2010: Odyssey Two

character that Homer depicts within the poem of The Odyssey, and one very interesting aspect of this character is his characterization of loyalty. Homer establishes loyalty as a strong and vital characteristic of Eumaeus through the passage in Book Fourteen in which the swineherd is introduced into the poem, approximately from lines 40 through 85. This portrayal of the theme of loyalty through the character of Eumaeus is a crucial aspect of The Odyssey, as this is the welcome that the skeptical…

strait, intelligence. Many view Odysseus as the hero of the Odyssey but there is another character that has the same traits as Odysseus and that is Penelope, his wife. She is often forgotten in the shadow of her husband even though she is essential to the story. Ovid’s Heroines by Daryl Hine brings Penelope into the light and shows that she is much more than the wife of an Odysseus, but a hero, just as great as her husband. The Odyssey has been as much Penelope’s journey as it is Odysseus.…

Throughout Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew are tempted time and time again by lustrous women, food and drink, and riches. In many instances, the men give into their desires in hope of personal gain. They often do so without thinking, causing major problems for the rest of the shipmates. The voyage home is negatively affected after the crew gives in to the temptation of the Lotus-eaters, seductive women such as Circe and Calypso, the bag of Aeolus’ winds, and Helios’ Cattle. Although the…

The Character of Odysseus Odysseus endures suffering on his journey in The Odyssey, a challenge that develops loyalty and perseverance and fosters moral growth. After spending two decades in the city of Troy after the Trojan War because “Helios, the Sun God, took away the day of his homecoming” (27), Odysseus is finally allowed the opportunity to return to his home in Ithaka as “that very year came in which the gods had spun for him his time of homecoming” (27). However, the trek home is not…

Pride is something that effect all manner of human nature. Pride is normally described as a deep satisfaction in one’s own achievements, abilities or qualities that are greatly admired. In a study done by Prisca Brosi, Matthias Spörrle, Isabell M. Welpe and Madeline E. Heilman called “Expressing Pride: Effects on Perceived Agency, Communality, and Stereotype-Based Gender Disparities” it says “Pride is closely connected to the achievement of personally or socially valued outcomes. Given the…

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. In Book 9, Odysseus and his men come to the land of the…

According to The Odyssey by Homer and Hippolytus by Euripides, women in ancient Greece were “a great evil” (Euripides 2001: 29), deceitful, and liars. Throughout Odysseus’ journey, Odysseus encounters several women who kill men in his army, cause battles and the slaughter of many men and deceive the characters in the epic through disguises. The most destructive women in The Odyssey are Athena, Zeus’ daughter, and Clytemnestra, Agememnon’s wife. Although Athena appears to guide Telemachus in…

On the surface, the Odyssey depicts the gods as all-powerful beings manipulating humans in pursuit of their own ends while the humans are the poor pawns of some celestial chess match. However, it is important to remember that the myths of the gods were constructed by humans and that there is logic behind the creation of them. Upon deeper reflection, both gods and humans gain something from the existence of the other party whether it is some material exchange or a subconscious mental reward. The…

In the article, "The Real Troy," the author, Josh Fischman, states that while not all Trojan myths maintain historical accuracy, most contain some elements of truth. The author cites instances in the Iliad and The Odyssey that archeologists are now finding might be historically relevant. In the article, Fischman quotes Manfred Korfmann saying, "The town makes Troy about 15 times larger than previously thought." (Fischman 56) In this statement, Korfmann is describing the discoveries that had…

In Homers epic, the Iliad, we see that dishonor is something that is looked down upon. Honor is why the warriors go to battle and what gives them the motivation to push through the gruesome events that take place. The Iliad is full of characters that are stunted by fear. In Book 17 we see that Menelaus is too fearful to protect Patroclus’ body. Lastly, Achilles is mentioned in this section to show that the refusal of giving up Patroclus’ body could be the one thing to draw Achilles out of his…