...development of the plot and Odysseus’ return to Ithaca. In Book 1 of The Odyssey, Athena uses disguise to influence Telemachus. Athena comes to Ithaca disguised as Mentes, an old friend of Odysseus. Mentes convinces Telemachus to go search for his long lost father (1:271-279).1 Athena’s use of disguise in the opening book puts faith in Telemachus that his father may still be alive; this is very important for the development of the plot because Telemachus was on the cusp of giving up hope that Odysseus would never return home. The departure of Telemachus also reveals the character of the suitors as they plan to murder him upon his return to Ithaca. The suitors have already been characterized as greedy and disrespectful but their plot to kill Telemachus is evidence of how despicable they truly are. In Book 6, Athena uses disguise to persuade Nausicaa. Athena visits Nausicaa while she is asleep disguised as “the daughter of Dymas, famed for seafaring, a girl of the same age in whom her fancy delighted” (6: 22-23). Using this disguise Athena urges Nausicaa to wash clothes the following day (6: 25-31). Without Athena stirring Nausicaa in her sleep, her and Odysseus would not have been acquainted. Athena also persuades her to have a favorable opinion of Odysseus by making him appear more handsome and favorable than he actually is (6: 223-231). Athena’s use of disguise in this book of the epic is significant because she is able to ensure that Nausicaa and Odysseus meet in a setting where...
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...assistance. Odysseus displays all of these characteristics within The Odyssey. Odysseus is the son of Laertes and Anticleia and the king of Ithaca. He ruled over his kingdom with his wife, Penelope. When he is gone, many of the suitors wish to take his place as the king of Ithaca. He performs deeds of great strength and courage throughout his journey home to Ithaca. He is a fair captain to his crew and attempts to make sure they all get equal shares of whatever bounty they find. He defeats...
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...How Xenia is Key in The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer shows how the Ancient Greeks relied on each other for hospitality which was known as Xenia. Xenia is an Ancient Greek Value and it made the Greeks allow strangers into their homes for food and a place to sleep. The Greeks were also not allowed to ask questions because Xenia was based on showing generosity to anyone who showed up to your door. This was because it could be a god disguised as a civilian, and usually the homeowners were supposed to give the stranger a gift when they arrived at their door for this reason as well. When someone did not follow the rules of Xenia, they were disciplined; like the suitors getting killed, and the Cyclops getting his eye poked out by Odysseus....
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...Trojan War, Odysseus travels the sea in hopes of returning to Ithaca, his homeland, and his wife and son, Penelope and Telemachus. Homer’s The Odyssey reveals the struggles and obstacles Odysseus and his men face traveling home. As prophesized, twenty years later, Odysseus returns to a devastated Ithaca, alone, penniless and unrecognizable. Odysseus has hubris, a flaw that costs him, as well his men, excessive troubles. Odysseus does not learn from his and others’ past mistakes, again leading him into traps that could have easily been avoided. Odysseus constantly puts his men in harm’s way for selfish purposes. For these reasons, Odysseus is an incompetent leader, and therefore should be criticized. Odysseus has hubris. This excessive pride and arrogance leads Odysseus and his men into difficult situations that would not have otherwise arisen. Towards the beginning of Homer’s epic, Odysseus narrowly escapes from a Cyclops’ cave. In triumphant victory, Odysseus taunts the Cyclops, Polyphemus. His men advise him against further agitating Polyphemus after the Cyclops starts throwing massive boulders at their ship; however, Odysseus displays hubris and does not listen. ‘Godsake, Captain! Why bait the beast again? Let him alone!’ ‘Aye He’ll smash our timbers and our heads together!’ / I would not heed them in my glorying spirit, / but let my anger flare and yelled: / Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire / how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him / Odysseus, raider...
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...Odyssey”, Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, father of one son, and husband of a noble wife. After leaving Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a short journey home, in which he makes bad decisions that cause him to take much longer to arrive back in Ithaca than he should have. Odysseus’s selfishness, disloyalty, and mercilessness eliminated any chances he had of being a hero. Some may argue that Odysseus was a hero because of his extreme cleverness or cunning ways. Yes, Odysseus was clever and cunning, but in most situations he did not apply those skills correctly. Therefore, Odysseus was most definitely not a hero. To begin with, Odysseus’s selfishness is made obvious during his encounter with Polyphemus. Everything he does is for the good of himself. Every action he takes is only taken to build onto his ego. If Odysseus had not decided to provide the Cyclops with all his information, his journey...
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...Odysseus of Ithaca: Famed or Fraud? Homer’s Odyssey tells the tale of the Trojan War hero Odysseus’s return home to his land of origin, Ithaca. Homer describes Odysseus as being one of, or possibly the greatest hero in all of Greece’s history. He is characterized as being a fearless, heroic man, who, with divine assistance, bests even the greatest monsters, and overcomes the most troublesome and life-threatening situations that he encounters, or the gods throw at him. However, if not for the assistance given to him by Athena, or any other divine figure, Odysseus’s journey would most likely have not worked out in his favor as it did, and he most likely would have perished within the very first books of The Odyssey. If divine assistance is what gave Odysseus his spark, courage and abilities, then are his abilities really justified? Who is the real Odysseus of Ithaca? Throughout many instances of The Odyssey, Odysseus is seen as this “almighty figure of excellence,” that can “never be beat or conquered.” However, despite the recognition that Odysseus deserves for accomplishing most of his feats, most of the work and assistance given to him was crafted by the goddess Athena; who constantly monitors Odysseus’s every move and protects him throughout the course of the tale. For example, on page 175 of the text, when Odysseus confronts the Phaecian princess Nausicaa, Athena personally makes him appear less menacing and worn. By doing this, Athena guaranteed that Odysseus would...
