Odysseus and the Stoics
The Homeric hero from a philosophical perspective, part II
The mythical Greek hero Odysseus has been a role model and object of philosophical considerations by various Greco-Roman schools of philosophy. Not to mention a personal role model ever since I was a kid.
In the first essay of this series we have examined how the Cynics, the philosophical cousins and partial inspiration of the Stoics, considered Odysseus. It is now the turn of the Stoics themselves, as part of my ongoing commentary on From Villain to Hero: Odysseus in Ancient Thought, by Silvia Montiglio (the book also has a chapter on Plato’s view of the Greek hero, which I am skipping for the purposes of this treatment).
The Stoics were apparently enthusiastic about Odysseus, beginning with the founder, Zeno, who in fact wrote five books of Homeric Problems. Ulysses, as the Romans called him, embodied a major tenet of Stoicism: the obligation to cheerfully submit to one’s Fate — while at the same time also unequivocally showing that this “submission” doesn’t equate to quietism. Just think of all the heroic efforts that Odysseus makes on behalf of his companions and in pursuit of the ultimate goal to get back home. That is why Seneca, Musonius Rufus, Epictetus, and Dio Chrysostom all commented favorably on the legend of Odysseus.
