Beyond the Lines: “The Lotos-Eaters” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Glenn Wright

Odysseus removing his men from the company of the lotus-eaters.

In Book Nine, lines 84-105 of Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus tells his host, King Alcinous of the Phaeacians, about a near-catastrophe in the land of the Lotos-Eaters. The inhabitants of this land eat a magical, addictive herb, and feed it to Odysseus’ men, rendering them apathetic and unwilling to continue the journey home. Odysseus never actually meets the Lotos-Eaters or eats the herb, so he is able to drag his men back to the ship and lock them up while he single-handedly sets sail. This tiny episode has stirred the imaginations of artists, writers, and composers for almost 3,000 years, serving as a warning about the seductive attraction of drugs and alcohol, the vapid and lazy values of consumerist culture, or the dehumanizing and infantilizing effects of mechanical and electronic conveniences. From Tennyson’s poem, “The Lotos-Eaters” to the Eagles’ “Hotel California,” we readily recognize Homer’s hedonists.

Tennyson’s choi…