...Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid describe the journeys of the two Greek heroes –Odysseus and Aeneas, as they struggle towards their goal through the crises and deadly situations caused by the wrath of the gods upon them. In the Odyssey, we see that Poseidon (god of the sea/earth shaker) has a grudge against Odysseus while Athena, god of wisdom, aids him throughout his journey. Similarly in the Aeneid, we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to destroy the city of Carthage loved by Juno during his mission to find a new land- Rome, whereas Aeneas’ mother Venus aids him. In these epics, many points of similarity and differences arise such as the characters of the heroes, how their journeys are delayed by women obsessed with love, what they are destined for and how they achieve the final goal in the end of the epic. The very first similarity we see in both the epics is that Virgil starts his poem in the same way Homer does, that is they both refer to Muses to sing about the epic heroes of Greek mythology- Odysseus and Aeneas. Virgil again refers to Muses for the second time in book six of the Aeneid. Another similarity is the assembly of gods in Olympus described by both Virgil and Homer. As seen in the Odyssey, Odysseus’ character is clever and smart one. He is a learner and later becomes self controlling. His ‘never give up’ attitude shows that he can go through any situation to get what he wants. Also, his character is full of twists and turns. While in the Aeneid...
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...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 on in the epic. The next stage of the monomyth is the call to adventure. Joseph Campbell explained this stage to represent the character’s survival of childhood that cemented his destiny to...
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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 Odyssey, Homer tells a tale about the main character Odysseus as goes through many trials and tribulations on his journey home. Homer’s tales shows many important things about the Greeks and their views about life. One of things he shows through his story are the qualities of leadership. The Odyssey shows many important qualities of leadership, three of the most important qualities of leadership are determination, courage and intelligence. The Odyssey shows that one of the most important qualities of leadership is the ability to be determine and not let the bumps in the road stop you from reaching your goal. In book 5, although Odysseus has been stuck on a beautiful island with a beautiful women he still longs to go home. “Yet it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home,” replied Odysseus to Calypso. Calypso tried her best to try and convince Odysseus to neglect his goal, but Odysseus stayed strong and kept his goal in sight. This is an important quality for a leader to have, because a leader must be able to keep his men strong and help them remember why they are still working. A leader has to be able to stand firm even if his men begin to give up hope. The Odyssey show what a determined leader looks like through the character of Odysseus....
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...Legend of Troy). In Homer’s the Iliad it takes place in the tenth year of the Trojan War....
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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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...Throughout Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus meets many women along the path he takes to make it back home. The women in the Odyssey are all unique and serve a different purpose in Odysseus’ life. Their individual personalities introduce new experiences to better equip Odysseus for what is to come, but their main purpose is to serve as ‘landmarks’ or ‘checkpoints’ for Odysseus. For example, take Penelope, Circe, and Athena. Penelope represents the end, for she is what Odysseus is trying to come back to. Circe would represent the middle, in which most of Odysseus’ battles were fought. And Athena represents the falling actions, the actions that happen after the conclusion. Circe, the powerful witch that caused Odysseus and his great men to falter, is representative of the middle of a book, where the rising actions would occur. On Circe’s island, the men get lured into Circe’s home for they are tricked by Circe’s...
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...Odyssey Argumentative Essay As Christopher Columbus once said, "By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination." The journey, and how those obstacles and distractions are overcome, is what holds the valuable life lessons that help us reach the destination. Ultimately, it is not the overall goal, but the decisions we make and the turns we take during the journey that help shape and define who we are as people. In Homer's The Odyssey, the theme of the epic is about how war can change a person. It is evident that the journey is more important than the goal to the development of Odysseus's character and the theme of the epic when Odysseus learns the importance of humility, the value...
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...issues. In the epic of the Odyssey, written by Greek author Homer, the main character Odysseus follows this core example of showing intellect over strength. These characteristics allow Odyssey to overcome near death experiences and return to his home island of Ithica. As for the gullible king, Macbeth, he doesn’t follow any case of Odysseus. The Tragedy of Macbeth,...
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...Odysseus and Aeneas are characters created by Homer and Virgil. Homer’s character and story was constructed about eight hundred years prior to Virgil’s, but both stories center around one thing. The Trojan War and what happened after the fall of Troy is the basis for what happens in both stories. On the winning side you have Odysseus, and on the losing side you have Aeneas. This can be paralleled by the authors of these epics. Homer is a Greek which is the winning side, and Virgil the Roman is on the losing side. The Odyssey features Odysseus who is a Greek warrior that is trying to make his way home after a triumphant victory against the Trojans. The Aeneid features Aeneas who is trying to find a new home after the destruction of Troy. Both of these characters have something in common here; they are brave warriors that are trying to find their way home. There are some immense differences between the two though. The crafty Odysseus’s devises plans that involve cunning and plotting. He...
