...In Homer’s The Odyssey, the author tells us of a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism. The Odyssey is a display of a journey of determination, willpower, patience, and virtue. The author tells the tale of Odysseus, on his voyage home to Ithaka. This is happening after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus, the main character, goes through a series of many unforeseen trials and tribulations in this exemplary journey. This exemplifies his character and displays him as a hero in the eyes of the audience. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character. Odysseus is displayed as not only a hero but also as a good leader to his men. Throughout all their trials such as the Sirens, Polyphemus (the cyclops), and the enchantress Circe, Odysseus is displayed as clever, patient, cunning, and fearless. Odysseus made decisions not only for himself but also for his men as well. For example, he did not leave his men on the island of the Lotus Eaters when they clearly had no desire to go back to Ithaca; he knotted them onto the boat and left the island. He was determined to get home with as many of his men as he possibly could, though they repeatedly disobeyed him. Odysseus is one of history's greatest leaders and this is a vital part of what makes him such an epic hero Another characteristic that stand out and makes Odysseus a hero is his ability to overcome his obstacles in order to reach his goal. Odysseus is faced by many...
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...on the important difference of the Iliad and Odyssey against the Aeneid for the citizen readers. Here, we found that the value of empathy is crucial in one’s life because it shapes us to become more rational and mindful citizen. Within our argument, we will justify the significance of both Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad as well as Virgil’s Aeneid for the citizen readers to create a supportive community. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey exemplify the lack of empathy in the protagonists’ attribute which is different to Virgil’s hero that show more mercy in making decision. Many Trojans in Iliad died in Achilles hand with no mercy even being given advice on not to do so by his own mother (9.423-28,21.123-29). Even after killing Hector, he abuses the corpse by fastening it to the back of his chariot, and drags him around Patroklos's burial mound (24.17-20). On top of that, in Odyssey, Odysseus also illustrates the behavior of lack of empathy during the bloodshed happens in the hall where he killed the suitors mercilessly. Odysseus killed Antinous, who is the leader of the suitors by firing up an arrow straight to his throat (22.437). Even though Eurymachus already offered Odysseus to...
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...make a good choice is often a cause for debate, but one of the oldest answers, comes from the ancient Greek poet Homer. Homer’s epic the Odyssey relates to the magnitude that choices play in our lives and how he thought choices should be made. The Odyssey revolves around the hero Odysseus and the choices he and his crew make on their decade long journey home at the end of the Trojan War. Sometimes the characters make good choices and sometimes they make bad choices, more often than not these good choices are made by using good judgement and consulting those who are wise....
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...French Author Albert Camus wisely declares that, “life is the sum of all your choices”(12).Decisions are a constant occurrence in a person’s life, each one having an impact on the next one. Ordinary people make foolish decisions and must face the consequences, just as fictional characters in stories. In Homer’s epic tale The Odyssey, hero odysseus utilizes poor judgement that negatively impacts his journey to Ithaca. After 10 years at war, the victorious Greeks encounter many obstacles, and their leader Odysseus must make many quick, difficult choices. The greeks arrive on Cyclops Island in search of hospitality, and end up getting trapped hostage in Polyphemus the cyclops’ cave. Cunning Odysseus devises a plan of escape that includes telling...
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...The traits that set Odysseus apart from other prototypically Greek heroes is his intelligence, wit, selfishness, and reliance on others. While Odysseus is considered by everyone to be a hero, his intelligence and wit, not his physical power as a warrior are what largely sets him apart from others, like Achilles. His intelligence and wit allow him to survive situations that could have gone badly if he had not fully thought out his “game plan.” For example, the use of the Trojan Horse in The Iliad was Odysseus’ idea. And it was a brilliant one. Had he not thought of it, the outcome of the war most likely would have been quite different. Unlike someone like Achilles, Odysseus really is not a “superhuman.” He does not have super physical strength, and instead relies on his intelligence to win....
