...some people would argue it is King Arthur others believe it to be Odysseus. Odysseus is the king of Ithaca in Homer's Odyssey. Both of these kings prove to be great but only Odysseus proves to be an epic hero. In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus proves to be an epic hero due to his cunningness, resilience, and determination. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus proves to be an epic hero due to his cunningness. Odysseus shows he is cunning in how he constantly overcomes the challenges the Gods face him with. The narrator says “I crouched with my drawn sword to keep the surging phantoms from the bloody pit” (Beers and Odell 776). This proves Odysseus is cunning by showing he is knowledgeable in how sought...
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...born child to fight in a vicious war. The Odyssey is a Greek epic which captures the boundless journey of Odysseus, as he strives to return to Ithaca after battling in the Trojan War. Homer had been a prominent writer who had expressed the vast legends and myths of Greek gods and goddesses and captured Odysseus’ endless adventure, the challenges and temptations he had experienced throughout his journey, and the reflection of his most exceptional and imperfect qualities. As Odysseus had embarked on an endless journey filled with misery and agony, to battle in the Trojan War, he had been greatly praised and celebrated by many Ithacans and his homeland. However, although Odysseus had been greatly praised and portrayed as an outstanding individual and king throughout Homer’s epic, his actions and desires had undoubtedly reflected the worst qualities and aspects of his character. As Odysseus had embarked on his vast and extensive journey from Ithaca, he had been disloyal and faithless to his wife Penelope, who had been sincere, waiting years for his arrival...
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...social and cultural references throughout the world. Furthermore, Leeming explains that, “the monomyth itself is an expression of the journey of the hero figure, of our journey through physical and psychic life, and of the evolutionary path of humanity to full consciousness” (Leeming). Homer’s use of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth in the Odyssey seen with Odysseus, the hero and main character, provides a great structure throughout the epic in several ways. To begin, the monomyth in the Odyssey can be divided into 11 stages of the hero journey. The first stage that structures Homer’s epic is birth or the ordinary world. Odysseus is born to his father Laertes in Greece under no distinguished ancestry to boast of. Rasovsky stated, As Odysseus grew to be a young boy he showed signs of his talents which included archery (Rasovsky). Going further on with Rasovsky’s findings, Odysseus was intelligent, clever, and exhibited strength through his appearance (Rasovsky). In the Odyssey, Odysseus’s ordinary world is on the peaceful island of Ithaca. Odysseus is the well-loved and respected king of the island. He has a wife, Penelope, whom he is madly in love with. Homer creates the birth and ordinary world of Odysseus to establish a pedigree, meaning how special he is, in order to foreshadow his destiny later on in the epic. The next stage of the monomyth is the call to adventure. Joseph Campbell explained this stage to represent the character’s survival of childhood that cemented his destiny to...
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...What is a hero? A hero is someone who is admired for their courage, bravery, and noble qualities. Heroic acts are often celebrated because they show the strength of the human spirit and the ability to overcome challenges. In literature, we often see characters put to the test in various ways to determine whether they are truly heroic. In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, we see the protagonist Odysseus facing numerous challenges on his journey back home to Ithaca. In this essay, we will explore what constitutes a heroic act and whether Odysseus acted heroically on his journey. First, one of the key aspects of a heroic act is courage in the face of danger. In Book 9 of The Odyssey, we see Odysseus and his men facing the danger of the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus shows bravery as he devises a plan to blind the Cyclops and escape his clutches. He says, "I tied them [ram's wool] silently together, then slung a man under each middle one to ride there, shielded right and left by the others" (Book 9.). This shows Odysseus' quick thinking and bravery in taking on a giant who could easily overpower him and his men....
