ipl-logo

The Role Of Temptation In Homer's The Odyssey

686 Words3 Pages

Food Temptation in “The Odyssey”
There are millions of people living around the world. Although they live in different places, one of the things all of these people can relate to is the feeling of temptation. Whether it is the temptation to tell a secret or to cheat on an exam, everyone in the world has felt that feeling. This definitely applies to literature as well. In The Odyssey by Homer, the temptation of food leads to punishment, and as discussed by Nicole Smith in her essay “Food Images and Temptation in The Odyssey”, this temptation and its consequences are seen in “Sailing From Troy”, “The Cyclops”, and “The Lotus-Eaters”.
To begin, temptation with food leading to punishment is seen in “Sailing From Troy”. This can be seen when the text of The Odyssey states: …show more content…

Smith describes this, stating “These are people who do nothing all day but sit and indulge their appetites on this strange plant. They have given themselves over entirely to consumption and temptation and they bring out these tendencies in Odysseus’ shipmates. He physically has to haul them away in order to leave the island”. So, the punishment for giving into the temptation of the Lotus is the terrible addiction that develops due to it. For this reason, it is clear to see how temptation and its consequences appear in “The Lotus-Eaters”.
Therefore, as it is clear to see that in The Odyssey, the temptation of food leads to punishment, and as discussed by Nicole Smith in her essay “Food Imagery and Temptation in The Odyssey”, this temptation and its consequences are seen in “Sailing From Troy”, “The Cyclops”, and “The Lotus-Eaters”. After all, temptation affects everyone, and can lead to drastic consequences. Whether one lives in China or Australia or Venezuela, temptation and its consequences will follow them wherever one

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Temptation In The Odyssey

    237 Words  | 1 Pages

    In The Homer the Odyssey there are a number of instances that reveal hospitality and temptation. In Ancient Greece hospitality was very important to their culture. This is shown throughout the epic where different ones open their homes to guests whom they didn’t even know. Temptation also plays an important part several times causing Odysseus and his men great harm. They were tempted over and over and couldn’t seem to resist the over whelming desire to give into temptation.

    Read More

  • Pursuit Of Perfection In The Odyssey

    1178 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Homer’s “The Odyssey” the traces and nuances of this pursuit can be found in the very structure and hierarchy of Ancient Greece. Through his storytelling, Homer paints a vivid picture of adventure and wonder, but even while Homer tries to deliver an

    Read More

  • Fate And Free Will In Homer's The Odyssey

    1426 Words  | 6 Pages

    Religion is a large part of modern life. It influences our belief system and values, as well as shapes who we are as human beings. However, most individuals decide upon and follow a belief system on a voluntary basis. Imagine not only being forced to follow a belief system, but having this system dominate your every action. This is the case for classic epic heroes, such as Oedipus, Odysseus, and Aeneas.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Journey To The Underworld In Homer's Odyssey

    618 Words  | 3 Pages

    The emphasis of The Odyssey is to exemplify the woes of men, whether it be sex, marriage, murder, lust, stealing, or lying. Odysseus travels to the Underworld to be cleansed for his return home. A lot of the details of the Underworld in The Odyssey are left to the audience’s imagination. We are led to believe that it is much worse than the physical world by Achilles ’s quote in Book 11.

    Read More

  • Odysseus And Greed In Homer's The Odyssey

    1277 Words  | 6 Pages

    Penelope, his wife, is greatly affected; as many greedy suitors disrespect her and move into their home to try and win her hand in marriage. Throughout ‘The Odyssey’, the greed and folly of men play a huge part in increasing the difficulty and severity of Odysseus’s situations and ultimately change his fate and the directions of his journey. The greed and folly of men are largely represented by Penelope’s suitors. In the very first book of The Odyssey, the disgusting actions of the suitors were introduced to the readers.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In Homer's The Odyssey

    1124 Words  | 5 Pages

    Homer’s poem The Odyssey is about a warrior who has not been home from the Trojan War in twenty years. He is held from home by Poseidon by several monsters and other challenges. When he returns home, he finds that his house has been overtaken by suitors trying to marry his wife. The Odyssey has many examples of figurative language in the text.

