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Human Immortality In The Odyssey By Homer

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Scientific advances in the biological and medical fields have prolonged the average human lifespan by many years since the past century. New medicine and vaccines have saved the lives of billions of people. Scientists now know more about the human body than ever before in the history of mankind. Currently, scientists and researchers are tackling an ever so ambitious project: human immortality. Immortality is not a new idea; people have thought about it for ages, but never has immortality been so close to our grasp. In The Odyssey, by Homer, the state of being immortal has been criticized and looked down upon. The immortal afterlife is shown to be very boring and meaningless, conveying the ancient Greek philosophy that humans should not pursue …show more content…
555-559).
Achilles, forever viewed as a legendary war hero, still complains that an honorable reputation cannot compensate for boredom in the immortal afterlife. Afterall, his fame serves him no good in the immortal afterlife, as there will be no one else around to reward or praise him for his great deeds. The name of Achilles will never die in legends, but for eternity, he wanders around the underworld reflecting on his mortal life. For those unfortunate folks with a life full of tragedy and regrets, the afterlife is certainly not something to look forward to. This is especially true for Agamemnon, as seen in Books XI and XXIV. When Odysseus visits the underworld, Agamemnon whines, “But my wife--she never even let me feast my eyes on my own son; she killed me first, his father! I tell you this … the time for trusting women’s gone forever!”(XI. 512-518). Agamemnon’s hatred and mourning even at death show the cruel miserable conditions in the kingdom of the dead. In Book XI, Odysseus describes, “Now the rest of the ghost, the dead and gone came swarming up around me--deep in sorrow there, each asking about the grief that touched him most.”(XI. 617-619). The word choices such as “swarming” makes the ghosts depicted as beggars looking for answers. Several other characters such as Tantalus and Sisyphus are being tortured for eternity. This hellish imagery for ordinary shades makes Achilles’ endless boredom seem

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