The Greek epic poet, Homer tells the story of the Odyssey which details Odysseus’s journey home after the trojan war. Odysseus and his men face life threatening challenges including his encounters with the Cyclops, Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis.While facing danger, the gods also tested Odysseus. Despite struggling for 20 years, he eventually prevails and returns to his wife Penelope. Not only does figurative language entertain and help the audience visualize the moments, but it also emphasizes the struggles and pain of the characters. The language depicts society’s values and helps readers understand the significance of social structure and one’s relationship with the gods. The vivid figurative language suggests that one must live life honorably or die in vain.
The Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs claim that PTSD is a growing epidemic, with roughly 5.2 sufferers of the illness in the U.S. today. Homer’s The Odyssey illustrates the story of Odysseus after the Trojan war and his journey back home to Ithaca. During his expedition, Odysseus faces many physically and emotionally challenging situations that affect him psychologically in the future. Many scholars recognize Odysseus as a brave warrior in Homer’s The Odyssey, but in fact, Odysseus is a soldier who displays evident symptoms, including depression, excessive anger, and paranoia, of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or a “psychological injury,” as psychologist Jonathan Shay refers it.
In Homer’s Odyssey, excellence, or arete, in the form of cunning and physical prowess displayed by Penelope and Telemachus, respectively, do not hinder, but aid and benefit the excellence of Odysseus. Telemachus uses his strength, inherited from his father, to help Odysseus in his slaughter of the suitors. Penelope’s sly idea to hold a contest for her admirers allows Odysseus to reveal himself and reclaim his home. In the Books of Samuel, Jonathan and Samuel are often overshadowed by David (despite being excellent on their own) because David rescued Israel from the corrupted king Saul. Samuel’s greatness in prophecy create issues for David when it’s taken away by his death. Jonathan’s death threatens David’s
In The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus has dealt with many obstacles set forth by the gods and goddesses, in order to overcome his flaw of hubris and become a better person. Now, twenty years after the Trojan war, Odysseus returns to his home in Ithaca and finds that his beloved dog, Argus, once strong and brave is now old, weak, and treated like garbage; his son has grown up without him; and that his wife, Penelope, is sought after for marriage by men whom have vitiated his home and belongings. This infuriates Odysseus and forces him to face the karma and consequences of his hubris of his younger self. After Odysseus meets his son, Telemachus, for the first time, Odysseus must now take back his rightful place, but he must do so as a beggar, which is sad and humiliating for his son to watch:
“Familiarity is the thing - the sense of belonging. It grants exemption from all evil” (E. B. White). This quote is something to live by, because even though familiarity is not always as exciting as the unknown, it gives a person a sense of belongingness and purpose and is usually far more satisfying. At its surface, The Odyssey, by Homer is a story about a war hero battling beasts and entering the underworld to prove to the Gods that he is worthy and deserves to live, however, but more than that, it is the story of a husband who has to battle various temptations to get home to his faithful wife. In The Odyssey, Homer demonstrates that long term contentedness is more fulfilling than short term bliss through the portrayal
When a person goes through a trial, he or she faces a challenge and their characters are revealed through their actions as they try to overcome it. In the movie, The Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, leaves his queen Penelope on the island and goes off to battle in the Trojan War. Victorious after fighting in ten years of war, Odysseus announces that he conquered Troy alone, without the help of the gods. His hubris angers Poseidon, the god of the sea, who decides to punish him by making his return to Ithaca nearly impossible. This punishment brings forth many trials for Odysseus and his wife, Penelope. Throughout the trials at sea and on unknown islands, Odysseus utilizes his guile, remains loyal at heart to his wife, and displays bravery and courage. However, he is also very arrogant; but later, he develops humility towards the end of his journey. Over at Ithaca, with trials at home, Penelope shows resilience, loyalty to her husband and shrewdness.
