One And All

'Throwing off his rags, the resourceful Odysseus leaped on to the great threshold with his bow and full quiver and poured out the swift arrows at his feet. 'The match that was to seal your fate is over,' he called out to the Suitors. 'Now for another target which no man has yet hit - If I can hit it and Apollo grants my prayer.' And with that he levelled a deadly shaft at Antinous.'
                                                                                 Book 22; The Battle in the Hall

Odysseus is back in Ithaca and all this can mean is bad news for the Suitors. They've eaten him out of house and home, abused him whilst he was disguised as a beggar, plotted to kill his son and courted his wife. And some say his revenge was not justified! ;)



This song, 'One and All' takes place immediately after the archery contest which Odysseus wins (no surprise there!) but upon his victory, he throws off his rags, blood thirsty and boiling with anger and aims his first arrow at Antinous, the 'ring-leader' of the Suitors. He knows he will not miss. When they see what he has done, the Suitors look to Eurymachus to save them from their inevitable death. Eurymachus pleads with him saying, the man who did him wrong, Antinous, is already dead and asking him not to kill his own people. Odysseus bears down on him, telling him he can either stand and fight or run but either way, they will not survive. Together with his son Telemachus and his Swineherd Eumaeus he overpowers the Suitors and wins the Battle in the Hall.

'[Eurycleia] found Odysseus among the corpses of the dead, spattered with blood and gore, like a lion when he comes from feeding on some farmer's bullock, with the blood dripping from his breast and jaws on either side, a fearsome spectacle.'

Odyssey The Musical

The epic by Homer is an intense story of nostos (homecoming), kleos (honour) and dunamis (strength). It follows the journey of one man, Odysseus and his terrible struggle to maintain his own life and that of his men on his way back from Troy as well as the trouble that builds in his kingdom, Ithaca, in his absence. 

As it stands today, the musical is in Five Acts; (1) Odysseus and the Greeks leaving for Troy and the war; (2) the start of his homecoming and the loss of 11 of his 12 ships; (3) the underworld and the loss of his remaining men (4) his final journey home (5) the murder of the suitors of Penelope and their reuniting.


Visit Odyssey The Musical for the musical sample!

Here is a music sample of a few numbers from the musical. The first thing you probably should remember when you listen is that I'm singing parts that are going to be sung by men so try and imagine my voice lower than it is! ;) I've been doing quite a lot of writing lately and have written almost all of Odysseus' travels and a little of his return home though there are a few gaps I haven't yet covered, for example, the underworld, the Phaeacians and most of the events that take place in Ithaca upon his return.

In this sample you'll hear sections from 'That is Your Duty' in which Penelope tries to persuade Odysseus to stay, 'One of Us' where the suitors first meet Odysseus who is disguised as a beggar, 'If I'm Honest' when Odysseus seeks guidance and help from Aeolus, 'When it Rains', a song that tells us Odysseus' fears after his men have eaten the Sun God's cattle, 'Kleos of War' about the War of Troy and 'Men Of The Sea' in which Odysseus tries to increase the morale of his men. It's just a small taster of what I've done so far but I hope you enjoy it!

Khamsina x