    Read More

  • Women's Role In The Odyssey Essay

    522 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Odyssey,” written by Greek poet Homer is an epic tale depicting the brutally enduring quest home of the Greek hero, Odysseus. Within this heroic story, women play a very large and pivotal role in Odysseus’s trip home from the Trojan War. In his attempt to get back to his wife, Penelope, Odysseus’s progress is constantly hindered by the intervention of women who will do anything in order to either convince the heroic figure to stay with them or have him killed. The intentions of the women in the epic are all very different but one of the most prominent roles lies in the seductresses and the alluring women who will deeply influence Odysseus. Most importantly, Penelope plays a large role in portraying the importance of women’s roles in the story.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Odyssey And The Most Dangerous Game

    734 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Odyssey

    Read More

  • The Consequences Of Eating In Homer's The Odyssey

    1054 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout history, feasting has been a way to bring people together, to celebrate, and to entertain. In Homer’s play, The Odyssey, food serves multiple purposes. The opulent banquet that Telemachus attends in Sparta with Menelaus displays the hospitality and wealth of the Spartan royalty, and provides key information about the whereabouts of Odysseus. While this instance of feasting displays how eating can bring people together to celebrate, overindulging in the Odyssey is also portrayed negatively. As the play progresses, readers learn that excessive and unnecessary eating is one of the reasons that Odysseus does not quickly return home to Penelope, and additionally, it is the reason that many of the crewmen do not return at all.

    Read More

  • Pitfalls Of Temptation In The Odyssey

    779 Words  | 4 Pages

    The theme “pitfalls of temptation” are demonstrated in The Odyssey by Homer as well as in real life. And, no, this paper is not about how to make bear traps. First, the “pitfalls of temptation” are demonstrated several times in the Odyssey. One example of this is when Odysseus’ men

    Read More

  • Temptation In The Odyssey

    381 Words  | 2 Pages

    A major plot storyline, and one of the most explored temptations in The Odyssey, is Penelope and the suitors. There is temptation on both sides; Penelope certainly has waited a long time for Odysseus, and has to combat affairs with the suitors, and the suitors are lusting after Penelope. If permitted, they would have succumbed to the urge to wed her. Telemachus and Pallas

    Read More

  • Self Control In The Odyssey

    747 Words  | 3 Pages

    Odysseus only shook his head, as he walked on” (Homer 685). After Odysseus came up with the plan to sabotage them from the inside, he went to the suitors, where he asked for food -disguised as a beggar-. After asking for food, the haughty suitor Antinous, bashfully threw a stool, just to defend for that meager comment, “A pity you have more looks than hearts”. Although Odysseus could’ve ended his life right now and then, he waited patiently; That is the true format of self-control, holding one’s eager covets in the most crucial moments. If Odysseus just gave up and fought back, his plan would’ve failed, for he can’t fight hundreds of men all alone; proving that self-control is

    Read More

  • Odysseus Use Of Justice In Homer's Odyssey

    1399 Words  | 6 Pages

    While Odysseus’ actions taken to punish the suitors may appear immoral in modern society, by considering the ways in which modern society differs from Homeric society, Odysseus’ actions are just in the context of the poem. As violence has an extremely negative connotation in modern society, the use of the death penalty is morally ambiguous, and is a highly debated topic; however, violence is far more legitimized in the society of the Odyssey, and therefore, death is a far more acceptable form of punishment. This idea is exemplified by the way in which violence is discussed between characters within the Odyssey. In particular, this general acceptance of violence is demonstrated through the fact that many of the characters within the Odyssey share an almost unanimous belief that the suitors should be put to death to pay for their crimes.

    Read More

  • Aeneas Vs Odysseus

    626 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Norton, 2001, pp. 225–530. Lawall, Sarah N., and Maynard Mack. “The Aeneid.”

    Read More

  • Morality In The Odyssey

    1314 Words  | 6 Pages

    Odysseus progressively got better at understanding this moral. Throughout Odysseus’ travels, his crew was extremely greedy. When Odysseus’s crew arrived at Ismarus, where the Cicones lived, they killed the men, sacked and robbed the city (9.46-49). Eventually, the Cicones fought back to Odysseus and his crew, making him lose many of his fleets. Odysseus’s crew continued to give into their greediness by sacking and robbing more places and continues to lose fleets.

    Read More

More about The Role Of Temptation In Homer's The Odyssey

Open Document