Poseidon’s Curse

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“Poseidon’s Curse” or “The Hubris of Ulisses” picks up on what essentially structures Homer’s entire narrative of Ulisses’ journey home after the end of the Trojan War. Poseidon curses Ulisses at the request of his son Polyphemus, a cyclops whom Ulisses blinded and mocked and to whom he foolishly revealed his identity. This behavior was considered excessively arrogant, an insult to the gods, and the curse caused Ulisses to reach his hometown of Ithaca only after ten years. The work depicts the scene in which Poseidon rises from the sea and curses Ulisses, although in this more recent representation, the raft on which Ulisses and his companions were traveling has been replaced by a sailing yacht. Significantly, the name of the ship is “Odyssey” (printed on the sail in ancient Greek).