A Delve Into EPIC: The Musical

Troy Saga: Open Arms (Song #4)

Polites and Odysseus arrive at the island, and the song "Open Arms" begins. We are now introduced to a forest-like setting.

   The musical number has an upbeat tune, almost as if it were representing the character singing it. This song is mainly sung by Polites, an overly trusting helpful character who only sees the good and positives of their situation. His character also seems to want to avoid using violence as a solution to their problems.

   "You can relax, my friend" is the song opener. In this, we could already infer that Polites is always putting others above himself, to the point where he notices his captain's nervousness and sceptical feelings of the island. This is partly confirmed when he next says "I can tell you're getting nervous so do yourself a service and try to relax, my friend". The phrase choice of "do yourself a service" shows that Polites was most probably thinking of his captain's wellbeing at this moment. It's kind of like he was telling Odysseus to do a bit of self-care.

   "We'll survive what we get into" is an ironic line to put here. When he says "we'll", he is talking about himself and the rest of the crew, as well as Odysseus. It is ironic as Polites and some other crew members die in the next battle they face, on this very island they're standing on. It may be a stretch, but it is also ironic as the word "survive" is mentioned in the lyric, and yet that's the same song Polites dies in.

   He says "I know that you're tired of the war and the bloodshed" which further emphasises that Polites both knows his captain well and puts them above himself at all times (or, most times). He could also be talking about himself at this moment, as he would rather solve things peacefully rather than solving things violently. Another theory is that he was trying to convince Odysseus to solve things the same way as he wanted to.

   Polites sounds tired of the war when he says "is this how we're supposed to live?". The word choice of "supposed" makes it seem as though Polites is questioning if this is their fate. Or, if this is a choice of living or a forced way of living in the hands of whoever handles fate. Linking this to the fates in Greek mythology, this could be an actual reference to the three fates of Greek mythology, who assign destinies when a mortal is born. He could be asking, "is this the destiny the fates chose for us to live?".

   "This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms" is an interesting lyric. Firstly, it's personifying "life" as if it were any guest you welcomed into your life or any customer you greet at a shop you work at. Polites, in this moment, is telling Odysseus life will be good, will be great if he just "[greets] it with open arms". The phrase "greet it with open arms" usually means to greet something or welcome something enthusiastically and without hesitation. So, technically, Polites is saying life will be good/great if Odysseus just welcomes it without hesitation, or welcomes it with a sort of enthusiastic (having or showing intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval) attitude.

   "Whatever we face, we'll be fine if we're leading from the heart" is the next part, where Polites is saying that they'll be fine if they are leading from the heart, or, in other words, guiding/making decisions based on empathy/compassion and/or genuine care rather than just straight up logic or strategy. This, again, references how he'd rather solve situations with peace rather than violence and war. I may be thinking way too far into this, but the phrase "we'll be fine" could've been referencing the future song "We'll Be Fine" from the Wisdom Saga where Athena reminisces with Telemachus and thinks back on her precious decisions in life, where she says the phrase "Maybe if I'd made a different call, maybe if I hadn't missed it all, maybe he'd be fine". Which seems to be referencing the cyclops battle, which is ironic considering this is also the battle where Polites died.

   The chorus goes on and they are suddenly startled by the winions when they say "welcome!". Odysseus immediately gets defensive, drawing his sword and dismissing everything Polites just said a few seconds ago. Polites reminds him almost immediately.

   Their interaction with the winions is short, as they receive food as soon as Odysseus threatens to turn the "place into blazes". This completely disproves what Polites was previously saying, yet the chorus continues straight after the interaction.

   Odysseus disagrees with the statement, telling Polites they eat lotuses which "[control] your mind and never [let] you free". This could explain the winions' strange habits and behaviours, such as their limited speech and craze about food (more specifically, the lotuses).

    Polites then asks the lotus eaters where there'd be other food that normal people could eat without getting mind-controlled. When he receives it, it seems he immediately trusts their word, making him a character that trusts too easily. Zooming in on something the winions say, when asked about another possible food source, some of the winions reply with "scary cave". This could have been foreshadowing the cyclops attack, as cyclops appear scary or frightening to a variety of creatures, whether human or not.

   The first lyric of the chorus is said again, but the rest seems to have changed based on the situation. He says "I see in your face, there is so much guilt inside your heart". Could the guilt be from killing the infant? Or from not trusting the winions at first? Either way, Polites is seeing some sort of guilt, and the reason seems to be up for interpretation.

   Odysseus repeats the phrase "greet the world with open arms", appearing to be considering his comrade's words. After that interaction, he may have been considering trusting Polite's methods.

   The last line is "you can relax, my friend". This is cyclical as the song begins with the same lyric, just in a more upbeat tone and beat.