Tied to the mast
The painting shows the episode in Homer's Odyssey where Odysseus, tied to the mast, sails past the Sirens while his crew's ears are blocked.
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Ulysses and the Sirens
J. W. Waterhouse · 1891
painting · Pre-Raphaelitism
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The painting shows the episode in Homer's Odyssey where Odysseus, tied to the mast, sails past the Sirens while his crew's ears are blocked. In the Odyssey, the men stop their ears with wax and Odysseus is bound to the mast. He has himself tied up because he wants to hear the Sirens' song.
Details
Look first at Odysseus at the mast, then at the crew, whose ears are blocked against the song. Ancient Greek art pictured the Sirens as part woman, part bird, so check how the Sirens in this picture compare.
In its time
1891
Books from this period
Where it hangs
National Gallery of Victoria
In context
Wax and rope
In the Odyssey, the men stop their ears with wax and Odysseus is bound to the mast. He has himself tied up because he wants to hear the Sirens' song.
Sirens in Greek art
Ancient Greek art pictured the Sirens as part woman, part bird.
The Greek Siren
Ancient Greek art pictured the Sirens as part woman, part bird. Now look again at Waterhouse's.
In the books
When you reach the Sirens in the Odyssey, you will find this moment: the men stop their ears with wax, and Odysseus is bound to the mast.