Premium Essay

Love in the Odyssey

In:

Submitted By lolnothanks
Words 494
Pages 2
There are many essential emotions that form the building blocks of our lives. These emotions help to shape the people that we are. These feelings are emotional necessities to ultimately keep us happy. No piece of literature these feelings more evident than the Odyssey by Homer. Throughout the course of this book there is one major emotional theme: love.

Often times in life we search for a companion, someone to share our love and life with. Odysseus and Penelope's lasting relationship is an obvious representation of love in the Odyssey. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca. This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. Penelope also exemplifies this same kind of love for Odysseus. At home in Ithaca, she stays loyal to Odysseus by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors that are courting her. She always keeps the hope that her love, Odysseus, will return. Odysseus and Penelope's marriage clearly illustrates the theme of love.

The Odyssey also illustrates other relationships where love is of great importance – one of the most emphasized is the father-son relationship between Odysseus and Telemachos. This relationship is a little awkward because they both never really got to know each other but they still care for each other's well being. When Odysseus hears of all the suitors devouring Telemachos's future fortune and mistreating him, he wants to return and revenge the misuse of his family and property. Odysseus, like any parent, also misses his only child while he is at war. Telemachos on the contrary also displays a lot of love for his father. Telemachos leaves Ithaca, nexperienced, to find any knowledge of his father in hope that he is still alive. Telemachos through out most of his life has lacked a father figure and

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Similarities and Differences in the Aeneid and the Odyssey.

...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

Premium Essay

Relationships In The Odyssey

...Love comes in many different shapes and sizes. Their is no doubt that a good story like The Odyssey by Homer includes the major emotional theme of love. The idea of love is emphasized throughout The Odyssey in a variety of different ways: Romantic love, familial love, and love within a helping hand of someone. These types of love all come together in perfect harmony to make The Odyssey the amazing story that it is. In life we often look and search for someone to share the love and journey with. Odysseus and Penelope’s strong and powerful relationship was no different when it came to a pure representation of love. Their relationship stayed strong throughout all the hardships they both faced. Odysseus was gone on a journey for over two decades,...

Words: 1246 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Theme Of Grief In The Odyssey

...In both '' The Odyssey '' and '' An Ancient Gesture '' both main characters experience grief.The main character in '' The Odyssey '' by Homer and '' An Ancient Gesture '' by Millary both suffer from grief, survival, and hope are three things characters face in out texts. In ''An Ancient Gesture '' by Millary, the women is a depressed character motivated by her husband at war and her loneliness. ''Thought as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron.''. I love this text because it really shows the struggles a wife goes through while her husband is off fighting for our country. In contrast '' The Odyssey ;; book 8, the author provides a different point of view, Odysseus is a strong worrier who is stuck at sea trying to get home to his loving family and kingdom....

Words: 484 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Hero's Journey

...in The Odyssey by Homer. In this epic poem the hero, Odysseus, sets out to war in Troy. He takes 20 long painful years to return home whilst always keeping his family in mind. In Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief directed by Chris Columbus. His quest begins once he is wrongly accused of stealing Zeus’ Lightning Bolt. His mother is then stolen from him by Hades. Percy is determined to save her but while looking for her, he finds his true place and purpose in the world. Both of these stories share “The Hero’s...

Words: 869 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Emotion In The Odyssey

...explicit human emotion, especially when it comes to converting such into words, is an otherworldly art only prodigies can master. And when it comes to prodigies, history raises the classic words of The Odyssey by Homer, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Antigone by Sophocles and puts them on a pedestal of perfect implementation. Throughout the course of these stories, there is one uncut emotion that makes today’s world go round: love. Often times in life people search for the perfect partner -- a true love and a happily ever after. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and Penelope could be considered a power couple even in modern-day society. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years, he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca. This love seems to help him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. On the other hand, Penelope, of course, maintains balance in the scale of affection by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors...

