...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...
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...adventure being magnified in the rites of passage. Also, the myth goes around in a cycle and is repeated with different 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...
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...Biography of Homer (?-? BC) Beyond a few fragments of information, historians and classicists can only speculate about the life of the man who composed the Iliad and the Odyssey. The details are few. We do not even know the century in which he lived, and it is difficult to say with absolute certainty that the same poet composed both works. The Greeks attributed both of the epics to the same man, and we have little hard evidence that would make us doubt the ancient authorities, but uncertainty is a constant feature of scholarly work dealing with Homer's era of Greek history. The Greeks hailed him as their greatest poet, as well as their first. Although the Greeks recognized other poets who composed in Greek before Homer, no texts from these earlier poets survived. Perhaps they were lost, or perhaps they were never written down‹Homer himself was probably on the cusp between the tradition of oral poetry and the new invention of written language. Texts of the Iliad and the Odyssey existed from at least the sixth century BC, and probably for a considerable span of time before that. These two great epic poems also had a life in performance: through the centuries, professional artists made their living by reciting Homer, performing the great epics for audiences that often know great parts of the poem by heart. It is impossible to pin down with any certainty when Homer lived. Eratosthenes gives the traditional date of 1184 BC for the end of the Trojan War, the semi-mythical...
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...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...
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...In the film, Odyssey, the directors utilize characterization, setting, and music to enhance the audience’s experience and portray the theme of Homer’s epic tale. Characterization is one of the most significant tools that the directors used. It compelled the audience to feel sympathy towards the characters and stressed the most prominent theme, vengeance. The directors used emotional scenes in which the characters appeared to the audience as relatable. In the film, the directors redid the part of the text where it said, “Then throwing his arms around this marvel of a father Telemachus began to weep. Salt tears rose from the wells of longing in both men”. Instead of using narration, the directors used indirect characterization to convey the...
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...Odysseus has everything he needs in order to take on the role of hero throughout his journey. In Odysseus’s personality, he possesses the ability to strategize. The protection and care that Odysseus gives to his men help in portraying him as a hero. Odysseus has a goal-oriented mindset, the work and effort he puts into achieving his goal shows the heroic side of him. The character traits worn by Odysseus’s personality make it easy to see the hero inside of him. Odysseus possesses character traits amongst a wide variety that make him a hero in Homer’s, The Odyssey. Having the ability to strategize in all aspects of life aids in the characterization of Odysseus as a hero; Odysseus clearly displays his abilities through his decisions over the...
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...In the words of George Elliot, “It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.” In the case of Homer's two epics, this quote holds true. It shows how Homer is able to present many points of views. Both the Iliad, and the Odyssey show how the lives of Achilles and Odysseus represent the crucial differences between a true hero, and a strong soldier. He shows their different views on honor, and how they view the society they live in. In these two epics, Homer uses specific events in the story to define the characters' views of their humanity as exemplified by their actions. Stereotypical heroes are thought of as being perfect beings. Yet, all heroes are flawed. The sign of a true hero is one who overcomes adversity,...
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...Patriarchy plays a major role in The Odyssey and victimizes several characters. The ancient Greek epic poem, by Homer, is about the journey of the Greek hero Odysseus to his homeland of Ithaca. During his 20-year struggle to return back home, he encounters many obstacles, including Poseidon who creates a deadly sea storm to punish Odysseus, women who hold him captive for a chance to win his love, and man-eating giants who kill many of his men. Despite all of these unfortunate events, he manages to make it back home to reunite with Penelope and the rest of his...
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...The Faithful Wife In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Penelope is portrayed as a grieving woman who remains loyal to her husband, even though suitors pursue her. In the poem, Odysseus’ wife Penelope is a hopelessly lovesick person who still grieves over Odysseus, though she has not seen him in twenty years. When her son Telemachus comes home from a long journey, he is surprised to find that Penelope has not married any of the suitors that pursue her. Instead, she remains in “‘the women’s hall’”(line 973) because she mourns over Odysseus and refuses to marry any of the suitors. Penelope has never moved on from her husband even though many believe the time has come for her to do so. Furthermore, Penelope’s loyalty is also one of...
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...Country singer, Jimmy Dean once said, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination”, in reference to completing journeys. These words are relevant to Homer’s epic The Odyssey, and Kira Salak’s travel memoir The Cruelest Journey, where they both adapted to grueling situations during strenuous journeys. In Homer's piece, the protagonist Odysseus, embarked on a 10 year journey to his home and family in Ithaca, upon arrival he faces challenges to reclaim his family and kingdom. Likewise, In Salak’s memoir The Cruelest Journey, she reveals her arduous trip along the Niger River. Proving abilities to themselves, fulfilling a goal, and proving others wrong helped drive Odysseus and Salak...
