November 18, 2012
World Literature I
Odysseus and the idealist Don Quixote What is a hero? To be a hero means winning honor through competitive combat in ancient Greece and the middle ages. In those historic eras warriors, knights, and kings were honored the most. A hero was someone with a smooth fighting technique and would face death at any moment. Heroes were the people who would lead their armies, fellow knights, and comrades into battle and earned tributes for their courage and great deeds performed during their combat. In other light, the cowards of ancient Greece and the middle ages were considered a burden and were affronted. Throughout many books authors have explained different aspects of what it means to be a hero. Homer, author of the Odyssey, and Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, convey this characteristic frequently. In the Odyssey, Odysseus was a skillful fighter, but it was yet the proof Homer’s readers needed of his heroism. Odysseus also transpired characteristics of restraint and mercy. On the other hand, Cervantes’ character was not born a hero. He was fooled by chivalric ideas of heroism and sets out to reform the world along with his witty companion. Odysseus and Don Quixote are from two totally different eras, but both of them tried to conquer the world with their heroic acts. Not only their heroic acts made them well known, it’s also their imagination that makes them stand out. In comparison, imagination is what makes Quixote the hero, and imagination just adds a dimension to Odysseus’ character that rules him along. Don Quixote is the hero with the ability to change reality with the force of an idea. For example, Quixote tries to convince his companion that harmless windmills may be threatening giants. Is he a madman or an idealist? Instead of seeing two prostitutes, he sees ladies of quality. These ladies responded kindly to his courteous greetings; helping the knight undress, and assisting him at his meal. One can only determine that his will power transformed their physical identities to concur with his imaginary ideals.
Odysseus represents the heroic figures of Ancient Greece, and was honored perseverance, intelligence, and leadership abilities. Greek heroes were the people who saved people; they were courageous wise and had fighting spirit. But apart from all, all the Greek heroes used to be favored by the divine gods. Odysseus holds almost all the heroic qualities. However, some qualities that are not considered heroic today are his impulsiveness, arrogance, and curiosity. Though he has negative characteristics; it shows that Odysseus is only human. His overlooked characteristics are not favorable, but they make his positive traits appear stronger. If Odysseus were, a perfect man or God then his great deeds would not be great at all. Here is an example of how his strengths rescue him when his weaknesses place him in danger. Before Odysseus’ bravery saved him and his companions, his impulsiveness gets them nearly killed by the Cyclops. There is a primal comparison between both Don Quixote and Odysseus. It is that they both engage in adventurous quests. They encounter foes of both their own making and those out of their control. Essentially the two men have to become warriors in order to battle “evil.” Odysseus relies on his own skill and cleverness to outsmart his enemies to return to Ithaca, while Quixote relies on his notion of chivalry and Romantic ideals to liven up his spirit. There are some distinct differences also. The first is the existence of divinity. Odysseus is favored by Athena and this helps him immensely. In contrast, Quixote was not assisted by the power of divinity, as much as he is driven by the spirit of romantic ideals and the aspiration of his future Knighthood. One difference is that Don Quixote has sort of a sidekick in his companion, Sancho. Odysseus, on the other hand, does not rely on anyone. Another is that Odysseus is able to externalize the battle, convincing others to fight with him against the enemies. In conclusion, it is very pertinent