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...In both Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bee’s, and Homer's The Odyssey, readers watch as both protagonists are forced to chose between two horrible situations. Both characters are faced with two nearly impossible situations, and have to choose one. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is faced with the well known monsters: Scylla and Charybdis. One is a 6 headed female monster and the other is a dangerous whirlpool. Protagonist Lily in The Secret Life of Bees is faced with the challenge of either staying home and living with her impossible father T-Ray, or running away and trying to survive on her own. While some differences between The Odyssey and The Secret Life Of Bee’s are evident, the similarities between the challenges both protagonist’s face...
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...Homer of Greece was a blind bard known for a sensational memory and his ability to entertain an audience with the portrayal of his words. Two well known epic poems he told were The Odyssey and The Iliad. Both of these poems are very different from any story or poem written in ancient Greece. The structure, development, and the art of how each epic was told is the reason why each work is different and why each is called an epic. Especially the Odyssey it is the pentacle of an epic poem and contains everything needed to be considered so. The Odyssey is the great story of Odysseus and the sequel to Homer’s other epic the Iliad. The main character Odysseus is put through a lengthy journey on his return home to Ithaca from the battlefield of Troy. Over the span of 24 detailed books Homer tells Odysseus’ path and what he must face to get home. From the raging seas created by Poseidon, Odysseus’ lengthy stay with calypso, and his travels through the underworld. These and other conflicts that Odysseus faces are part of the elements to which make the odyssey and epic poem. In the first book of the Odyssey, Homer introduces a very important element of his Epic poems, the Muse. According to Aaron J. Atsma of the Theoi project, during the ancient time muses were the goddesses of music song and dance. In the odyssey when Homer is referring to the muse in the first book, saying “Sing to me of the man, Muse…” The muse he is referring to is known as Kalliope, the muse of epic poetry. This is important...
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...The opening sections of Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, reflects the important values of family and the importance of heroism in Greek society. Throughout the epic, Homer writes about all of the adventures and challenges Odysseus has faced in the time of his voyage. Towards the end, it tells that Odysseus must “struggle to reclaim his kingdom” (723) from his own people. His final quest that he must face isn’t a giant monster, but rather to be brave and reclaim his home. During his quest, Penelope has been home doing her best to hold up his kingdom, but the suitors have gained control and have invaded their home. Odysseus must gather his courage one last time to be able to finally be over his journey home. The epic also shows the important values...
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...Homer vs. The Old Testament: The Telephone Game In the beginning there were three great stories, the stories of Homer and the stories of then what would become the Old Testament. Homer is famous for his epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey. The Iliad is about a man named Achilles and his feud with Agamemnon. This epic poem recounts what events took place in this feud. Homer’s next great piece of work is The Odyssey, a story about Odysseus and a war against the Trojans, and his twenty-year excursion to return home. The Old Testament much like Homer’s tales is an epic poem. The Old Testament is a story about the beginning of creation, and how one figure created the world, a story about right and wrong, and the trials and tribulations of the people of faith. By comparing the characters and the themes of Homer’s epics and the works of The Old Testament one can see the similarities between the two and how word of mouth from one story could have possibly flowed into the...
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...Emotions at any given moment can cause one to act against one’s own morals because powerful emotions have the ability to overthrow common sense and control. Emotions are part of human nature and may benefit someone, but they become detrimental when they trap a person’s mind. In Homer’s Odyssey, the flawed epic hero, Odysseus, acts against his morals because of his emotions. In one example, Odysseus escapes the island of the Cyclops and taunts Polyphemus as his ship departs. Odysseus loses control of his anger, which fuels his impulsivity. He “began to taunt the Cyclops -- men around me [him]/trying to check me [him], calm me [him], left and right” (IX. 548-49), not realizing his words could kill him and his entire crew. Anger overwhelms all...
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...In Homer’s the Odyssey, Odysseus goes on a long journey for 20 years away from home. During his journey he encounters many challenges along the way. Odysseus encountered storms and monsters but still kept leading his men. Odysseus had to make many hard decisions on his journey. On my journey to becoming a pro football player, I will have to go through hard decisions and challenges. During Odysseus’ journey, he faced a cyclops that trapped them in a cave. The cyclops ate one of his men and Odysseus almost killed the cyclops but stopped himself. Odysseus stabbed the cyclops eye and the cyclops moved the boulder out of the way. My cyclops is the challenge of overcoming the odds of becoming an NFL player. Similarly to Odysseus being trapped in...