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...There are many places within Homer's Odyssey that demonstrate various stages of the Joseph Campbell's ideas of the Monomyth. Campbell lists 17 stages in myth or a journey of the story's hero. We will examine the three sections in accordance with our main reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth. The three sections are the separation, the initiation, and the return. The Odyssey contains almost every stage within each section and supports Joseph Campbell's theory of the monomyth. The first section we will examine is "departure" also know as "separation". Five of our stages take place within the departure section. The first stage is known as "The Call to adventure". The Odyssey's hero is Ulysses. Instead of starting his journey before Troy we will focus on the events where our story of the Odyssey begins. This call to adventure is set in chapter 5. After the goddess Athena petitions to her fellow gods for Ulysses return to his home of Ithica they decide to send Mercury the messenger to relay a message to Calypso who has been holding Ulysses captive. He has lived on the island for many years and is forced to sleep with Calypso. After Mercury threatens the wrath of Jove, she gives Ulysses permission and instruction to leave the island. His immediate response is uncertain and fearful. He demonstrates the second phase "refusal of the call" by questioning the release. He seems to believe that her guidance is given in order to mislead him. She reassures him and he sets his mind...
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...Making connections is what creates learning. Everything we learn may not be interesting, but it is important to make connections to something that is. Find meaning in what is taught and interpret the idea, thinking deeply and meaningful about ideas helps discover new learning and interest. Intellect performance shows what we know what we are trying to portray. During the highest peak of the Greek era the society valued body and mind intellect; creating some of the most famous philosophers known to time. Main Ideas and Values of Ancient Greek Civilization Ancient Greek civilization has contributed too many parts of today's society. The teachings and doings of Ancient Greeks have contributed important lessons that many societies still use to base their own laws and ethics on. The Ancient Greeks realized values of loyalty, glory, intelligence and hospitality were important to incorporate into everyday life. Ancient Greek civilization valued dualism, truth and “good society”. Helping your fellow man was an important aspect of ancient Greek society. They offered food, shelter and protection to travelers without question. Loyalty was also embedded in everything the Greeks did. Implementing simple values of loyalty, intelligence, and hospitality into everyday life helped create a strong “good society”; which the Greek valued very much. It is not known why the Greeks felt this way, but with the strong beliefs Ancient Greek had with their gods, it is easy to believe that they did...
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...the god of fire, is a Greek god. He is well known for being a blacksmith, and many more things along with creating and sculptors. He has been introduced and mentioned in many historical books. Such as Homer’s epics, the Odyssey, and the Iliad. Hephaestus was one of Zeus and Hera’s son. Hera, the supreme goddess created and bore Hephaestus herself. When Hephaestus was born Hera was petrified because he was weak and crippled. She was mortified, she didn’t want other god and goddess to look down upon her. “Never again will the other gods laugh at me.” (Reusser, pg8) She ended up throwing him down from Olympus. He landed in an ocean and Thetis and Eurynome sea-nymphs found him took him to an island named Lemnos and took care of him. During the time on the island he became a blacksmith He started out creating little things but, as he got better and better he started to create larger more elegant things. For example, furniture for Gods houses and buildings.” From the golden slaves for his personal use to the bronze giant Tolos who guarded the island of Crete” (Forman) People where really attracted to his work and he became famous for his inventions. As years past he became extremely skilled and was even able to make precious stones and statues from metal. Realizing that he can use his crafting for revenge also. He never fully forgave Hera for rejecting him as a small child. When Hera asked him to make an extravagant furniture piece for her house he couldn’t pass it up. Hephaestus...
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...madness in which a raven flies into his room and talks to him. The speaker uses diction, symbolism, and allusion to present the loneliness, hopelessness, and darkness that he experiences throughout the night and how it takes a toll on his mind. The diction in “The Raven” helps to set the mood of the poem, which is gloomy and dark. The poem starts off with, “Once upon a midnight dreary.” This phrase automatically tells the reader that the rest of the poem is going to be scary and dark, and the word “dreary” represents hopelessness. The speaker also says in the second stanza his experience took place “in the bleak December.” “Bleak” is another...
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...Hospitium, was what the ancient Romans used too describe hospitality it meant the divine right of the guest to receive hospitality and the devein responsibility for a host to provide hospitality. Hospitality towards a stranger or a traveler was an important element in the ancient Greek and Roman culture. The Odyssey and the Aeneid best demonstrate 1) why hospitality is so important, 2) what do the gods have to do with hospitality, and 3) what was expected from the host as well as the guest. There are many reasons why hospitality was so important in those times. It was for shelter, food, protection and most importantly it was a matter of life or death. One example would be Odysseus’s long traveling in the Odyssey. Traveling back then was not as advanced as it is today. The method of traveling was done by boat or on foot. This meant that many nights would be spent away from home and the travelers would have to rely on the hospitality of strangers for food and shelter. There were no hotels or restaurants in the ancient times and if there were hotels and restaurants, the travelers would probably not be able to pay for the many nights that they would have to stay. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men relied...
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