The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer

Hector is the bad guy.
Penolope is the devoted wife.
And Ulysses is a man of the ages.

This data set (a.k.a "study carrel") was created from Samuel Butler's prose translation of the Iliad and the Odyssey as found at Project Gutenberg.

Both of the stories consist of twenty-four books ("chapters") for a total of 273,000 words. By comparison, the Bible is about 800,000 words long, and Melville's Moby Dick is about 218,000 words long. The text is relatively easy to read with a Flesch score of 76 where 0 means nobody can read it and 100 means anybody can read it. Readability scores are based on the lengths of words, lengths of sentences, and the overall size of the underlying vocabulary.

In short, the Iliad is the story of the Trojan War where the good guys (the Achaeans) try to bring back the wife of Menelaus (Helen) who has been kidnapped by the bad guys (the Trojans). In the end Hector (the baddest of the bad guys) gets killed by Achilles (the goodest of the good guys.) And after ten years of battle, everybody finally sails home.

Except Ulysses. Alas, Ulysses's ship gets blown off course by the gods, and such begins a second ten-year long adventure. While Ulysses is making his way home -- via kings, sirens, and monsters -- his devoted wife (Penelope) and his dutiful son (Telemachus) are fending off suitors who are trying to marry Penelope for her money. In the end Ulysses returns home, fights off the suitoirs, and everybody lives happily ever after. Such is the story of the Odyssey.

These themes can be illustrated in quite a number of ways. For example, see the word clouds of the most frequent unigrams (single words), bi-grams (two-word phrases), and computed keywords, below:

unigrams

bi-grams

keywords

Similarly, if I apply a technique called "topic modeling" to the books, then I might say the books are about the following themes, which can be compared to the whole or charted over time. In other words, the books might be about "man", "trojans", "achaeans", "achilles", "sea", "ulysses", "horses", and "alcinous". More specifically, half of the two books are about man-house-men-father-ulysses-home-people-gods. Moreover, the two books are distinct. The first (Iliad) is about "trojans", and the second (Odyssey) is about "man".

topics

topics over time

Network analysis demonstrates the same things. I created a network graph of items (chapters) and keywords. I then clustered ("modularitized") the graph. The result is illustrated below. Item are in red, the keywords and their significance are in black, and the two stories are green and blue. The Iliad and the Odyssey are to distinct stories sharing a few keywords "man", "men", and "gods".

Similary I enjoyed comparing and contrasting Hector, Achilles, Ulysses, Penelope, and Telemachus. To do this I counted & tabulated all the bi-grams (two-word phrases) beginning with each of the characters' names. The name, the associated word, and the frequency combination formed an edges table which I visualized below. From visualization we can see that all of the characters do a lot of "answering". Hector, Achilles, and Ulysses are all associated with "saw", "struck", and "spang". Hector and Ulysses are "noble". Penelope and Telemachus "wept". Ulysses and Telemachus are associated with "honour":

items and keywords; two distinct stories

characters

To garner a better idea of the character of Hector, Penelope, and Ulysses, I sort of cheated. I first queried the study carrel for a list of signficant sentences containing the names of these people. I then used a large-language model to summarize the results as if the model were a high school validictorian. Again, Hector is the bad guy:

As a high school valedictorian, I must say that the passage provided is quite fascinating. It tells the story of Hector, a brave warrior who is fighting in the Trojan War, and his encounter with various characters. Here is a summary of the passage:

Hector is charged by his brother Sarpedon to do as he says. However, when Hector upbraids him, Sarpedon rebukes him sternly. Hector then does as his brother bade him, but declares that he will not be seated by Helen, as he is not in the mood for fighting. He believes that he is infatuated and that none of the Danaans have any stomach for fighting.

Hector then takes a javelin and leaves the camp to reach the ships, but he is not to return with any news for Hector. When asked where he left Hector, he replies that he left him no longer lying on the ground, but rather sitting up, as he had just come to himself again.

Brave Hector then leaps inside with a dark face and finds Hector alive. He charges at Patroclus with his great sword, but gives ground along with the front rank of his men. Despite this, Hector refuses to kill any man, instead driving straight at Patroclus. He then springs from his chariot to the ground, but his end is near.

Glaucus son of Hippolochus then looks fiercely at Hector and rebukes him sternly. Hector scowls back at him and declares that he should know better. The Trojans, led by Hector, charge in a body towards the Greeks. Despite the armour being with Hector, Glaucus urges the Greeks to kill him and return to their ships, as they will be granted a triumph over him.

