Homer’s Odyssey is an epic poem that summarizes Odysseus's strenuous ten year journey home to Ithaca from the Trojan War. Odysseus is usually perceived as a selfish leader who causes an unnecessary, problematic adventure home for his crewman. However, several people fail to acknowledge the numerous times Odysseus effectively leads his crew to safety. If people continue to distinguish Odysseus as an egotistical leader, then they will overlook the numerous accounts when Odysseus risks his life for the sake of his crew.…
Somewhere in 8th century ancient greek, Homer, a greek author and poet wrote one of the greatest adventure stories of all time: The Odyssey. From then on, The Odyssey has been told, revamped, and reimagined a thousand times over. O Brother, Where Art Thou? A 2000 adventure film was produced based off the great old greek tale, receiving several awards.…
Apollodorus’ Library is a reference work in which authors and poets can obtain information about Greek mythology to discuss in a paper or poem. Ovid’s Metamorphoses is a work of literature which contains many poems about Greek mythology. Ovid’s Metamorphoses would be a work of literature in which the author would get the small details of the god or goddess’s life from Apollodorus’ Library.…
Odysseus: Character Analysis “The Odyssey” by the Greek author Homer, is a “Highly stylized” epic poem, which tells of a hero Odysseus, who journeys to his home in Ithaca after a victory in the Trojan War (Pathways 466). Throughout the poem, Odysseus faces many obstacles on his eighteen-year journey and must prove himself an “epic hero.” Odysseus uses his many character traits, both positive and negative, to help him on his trip. Finally, Odysseus proves himself to be an archetype of a hero that is copied in other forms of literature. Throughout this poem, Odysseus proves himself to be an epic hero, has many positive and negative traits, and is an archetype of an epic hero duplicated in many other literary works.…
The poem, The Odyssey by Homer is about a man named Odysseus, who travels a exhausting 20 year journey back to his home on Ithaca after leading his army in the Trojan War. Throughout his journey, the story conveys many significant ideas like a hero's journey, strategic thinking, Xenia, hubris, the role of the gods, and role of men and women that help develop the story. However, there are two ideas that are illustrated the most; the role of the gods and Xenia. The role of the gods in the story teaches us to face the everyday tests that happen in our lives and to respect the people above us such as elders or the gods while Xenia teaches us to take everyone in with a welcoming heart and be grateful for others in your life. One of the biggest…
In Homer's poem “The Odyssey”, the main character Odysseus is on his way home from his successful campaign in the Trojan war. However the journey towards his home Ithaca is plagued by challenges that are brought by vengeful Gods and mortal whims. Throughout these challenges Odysseus proves himself to not only be a hero of epic proportions but also just an ordinary man at the same time. This is demonstrated through his longing to go home, his loyalty to his men, the emotional toll that is taken out on him every time a new challenge rears its ugly head. It is that mentally and emotionally, Odysseus is a hero of epic proportions, but still an ordinary man at the same time who cares about his brothers and just wants to go home.…
Two Types of Monsters The scene between Odysseus and the Cyclops, Polyphemus, in Homer’s Odyssey is universally recognized as one of the greatest displays of cunning in ancient Western literature. Odyssey is the narration of the epic hero, Odysseus, and his journey home to his native land, Ithaca, after the fall of Troy. Throughout the narrative, Odysseus meets and interacts with a wide array of characters—gods, creatures, and humans.…
The Traits of Being Human in the Odyssey The Odyssey is the story of the journey of Odysseus homecoming’ or Nostos. The epic poem not only tells the story of a person’s journey, but also gives the implication of what it means to be a human. The contrast between what humans have and what the gods do not, gives the reader a suggestion of what makes humanity unique. Throughout Odysseus’ journey and his meetings with gods and other humans, the epic reveals the unique traits that belong only to humans. These traits are exemplified mainly through Odysseus and through other human characters to some degrees.…
The story of Oedipus Tyrannus and The Tale of Sohrab are both stories that deal in family relationships and ironic twists. Both stories follow two young men on their journey through their manhood but also into the fate their fathers place before them. The story of Oedipus is set in a murder mystery which follows the character King Oedipus in his search for his father’s murderer in order to end his kingdom’s curse. The Tale of Sohrab focuses on the main character Rostam which bears a son named Sohrab whom he never meets which makes his son dedicate his life to search for him in order to earn his pride and approval.…
As Oscar Wilde once said “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” This quote correctly portrays the tragedy that is reveled in Oedipus the king, written Sophocles. Oedipus who is the protagonist in the play is characterized as a tragic hero. As he is a man of high estate and suffers from a tragic flaw, combined with his own fate he is a man who is destined for his downfall. Despite all this, prior to his death, Oedipus shows redeeming qualities and order is finally restored.…
In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through a twenty year struggle to return back home to Ithaca. Poseidon delayed Odysseus’ homeward return from the Trojan War. Through his long journey to return to his home, his people, and Penelope and Telemachus. Odysseus reveals many virtues and vices, that he struggles with. His men also struggle with vices, which at the end costs them their lives.…
Greek play writer, Sophocles, in his play, Oedipus the King, teaches how having too much pride can lead to a tragic fate. Sophocles’ purpose is to teach the reader that being blind to the gods’ power and having too much pride will lead to a terrible demise. Sophocles adopts a solemn tone in order to show the reader how the consequences of being blind to the prophecies of the gods will lead to a horrendous fate. Throughout the play the theme of sight is common and shows how Oedipus has great pride in his ability to foresee his own fate.…
The Tragic Destiny of Oedipus Oedipus the king by Sophocles is a distressing play filled with transgression, grief, and tragedies. The unfortunate incidents that the tragic hero, Oedipus, goes through invoke catharsis in the readers. He has been prophesied a dreadful fortune and feels as though “...no one suffers more than [him]” (Sophocles 27).Foretold destiny cannot be derailed as fate will always interfere and insure that the prophecy is fulfilled. Moreover, every tragic hero has a tragic flaw; rashness and temper are two of the major ones that lead Oedipus to make poor decisions. In addition, many humans use ignorance as a shield to protect themselves from a harsh reality and therefore restrain themselves from the light of true knowledge.…
Throughout the course of human history, reverence to one or many gods has affected the ways of life and literature. Higher powers controlling one’s life are commonly written about, referenced, and even evaded. It can be seen throughout the text Oedipus Rex, that Greek culture greatly influences Sophocles in displaying the thematic message that fate is ultimately unavoidable. Within the text of Oedipus Rex it can distinctly be seen that the Greek time period and lifestyle inspired and affected Sophocles in his writing.…
The story of Oedipus’s life is important and relevant because he was blind to the truth the same way we can also be blind to the truths in our own lives. Oedipus is still fitting today because in this story each character makes choices that have consequences the same way our own choices have consequences. In Oedipus, Sophocles uses the literary elements of conflict and characterization in order to show how not only Oedipus, but all of us fight…