Kingdom Of The Dead Analysis

The nature of existence in the Kingdom of the Dead is dissimilar to the Christian ideal of heave; the Kingdom of the Dead is a dismal place to be. Odysseus describes them as “shambling, shiftless dead” (p. 251). Existing in the Kingdom of the Dead is not a pleasing affair. People exist in death exactly how they died; the “men of war” are still wearing the bloody armor they died in (p. 250). The dead seem to be able to remember who they are, but they are not able to speak until Odysseus allows them to touch or “approach” the blood Odysseus spilt from the sheep (p. 254). Once they do so, the dead can only speak the truth (p. 254). If Odysseus were to ignore them, they would fade away (p. 254). To reach the dead, Odysseus uses milk and honey,
mellow wine, barley, and blood (p. 250). He also promises to slaughter his best barren heifer, load a pyre with treasure, and offer a sleek black ram to Tiresias (p. 250). Considering Homer’s account of the Kingdom of the Dead, I do not think that the Greek’s had a concept of a personal after life. In death, as in life, the Greek’s had a communal interpretation of the afterlife; the dead list about with the same sense of togetherness they had in life.