I felt like this song needed improving according to my own personal taste.

I disliked Odysseus' monologues throughout the song. Whilst they were good for the narrative of the musical, I personally disliked having the pacing of the song stop each time I wanted to listen to the song by itself. I removed:
- The introductory monologue
- The final monologue

I also added:
- A raising heartbeat as Odysseus reaches his peak fury at the end
- Polites singing Open Arms in the background of the final slaughter
- A yell for Odysseus to release the final semblances of rage from his journey

Justifications

Removals:
First Monologue
- I removed the first song as I did not believe it helped to serve the fast pacing of a final battle song that I would like - on my many listens of this musical I am aware at this point of why Odysseus is angry hehe.
Final Monologue
- In removing the final monologue, I felt that it ending in the way it did was a bit lacklustre - again stopping the momentum of the anger buildup to allow Odysseus to explain why he is angry but if he was truly 'seeing red' he would not actually stop to explain what we already have learnt from the previous sagas.

Additions:
Poseidons's No
- In place of the final monologue I added Poseidon's 'No' from 'Get in the Water'. This plays off of how Odysseus said 'No' earlier in the song where Eurymachus asks Odysseus to have 'open arms' and he smuggle replies 'no'. My final addition of 'no' is put in to mirror that now Odysseus has fully embodied Poseidon's mantra but whereas he had done so earlier more smugly, here he is fully embodying Poseidon as he sees his son being mounted by Melanthius. He becomes Poseidon as where once Poseidon saw his own son be killed at the hands of Odysseus, now Odysseus is watching his son be harmed by the ravagers.
Odysseus raising heartbeat
- As Odysseus hears Melanthius call for 'mercy' in his final breaths I also add in the background a racing heart noise of course to mirror the racing of Odysseus heart hearing the call for 'mercy' especially considering how triggering that word has become to him through his journey.
Polites - Open Arms
- In this final moment of rage, I choose to play Polites' 'Open Arms' to provide an emphasis on the contrast of Odysseus at the beginning of the musical and that of the musical's end. Hearing Polites' singing over the slaughter of all of the ravagers provides a tragic and serenely sinister tone to this final battle.
Final Yell
- I also provided a final 'shout' for Odysseus to finally let his anger out for all that he has lost in his journey home. The original version lacked this releasing of anger for Odysseus which I felt was a particular shame. How does a man not fall to his knees and release his anger after all that he has lost? He yells as the man he deems himself to once have been has now been lost to the monster of mercilessness.

I enjoy this version over the original on my daily listening of the musical and perhaps you will too.

#epicthemusical #theodyssey #odysseus

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