Penelope was able to put off the wooers for so many years because she was just like her husband. She was a liar, crafty, and clever. Penelope always said that she would pick one of the suitors after she was finished weaving, but instead of actually weaving she would show her doing it during the day and then at night she would pull the thread out. She did this every night for three years until she got caught and had no more excuses. She did this every day hoping that odysseus would come
In Homer’s Poem, The Odyssey, Penelope is the exceptionally patient and clever spouse of the infamous hero, Odysseus, and the mother of Telemachus. One poignant factor of Penelope’s character is her patience and devotion which is displayed throughout the poem. With her husband absent for a great majority of her life for the later of twenty years and his location unknown, Penelope stays, patiently awaiting Odysseus’ return, all whilst preserving their estate and raising her son by herself. Throughout this time, she had many persistent suitors in pursuit of her, abusing her husband’s absence.
Traditionally, in Homer’s Epic poem the Odyssey the eponymous hero Odysseus is perceived as one who’s positive qualities enable him to overcome a plethora of trials and achieve his goal of nostos – a return home. However, Odysseus’s function as the hero is not to achieve this goal but rather participate in the journey to reach nostos without ever truly finding succession. In this way, he is validated as a Homeric hero – one who is presented as destined to experience a cycle of suffering and overcoming tests, finding his only release in death. This is exemplified by the passage from Book 23 (translated into prose by Walter Shrewing), where Odysseus finally reunites with his wife Penelope,
No relationship is perfect. All relationships have their issues, but most can be worked out. Many relationships are put under strain by duty and lack of attention. Penelope and Odysseus are one example of this. In the painting Penelope and Odysseus, Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein uses the conversation between Odysseus and Penelope to show that duty often tears families apart, while in the poem “You Are Odysseus,” Linda Pastan uses the same scene to show that partners need attention and love to feel appreciated. Poems and paintings can help teach us lessons about the human experience. “You Are Odysseus” can teach us that partners need attention and love to feel appreciated by elaborating on Penelope’s point of view. Penelope and Odysseus
In The Odyssey, by Homer, provides evidence that there is an existence of strong emotion between the characters in this book. An example of this is in book one, when Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, longs for the return of her husband to their home in Ithaca. “‘How I long for my husband- alive in memory, always, that great man whose fame resounds through Hellas right to the depths of Argos!’” (Homer, 88) is a perfect quote of Penelope expressing her love and devotion to her husband Odysseus. This quote really enhances the plot very well to the point where the reader should feel pity and sorrowful for Penelope as she really desperately please for Odysseus as he is off on his journey.
Universal human experiences: occurrences that happen to all people. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus struggles with engendering, and searches for, connections to other people. The universal human experience portrayed in the Odyssey of connecting with other people is shown through Odysseus's struggle with honest, loyalty, and
Greek mythology has had a profound impact on the world of literature and art. Tales that were created to explain natural phenomena and to teach moral lessons have gone way beyond their original purpose. For example, the story of Queen Penelope and King Odysseus is the tale that depicts the importance of loyalty. Penelope is the wife of Odysseus and the mother of their son Telemachus. At this point in time Odysseus has been gone for 20 years and is trying to make his way back to Ithaca, the country of which they rule. While Odysseus attempts getting back to his family, his wife Penelope has been left in control of the country. In the painting Penelope and the Suitors, John William Waterhouse uses the depiction of Penelope working on a tapestry while ignoring her suitors to show her loyalty, sense of duty, and faithfulness. While in her poem “Penelope”, Dorothy Parker uses the same scene to show while everybody praises Odysseus on his brave journey home, Penelope is the brave one keeping things under control and remaining faithful while her husband is away.
Greek mythology has had a profound impact on the world of literature and art. Tales that were created to explain natural phenomena and to teach moral lessons have gone way beyond their original purpose. For example, the story of Queen Penelope and King Odysseus is the tale that depicts the importance of loyalty. Penelope is the wife of Odysseus and the mother of their son Telemachus. At this point in time Odysseus has been gone for 20 years and is trying to make his way back to Ithaca, the country of which they rule. While Odysseus attempts getting back to his family, his wife Penelope has been left in control of the country. In the painting Penelope and the Suitors, John William Waterhouse uses the depiction
In both ,''The Oddsey" and "An Ancient Gesture"the universal theme is grief,sadness and betrayal.Both Millay and Homer describe the sorrow that is caused by the absence of Odyseus.Grief,survival,and hope are some hardships the main characters endure throughout the story.