Words: 904 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Odysseus Where Art Thou

...that takes place in works of art that we enjoy, and that is how something that we enjoy today can be based on something else from many years ago. Take the epic poem “The Odyssey” and the film “O Brother Where Art Thou”; the plot of this film is based loosely on the plight of Odysseus in “The Odyssey” Let us begin with the main characters of these two works. The Odyssey has Odysseus and O Brother Where Art Thou has Ulysses. Both appear to be natural born leaders with an outstanding wit and the capability to talk themselves in and out of trouble. Both Odysseus and Ulysses have great pride and confidence which seems to be a constant catalyst for their troubles. These two men obtain the faith of their men easily and both seem to drag their companions down into the dirt with themselves. Ulysses and Odysseus both seem to care a great deal about their men and both attempt to spare their men as much grief as either of them can given the circumstances they put themselves into. The stories of Ulysses and Odysseus are about the troubles and adventures that they face trying to make it back to the women that they love. There is another similarity between these two stories. The main woman of Odysseus’ heart is his wife Penelope, while Penny is the holder of Ulysses’ heart. Both of these women also never seem to lose their love for their husbands while these men are gone away from them for so long. Both Penelope and Penny end up being pursued by other men in hopes of getting to have them move...

Words: 713 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Learning

...these feelings more evident than the Odyssey by Homer.  Throughout the course of this book there is one major emotional theme: love.  Often times in life we search for a companion, someone to share our love and life with.  Odysseus and Penelope's lasting relationship is an obvious representation of love in the Odyssey. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca.  This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home.  Penelope also exemplifies this same kind of love for Odysseus.  At home in Ithaca, she stays loyal to Odysseus by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors that are courting her.  She always keeps the hope that her love, Odysseus, will return.  Odysseus and Penelope's marriage clearly illustrates the theme of love.  The Odyssey also illustrates other relationships where love is of great importance – one of the most emphasized is the father-son relationship between Odysseus and Telemachos.   This relationship is a little awkward because they both never really got to know each other but they still care for each other's well being. When Odysseus hears of all the suitors devouring Telemachos's future fortune and mistreating him, he wants to return and revenge the misuse of his family and property.  Odysseus, like any parent, also misses his only child while he is at war.  Telemachos on the contrary also displays a lot of love for his father.  Telemachos leaves...

Words: 465 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Women's Role In The Odyssey

...A Women's Role in The Odyssey "So by day she'd weave at her great and growing web- / by night, by the light of the torches set beside her, / she would unravel all she'd done.", stated Antinous in book two on page 21 of The Odyssey. By saying this Homer, the author of this epic poem, shows that women used their wits to out smart men. Women mortal and immortal show great influence over the men in the poem. The women not only seduced and guided the men in The Odyssey they were also over looked and forgotten. The Odyssey is mainly describing a mans long journey home after the Trojan War, but women play an important role in the story. Different roles women present in The Odyssey can be explained by looking at Athena, Calypso, Circe, and Penelope. Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, used her knowledge and abilities to guide Odysseus. Throughout all of The Odyssey Athena majorly impacts Odysseus and his son, Telemachus. In the book one of The Odyssey, with Zeus' consent Athena disguised herself as Mentes, one of Odysseus' old friends and seeks out Telemachus....

Words: 957 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Similarities Between The Odyssey And The Aeneid

...Greeks. Virgil uses the work of Homer, and constructs parallel situations from The Odyssey, in order to show the differences between Roman characteristics and Greek characteristics. The main character of each book, Aeneas from The Aeneid, and Odysseus from The Odyssey, both represent the...

Words: 1073 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Examples Of Telemachus Relationship In The Odyssey

...As we are coming to the end of the Odyssey, Homer explains to the reader how Odyssey reestablishes his relationships with his son and wife. Because Odysseus left on a journey when Telemachus was just a baby, Telemachus’ relationship with his father almost does not exist until Odysseus returns home. It is clear that Telemachus has a lot of love and dedication for his father as he is overjoyed to see his father. He cried for a long time. Odyssey, on the other hand, seems calm and has a much more serious reaction when meeting his son for the first time in quite a while. The idea of a father and son relationships in general is an important concept in The Odyssey. We can see that Telemachus grows from a powerless child who will not take responsibility...

