The Jabberwock

This past Christmas the final saga of Epic the Musical, an adaptation of the Odyssey into musical form by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, came out on all music platforms. The Ithaca Saga is the conclusion of Odyessus’s journey back from Troy, finally making it to Ithaca after 20 years away from home. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus makes it back to Ithaca and disguises himself as an old beggar to sneak into his old palace and kill Penelope’s suitors who have been residing there during Odyessus’s time away. After killing the suitors, Odyessus is finally reunited with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus. In some myths the ending is different however. Another one of Odyessus’s sons actually kills him is one of the endings, but in others it just ends with them living “happily ever after”.

We start the Ithaca Saga with the first song called “The Challenge”. This song features Penelope longing to see Odysseus again with lines like, “Just know I’ll be here buying you time”, “Cause I’d rather die than grow old without the best of you”, and “Just know, I’ll be here waiting, waiting.” Not only does it show how much Penelope truly loves Odysseus, it shows that she is not willing to give up hope that Odysseus will come back to her. This song also sets up the main “challenge” the suitors of Penelope have to face to win her hand. The lyrics within this song truly sum up this challenge perfectly: “Whoever can string my husband’s old bow, And shoot through twelve axes cleanly, Will be the new king, sit down at the throne, And rule with me as his queen.” In the myth, Odysseus’s bow was famously so hard to string that only Odysseus could do it. Penelope made this plan to have the suitors prove themselves in order to take the throne. If there was resistance, Penelope would say that they thought themselves lesser than the previous king if they didn’t stand up to this challenge. Overall this song is a great way to start off the Ithaca saga because it reintroduces everyone who’s been on Ithaca this entire time while Odeyssus was trying to get back home.

The story takes a sudden turn with the next song “Hold Them Down,” a dark reminder of the danger that lurks around Penelope. This song is in the suitors’ perspective of having to wait until Penelope chooses a new king and seeing Telemachus grow old enough to take over. They show their rage mostly through their leader, Antinous. Within this song there are complex themes such as death and sexual assault. In the beginning Antinous just wants to prove that Penelope was never going to marry any of the suitors with the line, “Screw this damn challenge, no more delays. Can’t you guys see we’re being played?” but then it gets darker and Antinous wants to get rid of the prince, Telemachus. Lines such as “I say we wait ’til he arrives. Then, when he docks his ship, we can breach it” and “Hold him down while I slowly break his pride, his trust, his

faith, and his bones.” show how ruthless the suitors are willing to be to prove their point. Then once they finish plotting the prince’s demise, Antinous begins declaring that they should break into Penelope’s chambers and take what they want. This song overall has dark themes which are brought to a sudden halt as an arrow pierces Antinous’s throat, and Odysseus emerges, ready to reclaim his kingdom.

The song after this is no different however. “Odysseus” is the third song in the Ithaca Saga and is just as dark as “Hold Them Down” except with different themes. Odysseus, after hearing what the suitors plan to do to his son and wife, decides to take them all out one by one. Not only do we see Odysseus become an absolutely merciless killer, we also understand why he has become this. The song includes the lyric “My mercy has long since drowned, It died to bring me home, and as long as you’re around, my family’s fate is left unknown.” which shows that not only has Odysseus fought like hell to get home, he now must continue doing so even when he’s finally returned. Because Odysseus is killing the suitors so mercilessly it’s reasonable to understand why the other son may have killed Odysseus in other versions of the myth. In the song however, Odysseus kills all the suitors with basically no consequences.

With a change of pace and a reunion with both his son and Athena, the goddess of wisdom who has helped him kill the suitors and finally return home, the fourth song of the Ithaca saga, “I Can’t Help But Wonder” is introduced. This song has two major parts, starting with Odyessus’s reunion with Telemachaus after 20 years. Telemachaus is able to express how much he’s missed his father as he’s grown up and how much he’s wanted to be like him. “For twenty years, I’d dreamt of how I’d greet you. Oh, and now you’re here, I can’t find the words”. This lyric especially shows how much Telemachaus thought about this day even when he thought it might never come. In Odysseus’s verses he expresses his regret that he wasn’t there for Telemachaus, but that he is happy to see him at last. Transitioning to the next part of the song, Odysseus greets Athena for the first time since leaving Troy. Athena wonders what life would have been like if she had stuck with Odysseus this entire time and if they could fight together

forever. Odysseus responds in turn by saying that his entire mission was to get home to his wife and son, not about fighting. “You might live forever, So you can make it be, But I’ve got one endeavor, There’s a girl I have to see”.

The final song of the Ithaca saga “Would You Fall In Love With Me Again” gained popularity on TikTok because of the connections this song brought to people who’ve read or watched all different kinds of love stories, not just the one in the Odyssey. The long-awaited reunion of Penelope and Odysseus is shown in this song where Odysseus regrets all of the things he has done to get back to Penelope and is convinced that she won’t love him anymore. “Would

you fall in love with me again, If you knew all I’ve done? The things I can’t undo, I am not the man you knew.” Penelope on the other hand, is demanding Odysseus to have some sense and to see that she has been waiting this entire time for him to come back because she loves him so much. “I will fall in love with you over and over again. I don’t care how, where, or when, No matter how long it’s been you’re mine. Don’t tell me you’re not the same person. You’re always my husband and I’ve been waiting, waiting.” With these lines Odysseus is finally satisfied that his wife will always love him and he is willing to fall into his happily ever after back with his wife and son.

Overall the Ithaca saga is one of the best sagas in my opinion because it has varying themes throughout each song and shows how Odysseus feels when he has finally returned home from not only years of war, but years at sea while losing his crew. Each song connects to the next in ways that others in the musical do not. Even though the musical is not entirely myth accurate,

I would recommend listening to Epic the Musical if you are interested in Greek mythology, but also songs that tell a story. The finale of Epic the Musical has been well worth the wait and it’s satisfying to see Jorge Rivera-Herrans give Odysseus the ending he deserves.

“This paper is about a myth to musical adaptation and it’s not about the entire musical, just the last 5 songs that were most recently released.”