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Odysseus and Dante

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Odysseus and Dante
Dawn Anderson
September 24, 2013
World Literature
Professor O’Neil
South University Online

Abstract
The travels of Odysseus and Dante are plagued with many trials and tribulations. Odysseus is trying to return home to his wife Penelope, but Odysseus has angered the God and they make it extremely difficult for him to achieve his goals. Dante and Virgil travel through the circles of hell in order for Dante to search for his humanity. The plot of these two stories are evident when comparing the epic characteristics, epic conventions, and comparing the different religious backgrounds of the time period in which these novels were written.

Both the Odyssey by Homer and Dante’s Inferno were written to reveal culture and tradition of life and values that each epic portrays. In the Odyssey by Homer the main character Odysseus is a man struggling with multiple obstacles while trying to return home after twenty years fighting in the Trojan War. In the Inferno, Dante is on a journey between good and evil, with references to heaven and hell. The Gods or angels are used in both books by helping Odysseus and Dante to grow in faith and attain their own potential dream. Odysseus faces challenges on his journey home are plagued by the wrath of the Gods. Dante is challenged by going through hell in search of his humanity. Throughout the Odyssey by Homer Odysseus must face obstacles and struggle to be able to overcome these obstacles by using his mind and also his strength but he needs to make sure all that he does in good and honorable. The goddess Athena is on Odysseus’s side guiding him on his journeys, but Odysseus thinks that he is above the Gods and is able to make it home on his own merits. This thinking causes Odysseus and his men to encounter many different people and places that put their lives in danger. Odysseus’s journey back

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