Words: 311 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Roles Of Women In Homer's The Odyssey

...The role of women in The Odyssey Women weren’t taken seriously for much in human history. There were things that men were allowed to do, but women wouldn’t even dare to think about. Basically, they were puppets used by men and those who were rich. They were treated as the weaker gender, the gender who was not capable of doing a man’s job. In resume, they would be used and had to follow orders. In The Odyssey, Odysseus was known as an epic hero, a brave, challenging, intelligent man. No one actually saw him as the unfaithful husband. In his journey back to his sweet home, he had made love to two women. Those two women were Calypso and Circe, both beautiful and evil. His little adventures were seeing as sacrifices to save his crew. “And now...

Words: 485 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Brother Where Art Thou Vs Odyssey

...The Odyssey and the movie O, Brother Where Art Thou have many similarities and differences such as the same adventures portrayed in a different way. Sometimes the stories are portrayed so differently it is very difficult to find them. There are also many differences to fill in some of the plot holes that the Odyssey has. There are many similarities between O, Brother Where Art Thou and the Odyssey. The adventures are similar, but portrayed in different ways. A similarity between the Odyssey and O, Brother Where Art Thou is at the beginning of O, Brother Where Art Thou when a blind man is telling them a random jumble of phrases. In reality he is telling their future. In the Odyssey Tiresias tells Odysseus the future and also Tiresias is blind....

Words: 734 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Theme Of Loyalty In The Odyssey

...The Odyssey: Prompt Six Loyalty is a quality that’s earned through trust and love. It can be created from a relationship or acts of kindness and friendship. All of these types of loyalty are shown in The Odyssey, but the one that stands out the most is between Odysseus and Penelope. Throughout the stories they both long to be together, even when tempted to be unfaithful. In The Odyssey, Homer reveals the theme of loyalty using character’s actions and emotions; this becomes clear when Odysseus is determined to get home to his family. First of all, for twenty years Odysseus is away from his wife, Penelope, but throughout that time he is dedicated to her. When he is tempted with a beautiful woman, all he wants is to go home, “Though you wanted her forever,...

Words: 510 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Odyssey Comparison

...The Odyssey has been a major part of English Literature. Therefore, there have been several adaptations made to it, including multiple movies. There are two major movies that represent the Odyssey luminously. Ulysses (1954) and The Odyssey (1997) are two of the most major adaptation to the remarkable Odyssey by Homer. Ulysses (1954) was directed by Mario Camerini, and the Odyssey (1997) was directed by Andrey Konchalovskiy. INCLUDE THESIS The Odyssey )1997) starts off with Odysseus running to the birth of Telemachus, while Agamemnon and Menelaus visit him. They visit him to tell him about the kidnapping of Helen, which leads to the Trojan War. When Odysseus is leaving there are two major things that happen first, of all his mother makes him...

Words: 1982 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Odyssey

...Odyssey As defined in the Webster’s dictionary Odyssey means a series of adventurous journeys usually marked by many changes of fortune. Odyssey can be defined in various ways to others. This word originated from the Greek literature written by Homer called “The Odyssey”. The main summary of this Greek literature is when Odysseus who is the king of Ithaca goes through many obstacles to return to his own kingdom. In today’s society Odyssey would mean all the situations and adventures one goes through life. Many people go through situation that leaves them positive and negative marks. Many people today have their life planned out. They have all their goals set that they want to achieve in life. Along with these planned life goals, also come things that are unplanned. In my opinion an odyssey in today’s world would be someone who is fighting for their rights. An odyssey today would be a person that is fighting in the political world. I believe that it is someone that is fighting in the political world. This is because people today are not as scared to speak what they say or act on what they believe is true. For example today it would be an individual fighting for their rights In today’s society there not people fighting to be king, queen or to have a throne. A person today is hoping to get go back to their hometown and see their family. An odyssey today would be an illegal immigrant. It is an immigrant because an immigrant here is always wanting to be able to go back home and...

Words: 448 - Pages: 2