ipl-logo

HRS 119 Classical Mythology In The Odyssey

834 Words4 Pages

Destany Tange
HRS 119 Classical Mythology

The Odyssey

The Odyssey is Homer 's epic of Odysseus ' decade long struggle to return home after the Trojan War. While this epic is full of magic, dread goddess, gods and mystical creatures it is also a story of the human condition. A story of “Homecoming”, an allegory of the hardships that a warrior faces when coming home after years of war. Through this epic Odysseus must shed his warrior mentality and re-establish his domestic mindset. It is only through his figurative death, gestation, and rebirth is he able successfully return home. While the epic begins twenty years after the war, we are given a witness to Odysseus journey during his reaccount to King Alcinous and Queen Arete. Odysseus begins …show more content…

It is here where Odysseus warrior mindset blinds him with the desire for wealth and honor. This desire leads to the death of many of his men by the hands of the Cyclopes and indirectly by Odysseus arrogant need for honor. His trip to Hades is a symbol of Odysseus’ internal fight between his domestic and warrior self. By visiting the many individuals in Hades and allowing them to communicate their views on what is important in life. Odysseus hears from the mouths of his comrades, enemies, and family the significance of family over honor and wealth in battle. It is by his journey to Hades that Odysseus’ warrior mentality begins to “die” and his domestic mindset begins to take root once again . The further along in their adventures they go the more Odysseus’ men lose their trust towards their leader. Challenging his words and directly going against his warnings as seen in the cases when his men open the bag of winds gifted by Aeolus, master of the winds, and later when they eat the sacred cows of Helios. It is by Odysseus’ and his men’s arrogance and warrior drive that Odysseus loses more and more men till it is just him left. This is the final representation of Odysseus warrior identity physically being stripped away till the ties of his former warrior self are all

Show More
Related

  • Cycles Of Suffering – The True Mark Of A Homeric Hero?

    955 Words  | 4 Pages

    The lines following Odysseus’s passage affirming his identity to Penelope see a distinct change of tone as he succeeds the challenge. “So he spoke. Her knees failed her, her heart melted then” (281). Penelope loses her cold façade and instead falls into an embrace with Odysseus. This imagery of affection coupled with the metaphor of her ‘melting heart’ sets the shift in tone and sees the hero rewarded for his suffering.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Weaknesses

    608 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the Odyssey, it has become clear that Odysseus has a lot of weaknesses especially ones that revolve around his behavior which causes the life of others at times. The Odyssey is a long and complex epic poem that tells the story of a legendary hero named Odysseus. Odysseus is the King of Ithaca, a small island in Greece, and he is known especially for his quick-thinking, courage, cunning and resourcefulness. The Odyssey begins after the end of the Trojan War, in which Odyseeus played a key role as a warrior and strategist. After the war, Odysseus is on adventure to return back to his home back in Ithaca to his wife, Penelope, and his son Telemachus.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Justice In The Odyssey

    755 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine being apart from your family for over ten years, fighting for your life in a war, and in the many battles and problems you will face on your way home from war. Would you be able to fight a cyclops, pass a dangerous whirlpool and have to face the fact that your crew betrayed you? In the novel The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus must do all of these things and more. He has been away from his wife, son and many other family members for over ten years now, fighting for his life on his journey home after fighting in the Trojan war.

    Read More

  • Fate Exposed In Homer's The Odyssey

    1173 Words  | 5 Pages

    Homer’s The Odyssey is an ancient Greek epic which chronicles the trials and tribulations of the crafty Odysseus as he journeys from the stallion-land of Troy to far-off Ithaca, spurred by the wrath and mercy of the gods. Upon reaching native soil, Odysseus must confront his final test; vanquishing the treacherous suitors which plague his palace. As with most classical Greek literature, The Odyssey has a deep foundation in mythology and within these religious aspects lies the motif of Xenia, a sacred code which governed the reciprocal relationship between host and guest. These overarching themes act as the linchpin of the narrative while providing valuable insight into Homeric society, in contrast with contemporary social principles.

    Read More

  • Is Odysseus A Hero

    500 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.

