2010: Odyssey Two

Odysseus, “’the Son of Pain,’” unquestionably earns his name in full (19.464). He frequently brings pain onto himself and others, like when he tells Polyphemus his name is Nobody. He stays true to his real name, Odysseus, in this moment by using his characteristic cunning; afterwards, as he leaves the island of the cyclopes, he yells out his true name, “’Odysseus, raider of cities,’” and ultimately brings as much misfortune onto himself as he did to Polyphemus, thus remaining as the man that…

Joseph Campbell, was an American mythological researcher, who is most famous for this book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” In this widely known book, he discovered that there are many common patterns that hero myths have. This hero story telling phenomenon was present in myths from all over the world and from different cultures. The heroes in these stories go through several steps to get victory in the end. Campbell called this the Hero’s Journey. From one of the most popular movie series,…

Athena appeared in the book Odyssey as a strong supporter of well-known Greek hero Odysseus. She was not only the first goddess who mentioned Odysseus suffering in Calypso’s island, but also the only one who took care of Odysseus all the time during his homecoming journey and revenge in his homeland. Odysseus found unusual favor with Athena. This favor was expressed by explicit actions that other mortals also know about it. For example, Nestor had said these words to Telemachus: “Ah, if only…

Journal Book 13: Arrival of Odysseus at Ithaca Compare and Contrast : In The Odyssey, by Homer, the arrival of Odysseus back home is a really important part of the story, as it was what he had been striving to do in the beginning of the epic novel. Odysseus ends up with the Phaeacians, and they decide to help them. Odysseus gets a nap on the trip, and they arrive at Ithaca, “Then the men left the timbered ship and came ashore, and straightway took Odysseus from the hollow ship-him.. and set him…

its main function being to entertain, instruct and inspire. Campbell identified a pattern repeated in literature, allowing him to formulate a three stage process: separation, initiation and the return. The monomyth is centered around the notion of two worlds: the mundane, which the hero is born into, and the fantastic, filled with adventure. In this archetype, a hero decides to abandon his or her monotonous life in order to seek a more fulfilling and rewarding lifestyle. Albeit…

mood in his Epic Poem, The Odyssey. The hospitality shown by these characters was common courtesy in Ancient Greece, and though it would be rare to see an American invite a complete stranger into one's home, it would be instinctual for one of Greek culture to take that stranger in and offer them food, shelter, and protection without hesitation. Ancient Greek hospitality is strikingly different from what is seen in today’s society, but can be found all throughout The Odyssey. The first character…

Trust is something so valuable in a relationship, platonic or romantic, that it can later show who someone is as a person, and their reputation. During the epic, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus builds as a character and the reader can see the leader’s courageous a side, but also the selfish side of him. Along the way to Ithaca, Odysseus acquires a bag of winds as a gift from Aeolus, God of the winds. This bag creates a debacle during their trip home. Odysseus’s crew opens the bag of winds without…

arguments over deaths, kidnaps, and heroism. The whole book Iliad was written of arguments and honor that everyone wanted to have at a certain time. Homer’s the Iliad has a deep meaning for the readers in the end of book 24, it leaves a cliffhanger that two great leaders mourn their losses. The Iliad in book 1 starts with Chryses asking Agamemnon to give his daughter back to him, but Agamemnon refuses. We fist learn…

In Homer’s world, women, specifically the Greek goddesses, are as much caring and nurturing as they are battle-hardened. When necessary, the women in The Iliad are able to use their natural charm or cunning in order to further their agenda. Hera, being a prime example of this, consistently shows her ability to feign a docile nature in order to distract from her crafty plans. However, there is a drastic distinction between the mortal and immortal women of The Iliad. Although most women in The…

his own daughter. Both females viewed him as greedy because he pursued accomplishments, even if they were high risk and low reward. Lastly, both viewed him as a self-centered man because he viewed himself above the gods. This is ironic, because the two women closest to him viewed him as a demon. Wherever Agamemnon went, he brought pain and misery to those around him. It was clear Agamemnon had odd values, and his actions ultimately cost him his…