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...The Essential Role of Goddess in Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey Just as women were viewed as inferior to men during Homer’s era, a first glance at Homer’s epics The Iliad and The Odyssey portrays goddesses as inferiors to gods. Despite the era’s bias to men, the goddesses are of equal importance to the plot of his stories as the gods. The goddesses play vital roles as either helpers or nightmares to men by often determining the results of an action. Homer did not establish the goddesses in his epics merely as minor structures to blend in the background. Rather, he established dynamic goddesses who were both powerful and intelligent. In fact, in many ways the goddesses controlled the gods by having an influence in their decisions and actions through manipulation, persuasion and guidance. By influencing the gods, the goddesses also played a large role as shepherds for human fate. The goddess’s constant intervention in the mortals’ lives was driven by favoritism, love or sexual desires, and their pity for the weak. Although the goddesses are often restricted from doing as they wish by the gods, they have proven, in many occasions, to overpower the gods through manipulation. Goddesses were often told what to do by the gods. Tasks such as delivering messages from Zeus were often carried out by Athena. Just as Hector told his wife, “Go home, attend to your own handiwork at loom and spindle, and command the maids to busy themselves, too. As for war, that is for men, all we...
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...Odysseus: Hero or Not In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, Odysseus is a true thinking man’s hero. He faces many obstacles in his journey home from the Trojan War, with a curse from the sea god, Poseidon. Odysseus battles monsters, makes tough decisions, and fights with his integrity to get home, but through what some call “bad luck” and the size of his pride Odysseus finds himself in a pretty difficult predicament. However, like any other heroic tale, in the end he’s able to go home to his wife and son. The question is did he come back as a heroic legend or a selfish punk? Believe it or not, Odysseus is the demanding hero in this poem. Through tough decisions, sacrifices, and his humble attitude…at times; Odysseus shows the reader he is still a human...
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...Odysseus has everything he needs in order to take on the role of hero throughout his journey. In Odysseus’s personality, he possesses the ability to strategize. The protection and care that Odysseus gives to his men help in portraying him as a hero. Odysseus has a goal-oriented mindset, the work and effort he puts into achieving his goal shows the heroic side of him. The character traits worn by Odysseus’s personality make it easy to see the hero inside of him. Odysseus possesses character traits amongst a wide variety that make him a hero in Homer’s, The Odyssey. Having the ability to strategize in all aspects of life aids in the characterization of Odysseus as a hero; Odysseus clearly displays his abilities through his decisions over the...
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...In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer changes Odysseus’ decisions to reveal that leaders must make rational decisions for the most successful outcome possible. The theme of leadership is represented through the protagonist, Odysseus, recovering some of his crew from their mistakes, constructing an optimal plan to overcome brute force, and making decisions that will later affect their destiny. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus makes rational decisions for himself and his crew to accomplish the goal of returning back home from his journey. After some of Odysseus’ crew members make the mistake of consuming the lotus flower on the Island of the Lotus Eaters, Homer shows that Odysseus’ changed decisions to protect his crew change and reveal the...
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...In Homer’s the Odyssey, Odysseus goes on a long journey for 20 years away from home. During his journey he encounters many challenges along the way. Odysseus encountered storms and monsters but still kept leading his men. Odysseus had to make many hard decisions on his journey. On my journey to becoming a pro football player, I will have to go through hard decisions and challenges. During Odysseus’ journey, he faced a cyclops that trapped them in a cave. The cyclops ate one of his men and Odysseus almost killed the cyclops but stopped himself. Odysseus stabbed the cyclops eye and the cyclops moved the boulder out of the way. My cyclops is the challenge of overcoming the odds of becoming an NFL player. Similarly to Odysseus being trapped in...