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...Bailey Ormond Friday, October 6th “Disguise Is Necessary” 1 In The Odyssey of Homer, disguise plays an influential role in the 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...
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...Jade Zayas Intro to World Mythology Final Paper 05/07/2012 O Brother, Where Art Thou? vs. The Odyssey When it comes to entertainment and box office hit movie making, it is not uncommon to come across films adapted from popular literature. Taking a story that is popular and well-known is a formula for a successful film, as long as it is done the right way. The Coen Brothers, famous for successful films such as “Fargo” and “The Big Lebowski,” made a movie together entitled “O Brother, Where Art Thou.” This film, while unique in its setting and a little bit different in the plot, is clearly an adaptation of the ancient classic poem “The Odyssey” by the poet Homer. Even a review by the renowned film critic Roger Ebert states: “O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a Homeric journey through Mississippi during the Depression (Ebert, Roger 2000).” The film itself depicts the obstacles and fate of a man during the Great Depression who escapes from jail and whose only goal is to make it back home. The struggles he and his fellow escapees meet along the way are strikingly similar to the perils that face Odysseus and his men on their mission to get back to Ithaca. Also, the character references in the film that parallel the characters in the epic poem are abundant. The film is almost a modern homage to the ancient poem in all the different ways it emulates “The Odyssey.” To fully understand all of the different ways the film relates to the poem, it is important to establish the character...
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...What is the definition of a true hero to you? Each hero has a different meaning and role to play in order to accomplish a task. A hero doesn’t have to a be a buff person like many people think today. Famous or not, big or small, anybody in this world can be a hero. They just have to sacrifice themselves for what is right and say what they know is righteous. In the epic The Odyssey, I consider Odysseus a hero. An example of a situation Oddyseus was an actual hero was when he helped his men escape the Cyclops. According to The Odyssey, Oddyseus “tied then silently together, twinning cords of willow from the ogre’s bed; then slung a man under each middle one.” Oddyseus tied each of his men together under a sheep and tried his best to make sure...
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...Theme of Revenge in Homer's Odyssey Homer’s The Odyssey is not just a tale of a man’s struggle on his journey home from the Trojan War, but of his struggle from the consequences of revenge. The Odyssey weaves in different characters’ tales of revenge from the gods and what impact revenge actually had on those characters. Revenge is an important underlying theme in The Odyssey because, in essence, it explains why Odysseus’ journey was so prolonged and treacherous. A few examples of revenge in the poem include Orestes’ revenge on Aegisthus, Zeus’ revenge on Odysseus and his men, and Poseidon’s revenge on Odysseus. These different examples of revenge in The Odyssey show the importance of the gods’ revenge in the epic journey of Odysseus. Orestes’ revenge is the first important example of the gods’ revenge in the poem. In Book 1, Hermes told Aegisthus, “’Don’t murder the man,’ he said, ‘don’t court his wife. Beware, revenge will come from Orestes…” (Homer 260). King Nestor delivers the story of Orestes’ revenge to Odysseus’ son Telemachus, while Telemachus is visiting Nestor to discover answers about his fathers’... The Character Medea's Revenge in Euripides' Medea Medea is a tragedy of a woman who feels that her husband has betrayed her with another woman and the jealousy that consumes her. She is the protagonist who arouses sympathy and admiration because of how her desperate situation is. I thought I was going to feel sorry for Medea, but that quickly changed as soon...
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...GREEK MYTHOLOGY Background to Homer’s Odyssey As you read each story, ask yourself: What is most enjoyable, predictable, or bizarre about this story? How would I have responded in this situation? What mysteries or features of the world might this story try to explain? What bit of moral or religious instructions (i.e. don’t disobey the gods) might be contained in this story? How does this story compare with Christian beliefs, or with the values of our culture today? Are there any other stories or fables I’ve heard that follow the same pattern as this story? The Creation Myths Part 1 Before there was anything, there was Chaos, a formless void. This void, this pure nothingness, gave birth to Gaea (the Earth itself), Tartarus (the underworld), Eros (love), Erebus (underground darkness) and Nyx (the darkness of night). The two kinds of darkness joined together and gave birth two kinds of light: the Light of the heavens and the Light of day. Nyx (night) also gave birth to the three Fates, who control the course of the universe and determine the length of each person’s life on their wheel of fortune. Of the fates, Clotho spins the threads of each person’s life, Lachesis measures the length of the thread, and Atropos cuts the thread. The Fates – Francisco Goya (one of the best painters ever!) 1823 – Note the scissors in the hand of Atropos and Lachesis measuring with a magnifying glass. Who’s...
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