Odysseus as a Target in the Odyssey and Aeschylus’ Fr. 179, 180 Radt (On the History of Greek Parody)

Abstract

This paper reviews the cases in which the heroic formulae of the Iliad appear in the non-heroic passages of the Odyssey, namely in the fight scenes in the Iliad, which are repeated in the scenes where the suitors throw different “missiles” at Odysseus (Od. 17. 462–465; 18. 396–398; 20. 299–302). While it would be incorrect to apply the notion of parody as a genre to the Odyssey itself, these examples show that epic heroic formulas appearing not in a strictly heroic context could provide material for a future Greek parody.