Compare And Contrast Odysseus And Perseus

In the times of Greek mythology and epic hero writing, were epic heroes all the same?From the Greek epics The Odyssey by Homer and Perseus by Edith Hamilton, the reader can find out. In The Odyssey, epic hero Odysseus faces many challenges and must use larger than life strength and courage on his odyssey home to his family in Ithaca after the Trojan War. Perseus is a story about the demigod Perseus who goes on a journey, with the help of god Hermes and goddess Athena, in order to kill the Gorgon Medusa, proving himself and saving the woman he loves in the process. Odysseus and Perseus have many differences, such as their source of motivation and what they relied on to complete their journey, but they are still similar in that they both are determined enough to complete the task at hand. In order to accomplish a long, exorbitantly difficult journey, there must be a source of motivation, or something to push the character through during the tough times. Odysseus and Perseus have very contrasting sources of motivation. When Odysseus visited the blind prophet Tiresias to tell him what his future held, Tiresias knew that Odysseus ' motivation was his family and home in Ithaca. "Great captain, a fair wind and the honey lights of home are all you seek" (line 632-633). This quote says that all he wants …show more content…
Odysseus ' journey required him to have determination and he was motivated by regaining his kingdom and his family, and while on his quest he relied on his strength. Perseus also showed determination, but he was pushed by his pride and leaned on Hermes and Athena. While both heroes are determined, they still have many things that separate them. So, in Greek mythology and epic hero writing, though epic heroes are bound to have many similarities, they are all their own character with their own story that the author has