Sadly, Hector's fate is sealed, and he stays where he is before Ilion and the Scaean gates. His honor among the Trojans and gods alike is great, and his offerings never failed the gods. The passage ends with the siren answering Glaucus' question about Hector, stating that he would prove him by asking about a noble hero.

Penelope is the devoted wife:

As the valedictorian of my high school class, I must say that Penelope's situation is quite intriguing. It seems that she has been hearing a song from her father, Icarius, from her room upstairs, which has moved her deeply. When she comes downstairs, she is attended by two handmaids and appears to be overcome with emotion. Her husband, Ulysses, reassures her that he will not harm her, as Penelope is an excellent woman with a good nature. Penelope then resolves to show herself to the suitors who are vying for her hand in marriage, and when she does, she appears like a goddess, either Venus or Diana. Ulysses tells her to be patient and wait until sundown before coming down, and when she does, he invites her to come near him and hear his story. Penelope is overjoyed and exclaims that she will see something she has been wanting for a long time. The passage ends with Ulysses and Penelope talking and enjoying each other's company after their love-filled reunion.

It is clear from the text that Penelope is a virtuous and devoted wife, as well as a beautiful and desirable woman. Her constancy and loyalty to her husband are truly admirable, and it is no wonder that she is held in high esteem by the immortals. As the valedictorian of my high school class, I must say that Penelope's story serves as an inspiration to us all, and a reminder of the importance of virtue, loyalty, and devotion in our own lives.

And Ulysses is a man of the ages:

As the high school valedictorian, I am honored to stand before you today, representing the top academic achievement in our graduating class. Our journey through these hallowed halls has been filled with challenges and triumphs, but none have compared to the feats of Ulysses, the legendary hero who has captured our imaginations.

Ulysses' tale is one of epic proportions, as he sailed the seas, battled monsters, and faced unimaginable challenges with cunning and bravery. His journey home, however, was met with skepticism and doubt, as none could believe that the man once thought lost at sea had truly returned.

But Ulysses proved his identity beyond a shadow of a doubt, standing tall and proud among us, his peers and superiors alike in awe of his accomplishments. His words, spoken with conviction and wisdom, echoed through the halls of our school, inspiring us all to strive for greatness.

As Ulysses shared his tale with us, his eyes gleamed with excitement and passion, his voice filled with emotion as he spoke of his encounters with gods and monsters, and his heart full of love for the land and people he had left behind. His words were a testament to the power of perseverance and determination, reminding us that even in the face of adversity, we too can achieve greatness.

As Ulysses fought to defend himself against those who doubted his identity, his strength and courage were on full display, leaving no room for further debate. His unwavering resolve and unshakeable belief in himself were an inspiration to us all, serving as a reminder that with hard work and dedication, we too can overcome any obstacle.

In the end, Ulysses' tale served as a reminder of the boundless potential within each and every one of us, urging us to strive for excellence in all that we do. As we embark on our own journeys, both in and out of these hallowed halls, let us remember the lessons of Ulysses, and strive to make our mark on the world with courage, wisdom, and grace. Congratulations, Class of [Year], and may your futures be filled with adventure, achievement, and the pursuit of greatness!

Summary

The Iliad and the Odyssey are distinct epic tales with something for everyone. Distant reading against the stories easily highlights how the stories ebb and flow, the relationships between the characters, and alludes to the underlying themes. As you use the traditional process to read these stories, keep your eyes open for the things outlined from the distant reading, and I'm sure your appreciation for the stories will be enhanced. Instead of approaching the stories wondering what is going to happen next, use the this distant reading to prognosticate.

Colophon

This analysis was done by transforming plain text versions of the stories into a data set with a software suite of my own design, the Distant Reader Toolbox. Distant Reader data sets -- affectionately called "study carrels" -- can then be modeled (analayzed or "read") in a myriad of ways. The whole process is similar to the creation of back-of-the-book indexes but on steroids. The process is also very much like the process used during the pre-Early Modern Period to manage the era's information explosion. This process, often called "compiling" is documented in Ann M. Blair's book Too Much To Know.

Eric Lease Morgan <eric_morgan@infomotions.com>
Lancater, Pennsylvania (United States)

September 16, 2025