    Read More

  • Humility In Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

    846 Words  | 4 Pages

    Odysseus has grown from the man he was before, as now he finds comfort and safety in obeying the gods when in the past he did not consider their wishes. Odysseus has only returned due to Athena and he has recognized that and his compliance is founded in his appreciation and respect for her. Odysseus is now a hero due to the obedience he now has to the gods, founded in a sense of humility. Through Odysseus’ experiences on his journey, he learns the value of obedience and dangers of arrogance and ultimately, become a hero through the lessons learned.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Overconfidence In The Odyssey

    884 Words  | 4 Pages

    Poetry for years has been renowned as a major form of expression in art and literature. A guiding example of this is Homer’s 12,000-line epic, The Odyssey. This epic tells a tale combining years to focus on the life of Odysseus, a soldier who fought in the Trojan War, and the life he lead on his journey home. Throughout his journey, Homer narrates the battles he lives through and shows how Odysseus perseveres with help from the Gods. In the above passage excerpted from Book 9, we are shown Odysseus’s encounter with a Cyclops which teaches the reader an important lesson.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Suffering In Homer's Odyssey

    1141 Words  | 5 Pages

    From the onset of the book, death is a recurring event, persistent throughout the entire poem. In many ways, the Odyssey is the story of the death of all of Odysseus’ friends and fellow fighters during their return home from conquering Troy. These deaths are particularly heartbreaking to Odysseus because, normally, one would expect that all dying would conclude with the end of the war against Troy. In this case, however, the anticipation of his return to his family at home became a series of tragedies. This sequence of events changes his view and molds Odysseus’ character in regard to his surviving friends and family.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Lessons In Homer's Odyssey

    909 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many lessons Odysseus and is men learn on their journey home in the Odyssey. Unfortunately, only Odysseus makes it home and the rest of men are dead because of their foolish actions. In the Thrinacia and The Cattle of the Sun episode of the Odyssey Odysseus’s men once again disobey him and cost them their lives. The men and Odysseus learn valuable lessons throughout their epic journey, but in the episode the most important lessons they learn are; temptation can lead to death, being obedient can save your life, and trust your instincts. If Odysseus’s men would have been more obedient to their leader Odysseus perhaps all of them would have made it back home alive.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Crew In The Odyssey

    1764 Words  | 8 Pages

    In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Good Life In The Odyssey

    759 Words  | 4 Pages

    From Odysseus’ time with Calypso in Ogygia up until the moment he takes back his home and wife from the suitors in Ithaca, the struggles he faces help answer what makes for a good life. Homer uses Odysseus’ journey throughout “The Odyssey” to identify four aspects of a good life: mortality, honor, hospitality, and experiences. Homer reveals that mortality is necessary for a good life when Odysseus denies the opportunity for immortality that Calypso offers, he shows the significance of honor in his description of Odysseus’ bravery in the Trojan war and the consequent respect that Odysseus’ crew has for him, Homer reinforces the importance of hospitality in each city Odysseus travels to, and he conveys that experiences, good or bad, define a good life. The Greeks held their gods in high esteem and therefore when Homer or other characters in the epic refer to Odysseus as being “godlike,” this is one of the highest compliments he could receive.

    Read More

  • The Transformation Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    688 Words  | 3 Pages

    Naturally, he has much to be proud of: his sexy and loyal wife, his bravery, and his victorious battles from the Trojan War and beyond. However, his arrogance creates a weakness in his character that negatively impacts himself and the people around him. The evolution in Odysseus’s personality turns him from an arrogant flaunter to a humble man, and demonstrates that the strifes he encounters during his journey home is not simply new experiences, but also his beginning of a profound revelation. Starting from the middle of the mountain, Odysseus’s new transformation will allow him to soar to the top with eagle

    Read More

  • Odysseus Character Development Essay

    591 Words  | 3 Pages

    Just as Achilles is confronted in the Iliad with the problem of balancing his honor with his pride, Odysseus repeatedly faces situations in which self-restraint and humility must check bravado and glory-seeking. In his early adventures, he fails these tests, as when he taunts Polyphemus, inflaming Poseidon. As the epic progresses, Odysseus becomes increasingly capable of judging when it is wise to reveal himself and when it is appropriate to rejoice in his

    Read More

  • Archetypal Characters In Odysseus's Journey To The Underworld

    417 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus’s journey to the underworld, better known as “The Odyssey Book XI”, explores archetypal characters such as the hero, the antagonist, and the sage. Our hero in this myth, firstly, is Odysseus. Most of the plotline follows him, because he is the hero. While in the underworld, Odysseus questions his own mortality after meeting the shades of the dead. They tell him about how horrible the afterlife is, and Odysseus begins to have second thoughts about his life as he knows he will, one day, become a forgotten shade.

    Read More

  • Unheroic Quality Of Odysseus In The Epic Poem The Odyssey

    127 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer Odysseus, the protagonist, was a soldier in the Trojan war that lasted ten years. On Odysseus’s journey He and his men face many obstacles along their way like monsters, temptresses, and gods. Odysseus was the only member of his crew to make it home to Ithaca, the island he was king of. Odysseus was away from Ithaca twenty years. Odysseus was unheroic because he was hypocritical, selfish, and arrogant.

    Read More

More about HRS 119 Classical Mythology In The Odyssey

Open Document