...Homer’s The Odyssey reveals Odysseus to have a multitude of character flaws. One flaw in Odysseus’s character is his audacity. During their travels, Odysseus and his crew come across the land of the cyclopes. Odysseus and twelve of his men decide to explore the land, and they find the cave of a cyclops. Odysseus's men implore him to take the cyclops’s food and leave. Odysseus knows this is the safest plan but rejects it nevertheless: Ah, how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer— no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends (Homer 652) Although Odysseus knows it is risky to enter the cave and wait for the cyclops’s return, he insists that they do so. He does this out of curiousity and eagerness...
Words: 402 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 796 - Pages: 4
...The resemblance regarding the hellish nightmares of tortured souls, desecrated bodies, and the regrets of the dead and living are scattered all over in descriptions regarding the Underworld in Greek and Roman literature; in Homer's Odyssey and of Vergil's Aeneid, both had a noticeable emphasis on their own definition of the, “invisible world,” but while both showed off that particular brand of afterlife rather vividly in their own styles ways and particular reactions to it, many people argue that the Aeneid copied from the Odysseus heavily. However, while the Aeneid did copy verses and the general progression of the story from the Odyssey, the centuries of separation between works and cultures show themselves as the two poems are examined more in-depth. Some of the more prominent reasons that many see that the Aeneid copied...
Words: 1466 - Pages: 6
...Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid describe the journeys of the two Greek heroes –Odysseus and Aeneas, as they struggle towards their goal through the crises and deadly situations caused by the wrath of the gods upon them. In the Odyssey, we see that Poseidon (god of the sea/earth shaker) has a grudge against Odysseus while Athena, god of wisdom, aids him throughout his journey. Similarly in the Aeneid, we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to destroy the city of Carthage loved by Juno during his mission to find a new land- Rome, whereas Aeneas’ mother Venus aids him. In these epics, many points of similarity and differences arise such as the characters of the heroes, how their journeys are delayed by women obsessed with love, what they are destined for and how they achieve the final goal in the end of the epic. The very first similarity we see in both the epics is that Virgil starts his poem in the same way Homer does, that is they both refer to Muses to sing about the epic heroes of Greek mythology- Odysseus and Aeneas. Virgil again refers to Muses for the second time in book six of the Aeneid. Another similarity is the assembly of gods in Olympus described by both Virgil and Homer. As seen in the Odyssey, Odysseus’ character is clever and smart one. He is a learner and later becomes self controlling. His ‘never give up’ attitude shows that he can go through any situation to get what he wants. Also, his character is full of twists and turns. While in the Aeneid...
Words: 1431 - Pages: 6
...differing perspectives. Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ was written almost 3000 years ago, and is considered to be part of canonical literature....
Words: 1262 - Pages: 6
...In Homer’s The Odyssey, the author tells us of a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism. The Odyssey is a display of a journey of determination, willpower, patience, and virtue. The author tells the tale of Odysseus, on his voyage home to Ithaka. This is happening after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus, the main character, goes through a series of many unforeseen trials and tribulations in this exemplary journey. This exemplifies his character and displays him as a hero in the eyes of the audience. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character. Odysseus is displayed as not only a hero but also as a good leader to his men. Throughout all their trials such as the Sirens, Polyphemus (the cyclops), and the enchantress Circe, Odysseus is displayed as clever, patient, cunning, and fearless. Odysseus made decisions not only for himself but also for his men as well. For example, he did not leave his men on the island of the Lotus Eaters when they clearly had no desire to go back to Ithaca; he knotted them onto the boat and left the island. He was determined to get home with as many of his men as he possibly could, though they repeatedly disobeyed him. Odysseus is one of history's greatest leaders and this is a vital part of what makes him such an epic hero Another characteristic that stand out and makes Odysseus a hero is his ability to overcome his obstacles in order to reach his goal. Odysseus is faced by many...
Words: 955 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 1465 - Pages: 6
...The Odyssey Haleigh Pavy O’ Brother where art thou is a great representation of the Odyssey. It shows great representation of the characters and mood and also of each other. It turns a fiction epic to a real life story. The Odyssey is a epic about how this king named Odysseus went over seas to the Trojan War. He was there for ten years, on his journey back he got cursed by a cyclops, he got all his men killed and he got stuck on circes island for seven years. Then after twenty years of being gone he finally returns home to suitors, impersonators, and he returns disguised as a beggar. O’ Brother where art thou is about how three escaped prisoners go off to find “treasure”. Everette who represents Odysseus really just wants to get home with...