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...case, there is more to strengths, including, intelligence, charisma, and cleverness, which allow individuals to be strong and overcome challenges without issues. In the epic of the Odyssey, written by Greek author Homer, the main character Odysseus follows this core example of showing intellect over strength. These characteristics allow Odyssey to overcome near death experiences and return to his home island of Ithica. As for the gullible king, Macbeth, he doesn’t follow any case of Odysseus. The Tragedy of Macbeth,...
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...Webster Dictionary defines an odyssey as a series of experiences that give knowledge or understanding to someone. Both O' Brother Where Art Thou?and Homer's Odyssey have characters who go on epic journeys in a search for their home. With help from their friends, both characters make the perilous journey home, but not without costs. Both heroes must face many villains and challenges along the way. Although Everett and Odysseus have their differences, both are just men who want to return to their families. Everett and Odysseus are trying to get back to their homes before their wives can remarry. Everett convinces Pete and Delmar to escape the chain gang with him in search for treasure, in order to get his wife Penny back. Even though there...
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...Deception is an act or statement intended to make someone believe something that is not true. “The Odyssey” is a book full of deception, which includes lies and disguises. In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, using disguises help to show an untrue identity helps the characters accomplish their plans. An example of this is when Odysseus lies to Polyphemos about his name. Also, when Athena lies to Telemakhos to hide her identity at the beginning of the book, and when she helps to disguise Odysseus as beggar. Without the use of deception, “The Odyssey” wouldn’t be the adventurous and complicated epic it is. On his adventure home, Odysseus sailed upon the land of The Kyklops. The Kyklops’ were giants. Among them, he came in contact with Polyphemos. Polyphemos shows kindness to Odysseus at first, but soon turns violent. He devours two of Odysseus’ men instantly, and then keeps the rest captive in his cave for future meals. Odysseus wants to kill Polyphemos right then, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to escape because only Polyphemus can open the door. The next day, Polyphemos leaves the cave. Odysseus finds a wooden staff in the cave and hardens it in the fire. When he returns, Odysseus uses wine that he brought from the ship to...
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...Both The Odyssey and The Aeneid include accounts of games, although not for the same purpose. In The Odyssey, the Phaeacians know little about Odysseus, who has recently arrived, and the king holds an assembly to honor, “the new guest at the palace of Alkinoos--”(125). Demodokos, a minstrel, sings a song about Odysseus fighting Akhilleus, which brings Odysseus to tears. In order to take Odysseus’ mind off his past, the Phaeacians begin to play games. First, they race, then they wrestle, then they broadjump, and finally, they box. Eventually, Odysseus joins the games when he is challenged by king Alkinoos’ son, Laodamas, to throw discus. Odysseus, older and weaker than Laodamas, wins with the help of Athena. Afterwards, another feast is held....
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...Have you ever read a superhero book? The superhero is always a strong guy with big muscles right? Well I think in Homer’s the Odyssey, Penelope is the true hero. She is the true hero because, she waits 20 years for Odysseus, she tricks her suitors into thinking she’s doing a blanket for about two months, and she makes a challenge to string a bow and arrow, and shoot it through 12 axes. One of the reasons I think Penelope is a hero is because for 20 years she waits for Odysseus dealing with intense sadness and depression, my reasoning behind this is that from the book Eumaeus the Swineherd said, “Always with her the wretched nights and days also waste her away with her weeping.” Another example that she deals with sadness and depression is that after her father left, her own son, Telemachos, sea sets sail to find his father without telling her. For a while she lost both the men she loves so dearly. The last example of her going through her depression is that at one point she prayed to the god Artemis, asking him why he just doesn’t take her life right now. That is one of the reasons I think she a hero....
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