...The Odyssey by Homer and the poem “Ithaka” by C.F. Cavafy depict a magical journey full of surprises representing the ruling importance of the journey over the destination. In these two writings, the destination is Ithaka, a beautiful island located in Greece. However, the journey is the one who increases the value and beautifulness of Ithaka in Odysseus’ eyes. In The Odyssey, both Telemachus and Odysseus embark on an expedition which shape their character and views of the world. Ithaka was only their destination; the journey magically transformed Odysseus and Telemachus. Expeditions shape heroes, change their perspectives of the world, and increase their self-esteem. For instance, Telemachus’s voyage increased his maturity; he turned into...
Words: 745 - Pages: 3
...A Hero’s Journey Joseph Campbell describes the 17 stages that occur during a hero’s journey, also known as Monomyth. The Odyssey by Homer is a story based on Ulysses and his journey, I will be describing the stages of Monomyth based on Campbell’s ideas. These stages will focus on Ulysses and his son Telemachus. According to Joseph Campbell, a hero’s journey normally entails three phases; the departure, the initiation, and the return. (Wikipedia) The first phase is the departure phase, which consists of three stages; the call to adventure, the refusal of the call, and supernatural aid. The call to adventure, is when the hero is in a “mundane situation of normality from which some information is received that acts as a call to head off into the unknown.” (Wikipedia) Ulysses call to adventure began when he accepted to lead his men and go to troy and fight against King Priam. This is considered an adventure because it was something different, it took him away to the unknown, and it tested his courage. This was also Ulysses’ first step into the start of his journey. The second stage is refusal of the call, this happens when the hero does not want to go on the journey. Ulysses was in Ithica with his wife and newborn son, when he got the call to go to Troy. Ulysses did not want to leave his son behind or wife but had no choice, this could be seen as him refusing to go to Troy. The third stage is receiving supernatural aid, one of the examples of this stage is when Miverva appears...
Words: 1768 - Pages: 8
...“The Hero’s Journey” is an element that is used in most famous stories. “The Hero’s Journey” states that character's search for a specific treasure or for themselves and their place in the world. This element is prevalent 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
...In the hero's journey, a courageous figure will leave out of his comfort zone to safe the population from destruction. The Odyssey follows the “The Hero's Journey” dramastically as the epic continues. Odysseus being a important soldier and war hero he keeps the role of being a brave of all. Being Odysseys he repeatedly faces situations in which humility is being demolished. In his adventures he fails these tests as when he taunts polyphemus inflaming poseidon. By following the outline from hero's journey Odysseus goes through the first threshold when he left for war and got the ultimate boon when he came home and retrieved his wife. Penelope, Odysseus wife has been told to marry a suitor during this long journey,...
Words: 295 - Pages: 2
...Odysseus and Telemachus are morally justified in the slaughtering of the suitors. Throughout the epic, the suitors’ actions are described as “reckless and shameful”. They greatly disrespected and made a mockery of Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus, both as people and their collective household. By feverishly attempting to court Penelope, disrespecting Telemachus and plotting to kill him, treating Odysseus’ household as their own, the suitors were deserved to be punished. As pointed out by the suitors, Antinoos was the ring leader of the suitors and did deserve to be punished. But, to only kill Antinoos would not be enough revenge for the shame all the suitors inflicted on Odysseus, so he was justified in slaying the evil suitors. As Odysseus said to Eurykleia after killing the suitors, “they were destroyed by the doom of the gods and their own hard actions” (332). There are many qualities a person must possess to be a Homeric hero. First, they must by vengeful. They must also be physically strong, and have a slightly overblown ego. However, they must also be wise, smart, and intelligent. Lastly, they are required to be very affluent. Odysseus fulfilled all of these qualities, in the book The Odyssey. Odysseus’ successful journey of returning home and getting revenge on the suitors that wronged him specifically bring out some of the qualities of the Homeric hero. Odysseus also showed vengeance when he had to fight off many an enemy to save those he was fighting with. Odysseus...
