The Role of Greek Gods in The Odyssey Essay

Paradigms between the Odyssey and the Home The Odyssey, by Homer, is a mythical tale of transformation, journey, struggles and return, with strong distinct layers of Greek culture and hospitality. It is an epic adventure featuring a strong, virtuous and admirable hero, Odysseus. While, Toni Morrison's Home accentuates a tale of redemption: an edgy and tortured story of a man's desperate search for himself in the world deformed by war. The story features two siblings: Frank Money, a…

Women in Greek literature tend to fall into two categories: sweet, gentle, passive beauties or dangerous, intelligent, powerful sorceresses. They are either the trophy or the villain -- at the very best, a female character may be a goddess, her powers being controlled by Zeus himself. Forget being the hero or ruler of a kingdom; a woman was to be either an obedient wife or a slightly-psychotic witch. With all these horrible labels women carried during this time, it’s ironic how Odysseus,…

The Odyssey Loyalty is the devotion towards a person that can bring both prosperity and shortcomings, depending on the actions a person takes to remain loyal or disloyal. Loyalty is like a double-edged sword that can be used to protect loved ones; however, it can also be used to betray close companions. Life offers many challenges and temptations; however, loyalty can be used to fight against these appeals or to fight towards these desires. In epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, loyalty is…

In Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, the two sides, immortal and mortal, place blame on one another for the chaos that unfolds on earth. Human nature entails acting on impulse to serve personal agendas, the gods of Olympus are not exempt from its effect and may be major parts of its existence. Homer depicts the gods as divinities that are similar to humans in that they indulge in the same practices, are subject to the abstract beings of Greek mythology, and are in constant interaction with each…

humans had the technology to figure out the mysteries of the world, ancient Greeks created gods and goddesses to provide explanations for natural phenomena and to worship and honor in hope for good luck and fortune. In Homer’s The Odyssey, gods and goddesses play a very significant role in Odysseus’s journey back to Ithaca. They both hinder and help Odysseus’s progress by using their powers. The goddess Athena and the god Poseidon, demonstrate how greatly they can impact Odysseus’s voyage.…

The Underworld is a place where the Greeks believed most souls of the dead live. The Odyssey and “Enkidu 's Dream” are two stories that describe how the underworld would be like when one encounters it. The Odyssey describes the underworld as a place filled with unhappiness and misery and that punishment will be served in the underworld to the sinners in life. While, “Enkidu 's Dream” describes the underworld as a very dark, unpleasant and scary place to be in, where no one looks forward to pass…

INTRODUCTION In Carl J. Richard’s book, Twelve Greeks and Romans Who Changed the World, he examines and outlines the influence that twelve men had on their societies, and even in future generations. The men outlined were Homer, Thales, Themistocles, Pericles, Plato, Alexander the Great, Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar, Cicero, Augustus, Paul of Tarsus, and Augustine. Some of these men influenced their society more positive than others, but their power and impact would no doubt alter their own…

The Odyssey In Homer’s Epic Poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as godlike, but at the same time he is a vulnerable mortal. In Greek culture gods were considered inspiring figures. Gods were well known and played an essential role in Greek culture. Gods had absolute power over mortal action. Mortals looked to the gods for guidance and pleased them with sacrifices in return for their favors. Mortals were loyal to their gods such as when they make decisions on their lives, providing the…

The divine presence and intervention of the gods from the Odyssey and Genesis not only serves as narrative techniques to produce a riveting story but also as an alternative lens when analyzing human nature. The relationship between the gods and humans can be summarized as a relationship between a parent and a child. Within these stories, the gods serve to deliver guidance and attempt to reinforce their teachings and beliefs through physical intervention just as a parent attempts to teach a child…

The Odyssey and O Brother where art thou? demonstrates how male roles change with evolving political and social values. The Odyssey utilizes male protagonists to make a commentary traditional values of focalizing a member of the aristocracy position whilst Oh Brother questions the political climate of the Great Depression. Foreground characters used in Homeric poetry are aristocrats, which means the “rule of the best,” which suggests that the Odyssey was created at the end of the Dark Age (c.…