Words: 502 - Pages: 3
...Greek relationship between two people from different regions. Hospitality in Homer’s time was essential because in this day and time, methods of travel were less convenient. The communication and technology during this time period was far less advanced than the modern times to come. With the less progressive communication avenues along with longer travel times, more nights were spent away from home in other locations. The most common forms of transportation of this day were boat or on foot which obviously took longer than today’s modern transportation. In addition to this, travelers were not able to afford to stay in hotels or inns every night therefore it was...
Words: 1051 - Pages: 5
...Twelve of Homer’s The Odyssey are probably the most famous of the epic. This is because of the fact that this is where much of the action of Odysseus’s journey back to Ithaca is described. However, these books work greatly as a whole. The Odyssey’s Book Nine through Twelve contain many major themes that help develop the characters in the collective piece. These selected books from Homer’s The Odyssey have many themes and values that including the importance of loyalty. Odysseus is often portrayed as a very loyal person. The very point of his journey is to return to his home in Ithaca to his wife and son. Odysseus is also very loyal to his crew and goes to great lengths to ensure their safety, such as using wax to put in their ears so that they could not hear the songs of sirens. Loyalty is also important to many of the creatures that Odysseus and his crew...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...Through The Odyssey, the theme of hospitality is extremely important. In Grecian culture, being is a good host is highly valued and expected by guests. Hospitality was one of Zeus’s ground rules of ancient society. It is a crime against Zeus to commit an offense against a host or guest. Hospitality is an honorable characteristic. It was believed that not being hospitable would result in punishment from the gods. Throughout the Odyssey, three distinct events show the importance of hospitality during the Homer era. The first is Odysseus and the Phaeacian’s who are honorable hosts. The next is the suitors occupying Odysseus’s house, who are shown as horrible guests. Lastly, Odysseus is the guest of Polyphemus, who is an awful host. By comparing and contrasting these three events, one can show the importance of hospitality. The fear of Zeus compels the characters...
Words: 1077 - Pages: 5
...Women in Greek culture during Homer’s time were considered; to be subservient and docile while the men were considered to be strong and powerful. However, the role and personality of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, in the epic The Odyssey is not the image of a weak woman. Athena is just as strong and as powerful as men in protecting and guiding Odysseus and Telemachus throughout the epic. The paragon of the Greek woman back in Homer’s time was someone who was weak willed, subservient, and overtly emotional. Penelope, the wife of Odysseus is a suitable example as she is docile and a damsel in distress type figure. During the long absence of her husband, Penelope is trapped with the suitors, forever chasing after her. While she despises the suitors in her house, she has no control over her...
Words: 751 - Pages: 4
...In Homer’s The Odyssey, Homer presents a perplexing and complex dilemma revolving around the ambiguity and problematic language used to describe the ideology of justice and vengeance. Moreover, it is the returning of equivalent harm for harm that seems to run through the heart of the archaic Greek culture that allows for crimes to merge with and become their own punishment. The relationship between crime and punishment is a tight linkage that seems to be arranged by Homer in an attempt to justify the moral positions as well as the actions of many major characters throughout The Odyssey. Distinctively, the role of justice and vengeance can be exhibited in the interactions between Polyphemus, Odysseus, Poseidon and the suitors. The conflict...
Words: 1126 - Pages: 5
...There are plenty of different ways in Homer’s The Odyssey that he portrays women in the epic. During this time period, women did not have many rights and everything was left to the men. In Homer’s poem, not only do women portray beauty, but they also portray power. Most women that are read about in this epic are usually a goddess that have great beauty or mystical powers. Homer also portrays them as smarter and wiser as men. Some of the women are evil but there are also some that are good. There are many women that portray power in this epic and the most powerful are Penelope, Athena, and Circe. One very important woman in the epic was Penelope. Not only was she Odysseus’s main goal to get back to, but she was also his motivation. Penelope was not...
Words: 419 - Pages: 2
...In Homer’s the Odyssey, a man named Odysseus spends years and years trying to get home to his family. On his long journey, he encounters a number of different situations that test his true character. The reader finds out who Odysseus really is based on the situations he is put in and how he chooses to handle these situations. From being stuck on an Island with Calypso, a nymph goddess, to almost being eaten by a vicious cyclops, to seeing his wife for the first time in 20 years, Odysseus stays true to his character. Throughout the epic, Odysseus shows constant signs of bravery, leadership, intelligence, cleverness, and wholehearted faithfulness, and these things are what makes him such an admirable character. Bravery and leadership go hand in hand because bravery is a trait that all good leaders have. Odysseus showed amazing bravery and leadership skills throughout the Odyssey. One place where Odysseus’s bravery and leadership are revealed the most is when Odysseus and his men encounter Poseidon’s Cyclops son, Polyphemus. Odysseus used his leadership skills and bravery to help his men escape the wrath of Polyphemus while...
Words: 807 - Pages: 4