Words: 491 - Pages: 2
...with many obstacles that the person has to surmount. Heroes are everywhere. Odysseus is the hero of the “Odyssey” by a blind poet, Homer. Odysseus fights in Trojan War for 10 years and it took him another decade for him to get home. He had to pass many hardships to get to his homeland Ithaca. The three main stages in Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey” that exemplified in Homer’s The Odyssey are the crossing of the first threshold,the road of trials, and freedom to live. For example, Joseph Campbell describes that the crossing of the first threshold is the hero which is Odysseus who is accompanied by the guide which is Athena, the goddess of wisdom goes beyond the boundaries of his or his everyday, enter the wilderness, and has the first encounter with...
Words: 905 - Pages: 4
...of a single tale or story. The tale or story represents a mythological 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...
Words: 1465 - Pages: 6
...Andrew Forero Ms. Kaye English 1, Section 6 1/6/14 Odyssey Book and Movie Comparison In life today many movies are based off of books and vise versa. In fact more people tend to watch movies and read books that are based off each other. The Odyssey by Homer, is a famous piece of literature that depicts a hero’s way home from a war. It is arguably one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written, so there is obviously a movie that bases itself off of this book. There are many similarities between the book and movie due to the fact that the movie wants to stay true to the book. Furthermore, there are also many differences between the book and movie due to many factors that take place when making a movie. The book and movie The Odyssey are very similar and alike, but they do share their differences as no movie and book can be a hundred percent the same. To begin with, The Odyssey book and movie have many similarities. Since the movie is copy of the book, many of the plot points and events are the same. For example Odysseus and his men go on the same journey. The movie includes most of the important places the go to. These places include the land of the Cyclops, island of Aeaea (Circe), the land of the Dead, and the area of the Sirens and Charybdis. Another example is the characters. Both the book and movie include the same charcters such as Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope, Antinous, etc. The last example is the same plot ending. They both end with Odysseus killing...
Words: 589 - Pages: 3
...“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end” (Ernest Hemingway). In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is shown to be a clever and brave hero, but he wouldn’t be as great of a hero without the very long journey he went through. His journey is the main theme of the book, especially knowing the goal and the destination he is trying to reach is really important to him. Yes, many could argue the goal is more important than the journey, but without a journey, no goal is possible to be achieved. The journey is more important than the goal because it builds the hero’s character, makes him realize how important family really is, and contributes to the theme of the epic. Although Odysseus comes into the journey already a leader, the journey...
Words: 865 - Pages: 4
...Gender role in The Odyssey, specifically focusing on the women's role and how women's treatment by men can be indicated as sexist. They are usually identified by their looks and treated based on how their physical appearance is, and whether they have power over any men. She makes it clear that throughout Odysseus’ journey to the underworld, he spots and gets a glimpse of different variety of women. She says that throughout the Odyssey, they do not state anything about the women’s accomplishments in their lifetime, but only about their important son's, good looks and pleasingness, and their affairs with gods. She also talks about how women are known for their action and activity towards their sons and husbands, but never for the action and deeds of their own, or how they are, nor what accomplishments they did for themselves. Helene states that it seems in the book Odyssey, the only achievements women could achieve was being pretty and attractive to they eyes of the men. She proves throughout her paper that even Homer made it sound as...
Words: 1092 - Pages: 5
...Divine Destiny Free will, man’s right to choose his own path. While clearly present in The Odyssey, it is through Homer’s writing that we begin to see the underlying belief, in ancient Greek culture, of divine intervention and the gods’ power to control and shape man’s destiny. Their influence is evident in determining the outcome of every adventure and obstacle that the hero, Odysseus, faces during his lengthy, perilous journey home following the events of the Trojan War. Man’s free will is overshadowed throughout this epic poem by the use of prophecy or the direct influence of the gods to ultimately foretell and decide the outcome. The choices Odysseus makes may have direct consequences and influence on his life, gaining or denying him favor with the gods. He cannot; however, change his fate or escape their will. The influence of the gods is shown early on in The Odyssey during a meeting of the gods where they decide amongst themselves that the time for Odysseus to return to his home in Ithaca has come. At the time of the meeting, Odysseus is trapped in a suspended state of inactivity on the island Ogygia with the goddess Calypso. No matter the remarkable wit and cunning the hero is shown to possess, it is the decision of the gods at this meeting to send Hermes to pave the way for his release from the island. Zeus to Hermes: “Hermes, you’ve been our messenger before. / go tell that ringlet nymph it is my will / To let that patient man Odysseus go home. / Not with an...
