction. The Sirens of Homer’s work are a challenge along the hero’s travels, but they do not play such a profound role like Calypso. The nymph’s love for Odysseus was true, her heart fixated on the hero that landed upon her isle. The Sirens of Ulysses’s tale used sexual temptation to drag the men in, their intentions driven by greed. Both Odysseus and Ulysses face these women as their sensuous powers delay them from reaching their treasured goal: home. The presence of these characters helps establish the protagonists’ humanity, demonstrating how love and temptation also linger within the hearts of heroes. The contrast between the motivation of Calypso and the film’s Sirens shows two distinct characters: the temptress moved by love and the temptress moved by

In all three works of art, the epic poem (The Odyssey), Atwood’s poem (“Siren Song”), and Waterhouse’s Ulysses & The Sirens, all portray the Sirens differently by the author's tone. Waterhouse uses art to set the dramatic and threatening tone while The Odyssey uses poetry to set the dramatic tone. The tone of Atwood’s poem depicts the Sirens as being mischievous yet bored.

The Sirens in the Odyssey represent more than just a maritime danger to the passing ship. They are the desires of man that he cannot have. The Sirens can also be construed as forbidden knowledge or some other taboo object. Whatever these singing women actually are, the sailors are wise to avoid them. As usual, the wily Odysseus cheats at the rules of the game by listening to their song under the restraints constructed by his crew.

When Odysseus encounters the sirens, he comes up with a plan to help them escape them. In “Book Twelve, line 142,” Odysseus says, “Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave?... Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits to find a way out for us?” Even in danger Odysseus is able to keep himself together and lead his men. Homer, in this, shows us that a leader needs to be brave in all times, always ready to take control and calm his men. Before Odysseus returns home, his wisdom is shown once again when his men don’t listen to him, because of this, all his men die and Odysseus returns

First, Odysseus and his men must sail past the Sirens, however, hearing their song leads any sailor to his doom. Circe herself tells Odysseus that “the Sirens will sing his mind away on that sweet meadow lolling.” (678 ll. 666-667) How does Odysseus overcome this adversary? He simply follows Circe’s orders to “plug your oars men's ears with beeswax….” (678 ll. 670-671) Although, she urges Odysseus to listen to the song of the Sirens alone. So, to prevent himself from becoming an issue, he orders his men to tie him up “plumb, amidships, back to the mast, lashed to the mast….” (681 ll. 746-747) This solution was also given to Odysseus via word of Circe. Thus, if Odysseus had not clearly followed Circe’s instructions, from plugging his men’s ears with beeswax to ordering his men to tie him to the mast, he and his crew would have met a fatal end. Much like soldiers in real life, Odysseus and his crew had to comply and obey orders in order to guarantee success on a mission. Circe’s advice allowed Odysseus to overcome the deadly Sirens without any loss, however, his whole journey did not go as smoothly.

Throughout the epic poem “The Odyssey”, the protagonist Odysseus is viewed as a very strong person and an amazing leader. However, Odysseus displays many flaws and weaknesses that helps us connect to him. The biggest flaw represented by Odysseus is that he cannot control his men very well, which is shown in various parts of the epic poem. Since Odysseus demonstrates this weakness, it causes him to have many more obstacles and problems that he has to deal with in order to reach his goal. Odysseus needs his men in order to succeed so without them he cannot defeat his enemies and obstacles that await him. In the epic poem “The Sirens”, Odysseus’ men butchered and ate the Cattle of the Sun God. In the “Land of the Dead” which is

Odysseus is deceived by Kirke’s beauty and falls for her mysterious ways, but his devotion continues for Penelope. Kirke, deceiving Odysseus with her quick mind, says, “your cruel wandering is all you think of, / never of joy, after so many blows” (Homer 179). Kirke’s desire for the men and her persistence captured Odysseus’s logic, and he ends up living with her for quite awhile, but thankfully his reason comes back. Odysseus’s odyssey was so complex that even small occurrences like the sirens and the lotus plants make him reconsider his priorities and what is truly important to him and his future.

As Odysseus travels through the epic, he is constantly trying to maintain his image, always bragging about his wisdom and talents. The Sirens expose and exploit this weakness of his when he encounters them. Their “honeyed voices pouring from [their] lips” (Homer, Odyssey, p. 277, 12.203) is a sticky trap that reveals just how much Odysseus yearns for glory and fame. They call him “Archaea’s pride and glory” and tell him to “come closer, famous Odysseus” (Homer, Odyssey, p. 277, 12.200). By making “famous” the new epithet to his name, they have already won his heart. They then proceed to tempt him in with promises of more wisdom. Odysseus had to literally be tied down so that he would not jump off the ship. All the while, the Sirens most definitely knew that humans are inherently greedy and susceptible to temptation.

Odysseus is warned by Circe that the sweet voices of the Sirens’ bewitch anybody who comes near to them and that “there is no homecoming for the man who draws near them unawares and hears the Sirens’ voices” (Pauline Nugent). As curious as Odysseus is she knows he can’t pass up the opportunity of getting to hear the sweet seductive voices of the Sirens’. Circe knowing very much how Odysseus so helps him devise a plan so that he can hear the Sirens, and his fellow shipmen cannot. She tells Odysseus to have his men melt beeswax and plug there ear and if he wants to listen “...make them bind you hand and foot on board and place you upright by the housing of the mast, with the ropes ends lashed to the mast its self”(12;48-51). Odysseus