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...times. Written by the renowned poet Homer, The Odyssey tells the journey of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, who has defeated the Trojans and is returning back home ten years later where his family is waiting for him. Odysseus and his crew run into many challenges on the way back to Ithaca such as sea monsters and gods. Perseverance is a prevailing theme in The Odyssey shown throughout the epic especially in Odysseus and his wife Penelope. After being away from home for 20 years, Odysseus sets off to get back to...
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...translated by Robert Fitzgerald the main character Odysseus is on his way home and is faced by a numerous amount of challenges, Odysseus uses his leadership skills, cunning and fearless personality to return home safely. Leadership is one of the character traits that helped Odysseus get home. Odysseus employs his leadership skills when he motivates his crew to row past Scylla, a monster with 6 heads, and Charybdis, a whirlpool, he does this in the excerpt“Well I walked up and down bow to stern trying to put heart into them,”(Fitzgerald, 510). To get home Odysseus must cross Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus again shows his leadership ability when he avoids Charybdis knowing the whirlpool will...
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...Critical Analysis: The Odyssey | One of the major themes in this epic The Odyssey is loyalty and perseverance. King Odysseus has been away from his land of Ithaca, wife Penelope and son Telemachus for twenty years. Ten of those years were spent with his faithful crew fighting in the Trojan War and the other ten years was spent trying to return home. Penelope didn’t lose faith in her husband after a rowdy and disrespectful crowd of suitors came and uprooted the palace. Penelope has a cunning that indicates she is a good mate for her wily husband. Antinous complains of it at the assembly in Book 2. The queen has a clever tactic as she worked on a weaving for three years, a shroud for the eventual funeral of her father in law in. Clearly buys her times to fool the young suitors. Her tactics eventually fail her after her malicious servants tell the suitors what the queen has been doing. I have to commend Odysseus for his perseverance on trying to get home to Ithaca and to his family. During Books nine thru twelve is where he did most of his wandering at sea thanks to Poseidon. In these books elapsed a little over seven years of his journey. I believe those year was the longest test of Odysseus loyalty and perseverance to return home to Penelope. Odysseus has to have two affairs just to continue his journey to Penelope. While thinking about his family constantly, he still remains very loyal to his men when the goddess- enchantress Circe turns them into animals....
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...(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...
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...Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, left his home to fight for Greece and along his journey he faced many hardships, but he conquered them all. The Odyssey written by Homer, tells the story of Odysseus’ journeys and how he made it through these hardships to regain his kingdom, and to be reunited with his wife, Penelope. The Odyssey was a thrilling and suspenseful story that keeps you wondering how Odysseus will conquer these hardships, and bring him and his men safely back to Ithaca. From escaping Calypso with the help of Athena, to fighting the cyclops Polyphemus, Odysseus had to be a strong leader to help his men overcome these journeys. Odysseus was an epic hero because he was intelligent, brave, and he was a strong responsible leader. Odysseus was an epic hero because he was very intelligent. One of the many journeys that he and his men had to face was with Polyphemus. While Polyphemus slept Odysseus courageously stabbed him in the eye, in order for him to open the heavy door...
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...Odysseus is not a good man because of disloyalty, poor leadership skills, and violence. Many people say odysseus overcame many obstacles to return home and reunite with his son, and wife. He even made that clear by telling Circe. “Circe, now make good a promise you gave me once- it’s time to help me home, my heart longs to be home” (10.532-533) This quote demonstrates that Odysseus does possibly want to truly return home, Because that is what he told Circe. However, his actions did support the words he shared with Circe. Odysseus mounted Circe’s bed, and according to him it was gorgeous. (10.386) Odysseus stayed with Circe for a whole year. Instead of using that time to return home to Ithaca, he received rich food, and lust from Circe....
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...Alma Morales Professor Derbyshire English 391 March 9, 2016 The Odyssey: The Power of Gods The epic of Homer The Odyssey is about Odysseus and his 10 year struggle to return home Ithaca where his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus are struggling with the suitors who are waiting to take Penelope’s hand and Ithaca’s throne while they await for Odysseus return. However, Odysseus struggled to return Ithaca for the reason that Poseidon one of the gods that appear during the epic prevent him to return to his homeland. The theme that I considered interesting about the epic The Odyssey is the Power of Gods. Gods were considered ‘supreme’to humans. This was because humans plead to the Gods whenever they need to achieve something, and the gods decided to please or not to please humans according to human’s effort in obtain their help. Through the epic The Odyssey from Homer, in numerous occasions gods interact with humans for example, in Book II ,Athena one of the goddesses interact with Telemachus as Mentor and she advises him to embark in a journey to go to look for his father Odysseus “the journey you have your heart set on won’t be delayed. I myself, your father’s old comrade, will equip a fast ship and sail along with you” (II.309-311). It seems that the power of gods in this epic is a very important part of human’s life. In addition, another aspect of the relationship between the gods and humans is that since humans believe gods have all the power over them, humans...
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...created. Because of this, Rome compared itself to past nations. Virgil, a Roman writer, did just that in his epic poem, The Aeneid. In this poem, Virgil compares the Romans to their predecessors, the 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...
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...nonexistent. Odysseus’ trip to the underworld has both a literal and symbolic meaning. While in Hades, Odysseus crosses paths with many men and women that have affected him at some point in his life. All of these shades seemingly have something valuable to teach Odysseus to aid him in his voyage home. In the Odyssey, Odysseus’ journey to the underworld represents a journey into his own soul in which Odysseus is reborn a more balanced...
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