Words: 1210 - Pages: 5
...readers. Among classical epics are the well-known Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. However, is the epic adventure a dying breed of literature? Is it possible that epic stories have sustained the test of time and evolved over the centuries? The Lord of the Rings trilogy, including The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, is one of the greatest examples of a modern day epic. What do The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and The Lord of the Rings all have in common? They all share typical characteristics of epic adventures in some form or another. Though the motives and reasons may differ, the theme of journeying is common to all epic adventures. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, King Gilgamesh sets out on a perilous adventure with his closest friend Enkidu in order to find enduring fame and glory. In The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus embarks on a 10 year-long journey through trials and tests to find his way back home to his wife and son. Epic hero Achilles, of The Iliad, sets out to fight in the legendary Trojan War. Similarly, Frodo Baggins, unassuming hero of The Lord of the Rings, sets out from his home and place of comfort to destroy the evil artifact, The One Ring, and restore peace and freedom to Middle Earth. Each of these stories centers on a “hero”, or main character, and the brave and virtuous deeds they enact. This praise of the hero’s deeds may be the author’s way of reflecting the characteristics they believe to be virtuous...
Words: 2317 - Pages: 10
...Philosophies (Women)- Women play either a motherly role or that of a seductress. They are weakened along with being lost without a guide and a support. An example would be Penelope, wife of Odysseus since she is a mother, but while Odysseus is gone, and when suitors come along, in a way she tempts them in terms of power (of the role of king) and as a woman, but she actually never gives in to any of the men. The purpose of women was mainly to lament the losses for their men and also persuading for their safety. Criticism- Homer had written the Odyssey with a bit of over-the-top reiteration, along with the missing component of a sense of unity. However, even when Odysseus wasn’t on a scene, the lines of the story still indicate that he is...
Words: 1924 - Pages: 8
...15 The Adventures of Odysseus The only authority for this story is the Odyssey, except for the account of Athena s agreement with Poseidon to destroy the Greek Fleet, which is not in the Odyssey and which I have taken from Euripides' Trojan Women. Part of the interest of the Odyssey, as distinguished from the Iliad, lies in the details, such as are given in the story of Nausicaii and the visit of Telemachus to Menelaus. They are used with admirable skill to enliven the story and make it seem real, never to hold it up or divert the readers attention from the main issue. When the victorious Greek Fleet put out to sea after the fall of Troy, many a captain, all unknowing, faced troubles as black as those he had brought down on the Trojans. Athena and Poseidon had been the Greeks' greatest allies among the gods, but when Troy fell all that had changed. They became their bitterest enemies. The Greeks went mad with victory the night they entered the city; they forgot what was due to the gods; and on their voyage home they were terribly punished. Cassandra, one of Priam's daughters, was a prophetess. Apollo had loved her and given her the power to foretell the future. Later he turned against her because she refused his love, and although he could not take back his gift-divine favors once bestowed might not be revoked—he made it of no account: no one ever believed her. She told the Trojans each time what would happen; they would never listen to her. She declared that Greeks...
Words: 8527 - Pages: 35
...JAMES JOYCE -AN IRISH MODERNIST MODERN FICTION GROUP NUMBER 4 GROUP MEMBERS : HAFSA SHAHID R CONTENTS: Introduction to James Joyce Modernism and James Joyce A portrait of an Artist as aYoung Man Ulysses Themes and Style of Joyce's two Works a) Mythological Allusions b) Kunslerroman c)Stream of conciousness c)Focus on inner time rather than outer time d)Search for identity e)Treatment of religion f)Treatment of sexuality Conclusion James Joyce (from February 2, 1882 to January 13, 1941) was one of the most preeminent Irish authors of the 20th century. He is known for his literary innovation strictly focused narrative and indirect style. James Joyce matriculated from University College of Dublin in 1903. After moving to Paris, Joyce planned on studying medicine. The lectures were conducted in a technical French but Joyce’s education had not prepared him for it. Despite his mother’s attempts to get him to return to Catholic Church, Joyce remained unmoved even after her death. Joyce studied at Clongowes Wood College from 1888 until 1892. When the family’s financial state devolved, Joyce had to leave the school. After a brief time at Christian Brothers School, Joyce was enrolled at Belvedere College in 1893. In 1898, Joyce began studying Italian, English and French at University College Dublin. At this time, Joyce also began his entry into the artistic...
Words: 9723 - Pages: 39
