Walter Jens - The Testament of Odysseus
Odysseus writes his grandson Prasidas an autobiographical testament, just this book. Eum r begins with his youth, tells how he "tasted the tree of knowledge" of has and carries out his spiritual superiority, which is reflected also found in his pursuit of perfection, for which one must be willing to fail. In search of an intelligent queen for himself, he came to Helena to Sparta. This he takes as a doll, was outwardly fine, but as imagined great to her beauty. He means it, after heavy consumption of wine, have seen through and understand their commitment to have their numerous free against each other to want to play and is planning mischief. He tries to cross their planned conspiracy by the suitors, just to choose if they committed loyalty to the alliance - including itself. Quite different is Penelope, whom he meets on Delos, which he wants to go because of his sanctuary of Apollo. His "real chance" he can enjoy only a short time before the feared war grounds arise also: Helen was abducted to the Trojan abroad. Its treaty obligations in accordance, also takes part in the war, and Odysseus is ten years in the field until he remembers the trick with the Trojan horse. On Streif course in Troy, he is to convince doubting the usefulness of the war and tried Laocoon. The succeed, but this is with his two sons killed by two sea serpents, before he can return to Odysseus (which is no allusion to Homer, but in Virgil's Aeneid, where the snakes are, however, sent by Athene). He desperately tries to warn weiterr and thus avert the destruction of Troy and the status quo be maintained - but with the option of peace and that means the return of Helen. He fails. After the destruction he is responsible, to some extent as Besatzungsgoverneur to the administration of the conquered, pillaged, raped and murdered Troy. It maintains the old King Priam, who lost all his children, and told him this several fairy tales, the stories are, because where Odysseus was later so famous. The return runs fatal. Not only did he go through Hades, and there sacrifice his own blood - but is accused by the dead soldiers he had sent to his death. He returning to Ithaca - and unofficially the sake of peace. Officially, he is declared to death, his wife has been married to Odysseus on his return and eventually failed in every respect.
layer that is the interesting, the complete failure of Odysseus with Jens, which is behind the myth of returnees and heroes. No faithful Penelope, no faithful Eumaeus to expect - only the loneliness and the possibility of his Wife, his son, watching his grandson. And leave just the grandson of the line with a warning.
forget me, my child, but think of the Gerber and gardeners to keep patience and guard the peace. (126) Last
with this in mind, is, like in many mythology reception, a socio-historical interpretation. A desperate, but failed in the past struggle for peace is precisely the time dominated the 50s. The Testament as a document of the generation that lived through the war, the boys who have just not seen this, to show to which the warning, who have learned from history, and their terrible hubris the destruction that has befallen the people. Your nightmares, they suffer from the horrors and the memory of one, then stained and youth. But there is hope in the youth, for the gods are largely reduced to formulas, behind which are not, as in the ancient original, the characters.
(6 [O. says grandson], 10 [own cleverness], 22 [failure to be ready], 24 [Helen in Sparta] 27 [Helena as a puppet], 32 [überasschend: O. nice and wise], 39 [feat O.]; 44] [Apollo; 46 [Penelope met];] 62 [Venetian horse;] 78 [no faith in the good cause; 85f [dream of the return], 87 [to the "betrayal"] ready, 92 [plan] with Laodokon, 106 [the tale Priam] narrative, 111 [his sacrifice] own blood;] 115 [prosecution of the dead soldiers, 124 [back to the ] peace sake
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