Omeros
Encyclopedia
Omeros is a 1990 epic poem by Nobel Prize-winning author Derek Walcott
. Many consider it his finest work.
in greek
) it has just a minor touch of Homer's Iliad
and Odyssey
.
The narrative of Omeros is multilayered. Walcott focuses on no single character; rather, many critics have taken the "hero" of Omeros to be the island of St. Lucia itself.
The narrative draws heavily on the legacy of the Homeric epics; Book One even opens with an invocation of the Greek poet, who is likened to the blind character, Seven Seas. However, while many characters within the epic derive their appellations from Homeric characters, this is the only absolute correlation; the themes are Homeric in inspiration, but the story does not imitatively follow the plot of either the Iliad or the Odyssey. Achille has been identified as Achilles
, but also as Menalaus and Odysseus
. Hector has been connected to Paris
and Agamemnon
, Plunkett to Priam
, Nestor
, and even Paris
. Helen is Helen, but also possibly Cassandra
, and Ma Killman, Patroclus
and Andromache
(whose Greek name means "battle" and "man").
The story can be divided into three main threads, all of which are introduced in Book One of the poem.
The poem is ambitious in scope. Walcott draws on Homer, Virgil, and also Dante (the form of the poem is reminiscent of the Dante-invented terza rima
). Themes presented in this poem include nostalgia
, colonialism
, historiography
, homecoming, paternity, poetry
, and love
. If any theme binds the characters together, it is a universal human desire for communion with the past.
Walcott has been praised for his rich and inventive use of language in Omeros.
Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992.
Derek Walcott
Derek Alton Walcott, OBE OCC is a Saint Lucian poet, playwright, writer and visual artist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 and the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2011 for White Egrets. His works include the Homeric epic Omeros...
. Many consider it his finest work.
Overview
The epic is set on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Although its name is Omeros (HomerHomer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
in greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
) it has just a minor touch of Homer's Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
and Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
.
The narrative of Omeros is multilayered. Walcott focuses on no single character; rather, many critics have taken the "hero" of Omeros to be the island of St. Lucia itself.
The narrative draws heavily on the legacy of the Homeric epics; Book One even opens with an invocation of the Greek poet, who is likened to the blind character, Seven Seas. However, while many characters within the epic derive their appellations from Homeric characters, this is the only absolute correlation; the themes are Homeric in inspiration, but the story does not imitatively follow the plot of either the Iliad or the Odyssey. Achille has been identified as Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
, but also as Menalaus and Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
. Hector has been connected to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Agamemnon
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the father of Electra and Orestes. Mythical legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area...
, Plunkett to Priam
Priam
Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son of Laomedon. Modern scholars derive his name from the Luwian compound Priimuua, which means "exceptionally courageous".- Marriage and issue :...
, Nestor
Nestor
- Arts, literature, and entertainment :* Nestor , the son of Neleus, the King of Pylos and Chloris in Greek mythology* "Nestor", a chapter in the novel Ulysses by James Joyce* Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, Los Angeles...
, and even Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Helen is Helen, but also possibly Cassandra
Cassandra
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...
, and Ma Killman, Patroclus
Patroclus
In Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , was the son of Menoetius, grandson of Actor, King of Opus, and was Achilles' beloved comrade and brother-in-arms....
and Andromache
Andromache
In Greek mythology, Andromache was the wife of Hector and daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled...
(whose Greek name means "battle" and "man").
The story can be divided into three main threads, all of which are introduced in Book One of the poem.
- The first follows the rivalry of the Homerically-named Achille and Hector over their love for Helen. Considerable attention is paid to Philoctete, an injured fisherman inspired by Homer's and Sophocles' PhiloctetesPhiloctetesPhiloctetes or Philocthetes according to Greek mythology, the son of King Poeas of Meliboea in Thessaly. He was a Greek hero, famed as an archer, and was a participant in the Trojan War. He was the subject of at least two plays by Sophocles, one of which is named after him, and one each by both...
. - The second is the interwoven story of Sergeant Major Plunkett and his Irish wife Maud, who live on the island and must reconcile themselves to the history of British colonization of St. Lucia.
- The final thread is the tale of the poet-narrator, who comments on the action of the poem and partakes in many trans-Atlantic journeys and wanderings himself.
The poem is ambitious in scope. Walcott draws on Homer, Virgil, and also Dante (the form of the poem is reminiscent of the Dante-invented terza rima
Terza rima
Terza rima is a rhyming verse stanza form that consists of an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme. It was first used by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri.-Form:Terza rima is a three-line stanza using chain rhyme in the pattern A-B-A, B-C-B, C-D-C, D-E-D...
). Themes presented in this poem include nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
, colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
, historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
, homecoming, paternity, poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, and love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
. If any theme binds the characters together, it is a universal human desire for communion with the past.
Walcott has been praised for his rich and inventive use of language in Omeros.
Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992.