Hubris In Greek Mythology

Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, a novel by Bernard Evslin, retells short stories of the most famous gods and monsters of Greek Mythology. Evslin creates a simplistic way for the reader to understand more about these myths, through short story telling. Each god and monster is given their own chapter, and are explained thoroughly, but simplistically to help the reader understand these stories better. Evslin’s method of storytelling was effective and the way each story connected made it an easy and enjoyable read. I found it helpful that each piece was told through a maximum of about six pages. Only the important details were included in each of the myths, which makes this book useful for educational purposes. I can see this book

Two female characters are Penelope and Athena. Penelope is the beautiful wife of Odysseus. She hasn't seen her husband for twenty years and fears he is dead. She is pursued by many suitors who wish to take Odysseus' place. She weeps for Odysseus nightly. Some criticize that she doesn't kick the suitors out of her home because she likes attention. However, she has been without her husband for so long while he has been entertained by goddesses. If she wanted a little attention, then that would not be such a horrible thing. Nevertheless, she remains steadfast in her faithfulness to her husband. She even puts off the suitors using trickery that would make her husband proud, promising to remarry once she has finished weaving a shroud for Laertes,

An epic hero is defined as “a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events”. One well known epic hero is Odysseus from Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. Although he is well known and often used as an example of an epic hero, Odysseus is far from a perfect epic hero. He often fails to protect his crew from harm and returns home without them. Odysseus’ behavior and lack of control over himself and the crew result in the crew being put into difficult situations that could have been avoided had Odysseus controlled them better. In The Odyssey, Homer uses characters who must face various difficult challenges to expose Odysseus’ poor leadership skills, arrogance and inquisitiveness.

"Hubris calls for nemesis, and in one form or another it 's going to get it, not as a punishment from outside but as the completion of a pattern already started," Mary Midgley, a British philosopher (Brainy Quotes). The cycle of hubris has been the same since the time of Homer and Thucydides. It starts with an important figure, either political or mythological, elevating themselves to the level of the Greek gods. Because of this excess pride, the gods then level this figure back to earth with tragedy more often than not. The literary works of that time can be used to show how hubris was a daily part of living in the Greek world. Hubris in ancient times was of great concern for the Greeks so much it that affected their mentality on society, politics

Pride is typically perceived as a good thing. To have pride means to be confident in yourself, and it can empower you. However, taking too much pride in accomplishments can be harmful, as is seen in Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad, as well as George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The Odyssey follows the journey of a Greek hero returning from war, whose pride leads him to make a poor choice that results in negative consequences. Book 9 of The Iliad focuses on the Greek fighter Achilles, whose pride keeps him from accomplishment. In the satire Animal Farm, the pride of the animals clouds their judgment, and they are unable to see that they are suffering. In these texts, pride prevents the characters from seeing the consequences of their actions.

Throughout our history the belief in a higher being has been a common practice. There have been many versions of these beliefs and it is understandable why. When a person believes in a superior force it helps them be motivated. In Homer’s The Odyssey you see humans blaming their problems and crediting their success to the gods. Throughout The Odyssey there are instances where it was beneficial for Odysseus and others to believe in gods and goddesses to explain the unexplainable and guide them through life’s journey.

Athena and Odysseus use deception and trickery throughout Homer’s Odyssey to test people, fulfill prophecies, and satisfy their own desires, and they are justified in using deception because they fulfill fate. Athena tricks those around her to test cleverness and encourage deception; Odysseus deceives others not only to return home and gain fame, but also to fulfill prophecy. Paralleling these two characters, God and Jacob in the book of Genesis engage in deception and trickery to complete destiny. Similar to the goddess, God also tests people, though he deceives humans to test their trust and obedience rather than their ingenuity. Jacob, comparable to the mortal Odysseus, uses deception to achieve success and find a home, while fulfilling

The relationships between the Greek gods and mortals have always been complicated. The gods can be generous and supportive, but also harsh and destructive towards the humans. They claim to be all powerful beings with unlimited power and influence, but in truth, they are far more human than they are perceived. They meddle with human lives, not because they are wise, but because of their own selfish reasons. In Homer’s The Odyssey, gods like Athena and Poseidon interfere with humans to satisfy their own desires, showing that they are just as imperfect and flawed as the mortals that they rule over.

