The Iliad Vs Odyssey

Improved Essays
Homer and Hesiod were considered by some to be the founding fathers of ancient Greek epos, or epic poetry. Both poets used dactylic hexameter and oral poetry to convey their ideas on the way of the world. While we know both poets lived around the same time, as they reference each other in their works, it is very difficult to say who wrote first and responded to whom made harder by the fact that they used oral traditions to get their poetry and ideas across all of Greece attempting to appeal to as many people as possible. Existing and creating around the same time period the poets had some very similar ideas on how the gods were and how man should be. Homer was the author of “The Illiad” and “The Odyssey” two tales of a more traditionally “epic” feel to them. The Illiad is on a surface level about the war at Troy, started when Paris king of Troy seduces away Helen wife of the King of Sparta. But a Large portion of the story is about Achilles the greatest of the Greek warriors at Troy, Agamemnon the leader of the Greek forces, and of the gods intervening in mortal affairs. The Odyssey is about Odysseus’ trials getting home from …show more content…
The Illiad begins with “Rage-Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son. Achilles…” and “…Apollo the son of Zeus and Leto. Incensed at the: king: he swept a fatal plague through the army-men: were dying: and all because Agamemnon had spurned Apollo’s priest” -The Illiad, book 1, 1-12. The immoral actions of man are what brings down the immoral justice of the gods in Homer’s tales. While there is this difference the similarities between the pieces in the actions of the gods is more prevalent in the stories of these two amazing Greek authors. Living in the around the same time it is extremely likely they heard the other man’s works and drew inspiration from it, leading to some of the best works of ancient

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Both philosophers believe that the gods intervene in mortal affairs because of the fact that man is reckless by nature. Due to human nature, they make the assumption that there needs to be a type of divine presence to instantiate order amongst man and through the power of the gods, justice can be established. Although Hesiod would most definitely argue Zeus is the only god that holds this power (*Quote about Zeus seeing all in Works and days*) and Homer would say that power is distributed amongst many of the gods, they both agree that there is a strong divine attribute to justice as a…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is well known that Virgil was a creative genius. Although his creativity was evident, it is also understood that his works have been greatly influenced by the works of other writers, such as Homer 's, The Odyssey. The two epics are very similar in some ways, but also extremely different. A comparison between Homer 's, The Odyssey, and Virgil 's, The Aeneid, will show the different aspects of the Greek and Roman cultures.…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In ancient Roman history, Virgil a great poet wrote two of the most epic poems in The Iliad and The Aeneid. Both poems contained main characters that were meant to showcase the greatness that was to be a standard for being a great Roman hero in respect to Achilles and Aeneas through respect to Gods, duty to their country and loyalty to family. Although these characters were similar in their own respect, Virgil made a clear distention in the two using their personalities and different motivations. In comparing these characters, you will first find that both were demigods were one parent is a God and the other parent is a mortal.…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Both the Odyssey and Great expectations involve an adventure to experience through tough adversity that they have to overcome. There is not a lot to know about Homer, but he wrote two stories called the Iliad and The Odyssey. His style of writing is a heroic poetry. Homer sets the story in the town of Troy, where a character named Odysseus- a well known hero of The Odyssey, begins his adventure. Odysseus is very intelligent and knows how to defeat his opponents by outsmarting them.…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Around the world, artists use nature and the world around them to create beautiful pieces of art like paintings and pictures. These painters mimic the details they see in the world around them, then they manipulate them to make them more beautiful, perfect, and fitting than they ever were. Similarly, Homer used the Trojan war to make The Iliad. Around 800 B.C., Homer wrote The Iliad. The Iliad contains distinct details that show that some outside inspiration was used.…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the short text called Homer’s Odyssey and the video called “ o Brother Where art Thou. ” There are many differences and similarities throughout the story and the video. The video is quite more interesting and vulnerable than the video. There are many differences between “o Brother Where art Thou,” and Homer”s Odyssey.…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Traditionally, heroes in myths have some of the same elements in the structure of their stories. In each odyssey, a person needs to experience or live through specific actions and ordeals until he becomes whole as a hero. In the epic poem, The Iliad by Homer, the main character Achilles journeys through stages of a Hero’s Journey, as defined by Joseph Campbell, including his dream of relinquishing his role as a warrior, his feud with Agamemnon, and how he resolves the loss of his closest friend until he evolves into a hero. Initially, two elements that generally occur at the beginning of-of an epic journey are “The World of the Common Day” and “The Refusal of The Call.”…

