A warrior who fought courageously for ten whole years in the Trojan war. A family man who only wished to return home. A man of glamor and wit that gained friendship through every encounter. This man is Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and a hero of many faces. Following his victorious war against Troy, Odysseus sets out to return to his beloved home. However, this victory has proven to be a double-edged sword since the fall of Troy-masterminded by Odysseus-angered the deathless gods who rule the sky. Poseidon, the Lord of the Seas, extremely resentful of Odysseus for maiming his son Polyphemus, vows to claim vengeance for his son by causing a long, tenuous journey home for Odysseus where he must prove his status as an Epic Hero. In Homer’s epic The
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Odysseus, as god-like as he seems, cannot compare to a deathless god. Without Calypso’s will, Odysseus has no capability to escape to his beloved home and therefore, Calypso has broken the Epic Hero, as he sits “on a headland, weeping there as always, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish”(Homer 155). Homer manipulates distraught diction to emphasize how the seven long years on the island of Ogygia has broken Odysseus. To illustrate, “weeping”, “wrenching”, “groans”, and “anguish” all share the connotation of an abysmal state of being. Similarly, the alliteration found in “weeping” and “wrenching” both add to the vivid imagery of Odysseus’s pain. Odysseus exists as a hero with no match in cunning and strength, able to conquer any obstacle that dares stand in his path. However, Calypso proves to be an obstacle far greater than Odysseus’s own powers. Moreover, Odysseus faces many trials, but when he encounters a “woman as temptress” who threatens his completion of the journey as an Epic Hero, Odysseus falters and fails under the will of the goddess Calypso. Later in Book 5, through divine intervention, Hermes, under the order of the chieftain of the gods, Zeus, frees Odysseus from captivity. After given the news of his freedom, Odysseus reacts with suspicion as he states, …show more content…
Odysseus fluently recounts his hardships and all the misfortunes that came up against him. Feeling pity and wanting to fulfill Xenia, King Alcinous, the king of the Phaeacians, states, “‘Odysseus, now that you have come to my bronze-floored house, my vaulted roofs, I know you won’t be driven off your course, nothing can hold you back- however much you’ve suffered, you’ll sail home’”(Homer 286). The elongated syntax lead to the conclusion that Alcinous genuinely feels sympathy for the agonies Odysseus went through; the shortness of syntax usually conveys apathy and sense of hostility. Additionally, the sympathy that Alcinous expresses further proves Odysseus’s orate skill which moves its listener greatly. As a stranger at the mighty king’s door, Odysseus has the capacity to skillfully pursuade Alcinous to help his cause through his extensive use of pathos. For instance, the diction of “nothing can hold you back”, “you’ve suffered”, and “you’ll sail home” present in the quote have connotations of sympathy which further highlights Odysseus’s capability as a leader with well-honed orate skills. After winning the king’s sympathy, Odysseus and a band of Phaeacians set out to Ithaca. Arriving safely at Ithaca’s shore, Odysseus begins to inquire who has remained loyal
Odysseus, as god-like as he seems, cannot compare to a deathless god. Without Calypso’s will, Odysseus has no capability to escape to his beloved home and therefore, Calypso has broken the Epic Hero, as he sits “on a headland, weeping there as always, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish”(Homer 155). Homer manipulates distraught diction to emphasize how the seven long years on the island of Ogygia has broken Odysseus. To illustrate, “weeping”, “wrenching”, “groans”, and “anguish” all share the connotation of an abysmal state of being. Similarly, the alliteration found in “weeping” and “wrenching” both add to the vivid imagery of Odysseus’s pain. Odysseus exists as a hero with no match in cunning and strength, able to conquer any obstacle that dares stand in his path. However, Calypso proves to be an obstacle far greater than Odysseus’s own powers. Moreover, Odysseus faces many trials, but when he encounters a “woman as temptress” who threatens his completion of the journey as an Epic Hero, Odysseus falters and fails under the will of the goddess Calypso. Later in Book 5, through divine intervention, Hermes, under the order of the chieftain of the gods, Zeus, frees Odysseus from captivity. After given the news of his freedom, Odysseus reacts with suspicion as he states, …show more content…
Odysseus fluently recounts his hardships and all the misfortunes that came up against him. Feeling pity and wanting to fulfill Xenia, King Alcinous, the king of the Phaeacians, states, “‘Odysseus, now that you have come to my bronze-floored house, my vaulted roofs, I know you won’t be driven off your course, nothing can hold you back- however much you’ve suffered, you’ll sail home’”(Homer 286). The elongated syntax lead to the conclusion that Alcinous genuinely feels sympathy for the agonies Odysseus went through; the shortness of syntax usually conveys apathy and sense of hostility. Additionally, the sympathy that Alcinous expresses further proves Odysseus’s orate skill which moves its listener greatly. As a stranger at the mighty king’s door, Odysseus has the capacity to skillfully pursuade Alcinous to help his cause through his extensive use of pathos. For instance, the diction of “nothing can hold you back”, “you’ve suffered”, and “you’ll sail home” present in the quote have connotations of sympathy which further highlights Odysseus’s capability as a leader with well-honed orate skills. After winning the king’s sympathy, Odysseus and a band of Phaeacians set out to Ithaca. Arriving safely at Ithaca’s shore, Odysseus begins to inquire who has remained loyal