I was poking around in the fragments of Euripides’ lost tragedies and I found this:
I imagine these words were put precisely in Autolycus’s mouth, and I find it very interesting how they overturn the heroic code we’re used to: the uselessness of athletic contests, the futility of striving for bodily perfection, almost sound like a mockery of the ambitions and motivations of the heroes in the Iliad. The rejection of the social conventions that necessarily follow great heroic or athletic deeds — the feast, the banquet, the camaraderie among warriors — seems to me almost an example of epic asociality if such word could be used.
All of this is entirely consistent with Autolycus: his nature is portrayed as profoundly asocial. He is the greatest manipulator of oaths of his day (as the Odyssey presents him). He’s a thief, hated by many, deeply removed from the heroic ideal of his age.
I don’t think I’m going too far in saying that it’s very interesting to find something of Odysseus in this speech as well. Odysseus is much more integrated within the heroic logic of his time — he isn’t immune to the lure of fame, glory and heroic deeds — yet he displays atypical traits, a sort of Autolycan nature that surfaces from time to time (and that, generally speaking, saves his ass).
It’s indeed very interesting that Euripides’ speech highlights how athletes are admirable in youth but less so in old age: Odysseus is one of the few heroes who is allowed to grow old — and who actively chooses to do so. It’s equally noteworthy that the speech dwells on the athletes’ and heroes’ inability to cope with poverty: Odysseus is the very example of one who loses everything, is forced to beg for help and goodwill during his journey, and above all is willing to humble himself and hit rock bottom in order to reclaim what is his.
In short, Odysseus is a hero through and through — but a hero deeply marked by the influence of his maternal grandfather.
