Studies in Literature

Derek Walcott's The Odyssey: a Play

Answer any one of the following questions in an essay of 3+ pages.


[1] In his freewheeling stage adaptation of The Odyssey, Derek Walcott alters not just the genre of the story, moving it from epic to drama, but often plays variations on its themes as well, reinterpreting its elements in startling new ways. Discuss what Walcott does with any one of the three following:

  • The Cyclops
  • Circe
  • The figure and function of the Bard (Billy Blue)

[2] Odysseus' last line of the play, in reply to a question from Penelope regarding monsters, is: "We make them ourselves." Its positioning in the text allows it to function as something between a punch line and a thesis for the play as a whole. How does this insight color or affect Walcott's drama? What does he mean by it?