In The Odyssey, by Homer, Athena influences the lives of Odysseus and his family. In Greek mythology, gods challenge and control mortals. Gods also provide support to mortals and thus, mortals depend and act on behalf of the gods and their decisions. Athena, daughter of Zeus, is the goddess of wisdom, and both Telemachus and Odysseus benefit from her power. Athena possesses the ability to disguise herself and others, and this skill allows her to give advice and guidance. For example, Athena uses her power of disguise to help Telemachus on his journey to find his father. She continues to use this power to disguise Odysseus as a beggar to allow him to reunite with his family and prove his power and worth to Penelope among the suitors. Telemachus and Odysseus are ultimately victorious because of Athena’s power; in fact, Athena is the hero of this epic poem.

In The Odyssey, temptation is a theme repeatedly explored by Homer. The issue of temptation is constantly providing the protagonist, Odysseus, with conflicts. From the very beginning of the epic tale, with Paris’s lust for Helen, temptation causes mayhem in the lives of the characters. It repeatedly prevents Odysseus from achieving his main goal of returning home to Ithaca.

The Odyssey is a well known epic that brings the reader through the tale of how Odysseus and his family reunited. Odysseus spent twenty years away from his son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope. He was away for ten years at Troy and spent the other ten years on his journey back to his native land, Ithaca. Within the epic, author Homer reveals characters of gods and goddesses throughout the poem who impacted the families journey. One importantly, was the goddess of wisdom and war, Athena. She stayed present through the entire book playing a very important role in the story as she mentored both Odysseus and Telemachus in their journey to reach each other and regain their place in the palace. Above all Athena is the true hero in the Odyssey as multiple times she would be admired for her noble guidance, strategies, and loyalty.

Athena is a major character throughout the book of The Odyssey and is known as the goddess of wisdom and battle. Throughout the course of the book, it is evident that Athena has a weak spot for the main character, Odysseus. Odysseus is trying to return home after the Trojan War, as the other Greek hero’s have already done, however he faces multiple challenges a long the way. Fortunately, for Odysseus, Athena was there to guide him through a few of these troubling situations.

Athena’s parents were among the most powerful and skilled of the gods. Athena’s mother was Metis, and her father was Zeus. Her siblings include Artemis, Aphrodite, the Muses, the Graces, Ares, Apollo, Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Minos, Perseus, and Porus. Athena was Zeus’s favorite child, and she was the daughter of Zeus. She had sprung fully from Zeus’s head, fully grown and clothed in armor. Now, you might think “How did Athena come out of Zeus’s head?” Well, here is the answer to the question. Metis, being the goddess of crafty thought and prudence, she will give birth to a child more powerful than him and overthrow him. Zeus thought “This can’t happen!” Then he tricked Metis into a game of changing shapes. Halfway through playing the game, Metis forgot about her prudence and changed into a fly. Zeus opened his mouth and zip! He swallowed Metis. From then on, Metis guided him in Zeus’s head. It happened that Metis was going to have a child, and she was making armor and making a splendid robe for her child. For a while, Zeus suffered pounding headaches, and Hephaestus, being skilled at the tools, split open his father’s skull. Athena jumped out of Zeus’s head, thunder roared, and the gods stood in awe. There was this one time that made Athena very mad, when she turned one of the weavers Arachne, into a spider after the mortal girl insulted Athena and the Olympian gods. One of Athena’s pupils, Arachne, was

The conversation between Athena and Odysseus in the middle of book 13 reveals how each of them feels and thinks about the other at this stage in the epic. When Athena is first coming to meet Odysseus, after he has landed on Ithaca, she decides not to appear as herself to Odysseus, but first as a “young man… a shepherd boy”, and she then changes back to herself (13.252). She does this to get an honest opinion from him, as if she had appeared as a god, he might not have been honest with her. She also wants to hear his story, and see if he is actually thinking about her. After he does not “recognize” her because of her “endless” shapes, she is angry with him and accuses him of “never getting tired of twists and tricks” (13.340,56,32). She is evidently

The division between humans and gods has always been prevalent and prominent. However, when the actions and motives of these gods are truly analyzed, it will become evident that the gods of Greek Mythology merely behave as humans with supernatural powers. The lives of the gods were motivated the same basic factors of love, anger, and envy. Although their situations with these factors were more drastic due to their abilities, the gods still reacted and behaved similarly to humans.