Epic Cycle

The Great Transformation As Homer’s epic recounts the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War, in The Odyssey, the Greek hero faces many hardships during the process of his return that seem dependent on prior events in the Trojan War described in The Iliad. In other words, Odysseus confronts similar problems, when he was in the Trojan War, traveling back to Ithaca. As a result, Homer displays Odysseus’ development as a person throughout both stories, applying his knowledge acquired on the…

Grasping his bronze forged shield and thrusting a nine foot long doru spear into the side of his enemies, the Greek solider known as Achilles, parted the Trojan army as Neptune parted the seas. Achilles being the true definition of a man of valor slashed his way through hundreds of Trojan soldiers and not a single one of them could land a scratch on this ancient death machine. However this Greek warrior was not fighting for a lazy king afar, no Achilles was fighting for his cause and for the…

Adversity has the destructive capabilities of a wrecking ball. It can swing through our lives with little to no resistance and obliterate our will power. In the face of adversity is when one 's true character comes to light. We are left with the decision to either crumble before its weight or fend it off and establish ourselves as the gods of our own destiny. Adversity gives rise to heroism or cowardice. Achilleus confronts his adversities and overcomes them with the sheer power of his will…

Homeric Gods Summary Professor Anderson gave a lecture on Homeric gods. There are many ways to explain the start of the universe, but many people use religion to frame the world. The Greeks were one of many cultures to create hundreds of gods to help explain natural causes. She started her lecture by explaining the historic evidence behind Greek’s beliefs. During Homer’s time, everyone was polytheistic except for the Jews. Because of this, the Jews had bad relations with the rest of the world.…

Odyssey. The Iliad was meant to be said, not read. It was written down in the 8th century, by Homer. It is an epic, long poem, made up of 24 chapters. It is based on the attack on Troy by the Mycenaean’s. The Iliad includes early Greek myths and legends. Some historians say that Homer may not have been the only one to write it. The Odyssey is an Ancient Greek epic poem also. It was an oral epic poem. The Odyssey is about Odysseus’s ten-year-long voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. His…

Interpretive Paper 1 “Thou shall not kill” is a fundamental belief in today’s society, yet during times of war, breaking this commandment is not considered a sin. Instead it is a necessary action to properly serve and protect the country. However, when modern-day soldiers return from battle they generally do not discuss the details of the war to the public. Conversely, in the Iliad, as more people know about a hero’s war story, the more glory he attains. The Iliad’s depiction of war is complex.…

A recurring theme that can be seen throughout Book XXII of Homer’s The Illiad is the blatant portrayal of the Greek hero Achilles as the superior force in the conflict. His opponent, the Trojan hero Hector, acknowledges this fact throughout the piece. Hector’s parents too recognize this fact, as they beg him not to fight Achilles for they believe he will lose his life in the conflict. Achilles, who is as smug as he is powerful, consistently displays confidence in his abilities and disdain for…

In the transition from oral poetry to Herodotus’ written Histories, Herodotus kept many of the story telling narrative forms, most notably the habit of telling a story within the larger work, which is a device he uses more than Homer did. Herodotus presents his Histories as a series of tales explaining the circumstances leading to the Persian War. In the opening statement of his Histories, Herodotus states that the reason he had conducted and composed this research was “in the hope of thereby…

The Trojan War was the bases for the epic The Iliad. The Iliad was a body of work also written by Greek Poet Homer, it is also an epic poem, “which recounts some of the significant events of the final weeks of the Trojan War and the Greek siege of the city of Troy.” (Gil) The Iliad was also a war that lasted for several years and ultimately…

An ‘epic’ poem is a lyrical narrative about a significant event. An epic poem usually features a hero and is a way to record the history of a culture. The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic poem created by Homer around750 B.C. that illustrates the Trojan War. To give a thorough, detailed, and specific view of the literature, this essay will respond to the meaning Areté; explain why Achilles, hero of the Iliad, cannot fully live in Areté; clarify, specifically, how that manifests against Hector;…