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...ten year journey Odysseus experiences teaches him lessons that benefit him throughout the rest of his life. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus undergoes various obstacles while trying to reach his goal. Odysseus’ goal to go home is more essential to his character than his journey; this is because he constantly reminds himself of his goal, his goal gives him a purpose, and he always keeps his goal in mind when making decisions. To begin, Odysseus frequently reminds himself of his objective. In the episode Land of the Lotus Eaters, Odysseus notices his men ate the Lotus flowers, which makes them lose all desire to go home. He then reminds himself of his goal to go home and singlehandedly carries all his men back to the ship. Odysseus...
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...come from us, but it is they, rather, who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given.”(Odyssey 1. 32-34) These words are spoken by Zeus at the beginning of Homer’s The Odyssey as he explains that it is not the gods who are responsible for the suffering of mankind, but that these hardships come from one’s own choices and character flaws. Homer begins The Odyssey with this dialog to inform the reader that the fate of Odysseus, his ten year long journey home, is the result of his own choices and flaws rather than portraying him as a victim of the gods. Although Odysseus is certainly a great hero, Homer makes it clear from the beginning, through that quote from Zeus, that...
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...Kendra Perkins Matt Fox Eng 112 14 December 2011 The Odyssey: Comparison of Genders in Greek Mythology The Odyssey by Homer may be seen by many as a heroic story of a man on his journey home; however, there is an underlying story of the trials in the roles of men and women and the relationships between them. Men and women are portrayed differently in Greece, as in other societies. Men are considered to be the more powerful of the two and are responsible for the protection of their home. Women, on the other hand, are thought to care for the children and are also responsible for the supervision of both the interior and exterior of the home while the men are away. As a man, Odysseus showed great leadership in the war at Troy and was considered the hero at the Trojan War. His wife Penelope, on the other hand, exemplified the role of a woman and leadership in her daily duties of caring for the home and all of their possessions within. In her attempts to do so, she was overcome by suitors and was unable to stop them from partaking of all of their meat and drinks. This essay will explain the underlying roles of men and women in ancient Greece as well as modern day. The beginning of the novel takes place in Ithaka at the home of Odysseus. Suitors have overrun his home in the pursuit of marrying his “widow” Penelope. Telemakhos, son of Odysseus, felt it was a shame that these men would come into their home and eat and drink their house empty. Athena, daughter of Zeus, came to Telemakhos...
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...Name: Period: Odyssey Test Review Sheet Date: . . Answer these questions on a separate piece of paper. Use your notes and the text to help you answer these questions and comment for the Know, Identify, etc. statements. General knowledge: 1. List the characteristics of an epic. 2. List the epithets found throughout the story, know what each epithet describes, and know the effect of including epithets in the piece. 3. Know the places that Odysseus visited throughout the story (look at your map). If Odysseus had a specific obstacle or triumph at those places, you will need to know the details behind the events. For example, if Odysseus has to fight off a monster, you would need to recognize exactly how Odysseus escaped and won. List specific events from his journey here or on the map. If you are making notes on the map, simply write “see map” for this question on the review. There is no need to write the same information twice unless you care to. 4. Know what a Homeric simile is, identify Homeric similes found in the story, know what the similes are comparing, and the effect of including the Homeric similes in the text. 5. Know what an allusion is and be able to identify allusions mentioned in the text. 6. Know the characters listed below. You need to know what role each character has played throughout the story. Aeolus Athena Eurymachus Menelaus Calypso Helios Poseidon Agamemnon Alcinous Cicones Hermes Tiresias Antinous Circe Laertes Telemachus Ancient Greece and Background...
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...The Odyssey is written by the Greek bard / poet, Homer. The epic poem is considered to be written around the 8th – 7th B.C.E. However the elements of the epic suggest it takes place in the twelfth century B.C.E., a time the Greeks believed when the deities seen in the epic roamed the land and there were more heroic demi-god like morals as champions of different lands. This was a time period when Greek civilization was in a peak of its history and perhaps associated this success as a result of divine blessings given to them by the deities they worshipped and sacrificed too. Leading to the fact of why there are so many instances we see the various deities have, whether it be direct or indirect, influence on the various characters in the epic....
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