The function and the content of the dream in Homer: Penelope’s dream and the Gates of Dreams in Odyssey 19

Laverick, Dominic (2023) The function and the content of the dream in Homer: Penelope’s dream and the Gates of Dreams in Odyssey 19. MRes thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the function and the content of the dream scenes and reports in Homer, principally through an analysis of Penelope’s allegorical eagle/goose dream in Odyssey 19. It aims to demonstrate that Homer knew that dreams were products of the mind, but chose to present them as externalised (that is, coming from outside the self) for poetic and linguistic reasons. Having established this psychological basis for understanding Homer’s dreams, it argues for a Lacanian interpretation of Penelope’s grief within her dream which explains its negative affect. Finally, it provides an analysis of Penelope’s ‘Gates of Horn and Ivory’, and evaluates the competing scholarly theories of their symbolism.

• Item Type: Thesis (MRes)
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Classics
• Supervisor's Name: Hau, Dr. Lisa Irene
• Date of Award: 2023
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2023-83513
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 29 Mar 2023 13:42
• Last Modified: 29 Mar 2023 14:27
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.83513
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/83513