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The story in the Iliad is about a war. Heroes on both sides are seen committing horrific acts. For example, Achilles’ rage leads to the start of the Trojan war in which many people die. He is unable to set aside his rage for the common good. He also disrespects Hector’s body by dragging it around the walls of Troy and refusing to return it to his family.…

    • 1626 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Role Of Honor In The Iliad

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The definition, importance, and paths to achieve honor have all changed across history. From the bloodthirsty, conflict-fueled honor of the Romans to the modern day, Western concept of a solid moral platform from which one acts, honor proves itself diverse in form and difficult to gain. For the Ancient Greeks, especially in battle, honor was firmly affixed to respect and glory; this concept is easily relayed through Homer’s The Iliad. Instead of purely stating the events of the Trojan War, Homer uses its characters as platforms from which he can add his own perspectives regarding the true value of honor.…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Homer’s captivating epic, The Iliad, invites readers to compare the protagonist, Achilles, and his foil, Hector, during the span of only a couple bloody weeks of the lengthy Trojan War. Thousands of men sacrifice their lives at the cost of one Trojan’s selfish act of stealing Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, from the Greeks. Homer presents the recurring motif that the will of Zeus prevails regardless of man’s attempts to escape. The weight of the Greek hero and the Trojan leader’s fate lies on the scale of the thundering god of Olympus. Zeus orchestrates the actions of the characters Achilles and Hector in all aspects of their lives.…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Zachary Lovell Professor Baker English 2 Honors December 6, 2017 Homer The creator of Greek Mythology In Ancient Greece, many wonderfully talented and intelligent people have been created and shaped to become what they are known as now but, of all the people to come out of Greece, the most famous of all was Homer. Homer has an unknown history and little known early life which has had many historians scrambling to know. Homer however, has many great achievements that are noteworthy including being the author of the wildly famous Greek stories the Iliad and the Odyssey, creating other short stories for Greek Mythology and otherwise and creating his own writing style. Homer has been one of the most influential person in history and that same history shows it very clearly. Through what we know about Homer, he was very successful and influential to today’s society.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Art completes what nature can not finish. ”- Aristotle. Greek art influenced the entire ancient world and a little bit of our world today. Greek art is not only split up by form, but also by era: Classic, Classical, and Classicism.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fate In The Iliad

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Iliad, a classic epic poem by Homer, presents one of the most famous interpretations of Ancient Greek culture. Mainly, the poem suggested commentary on the way Ancient Greece saw fate and free agency. These ideals, when paired with historical insights of that society, create an elaborate understanding of the culture. The Iliad presents fate as the most powerful and inevitable force over humankind.…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hera's Role In The Iliad

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Homer 's the iliad The homeric story of the iliad is one of the greatest known, and most important story in all of greek history. This epic story basically talks about the greatest greek god like zeus, well known for his powerful leadership enables armies to head to war against the trojan soldiers. As he goes to fight against the great god achilles one of the best well known fighters of the achaeans. Everyone fears him due to his great power of his sword in war. Never was he afraid to strike someone down with one single blow.…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Given the time Iliad was composed and later written, people were still polytheists and anything unexplainable was deemed a divine intervention or an act of the gods on Mount Olympus. Many of the interventions of Jove, Apollo and the rest of the gods, can be explained by using human behavior, good vs evil, sense of right and wrong, and other human traits. The story is focused around the Achilles’ behavior and how his actions or lack thereof determine the activities conducted by his comrades the Achaeans, the Trojans, the gods and the outcome of the war. In the introduction, Book I, Homer sets the stage in the middle of the War and first introduces the intervention of Apollo.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays