Winslow Homer

important themes about the presentation of the Afterlife in Greek mythology during Homeric times. In Book XI readers see another step and obstacle that Odysseus must overcome to return home. In this book Homer formally introduces The Underworld, the place where the souls of people who die end up. Homer suggests that…

by Homer depicts a destructive war between the Achaeans and the Trojans as a criticism to the collective social norms and tradition that war promotes. Throughout the epic, the idea of war is championed by the both the Achaeans and the Trojan as the most formidable form of solving their dispute. However, this form of problem solving involves a social-Darwinian scenario where the strongest survive, while those who survive the war receive honor and praise from their people. Nevertheless, Homer…

that the famous are the ones who experience the greatest misery because they are trapped by public opinion. In the Iliad, Homer subverts the ancient Greek trope that legacies are crucial to a fulfilling life. One of the most complex characters in the novel, Hector is at first a man of honor and nobility, but eventually gives way to his dark legacy. One of the first glimpses Homer gives of Hector is when he chastises Paris and declares him a “curse to your father, your city, and all your people”…

From this passage in the Iliad, Homer actively surveys the relevance of fate by using dialogue, imagery, and shifts of focus in the order of events. In context, Menelaus had just confirmed the duel between himself and Paris. Leading Iris the messenger goddess to spread the news to unsuspecting Helen in the form of Helen’s sister-in-law “the wife of Antenor’s / son, whom strong Heliakon wed, son of Antenor” (3.122, 123). Although Homer is describing a female, the repetition of the phrase “son of…

Beowulf's death is arguably the most important scene in this epic poem; however, his development up to that point is paramount. Each of his three battles was a crucial turning points in his life acting as rites of passage leading up to and foreshadowing his untimely demise. In the first battle he gained the people's admiration, in the second battle he gained their confidence, and in the final battle he passed from this world. The differences between these three battles are the effect they…

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…

The Odyssey, by Homer, many of Odysseus’ men die during the journey. They die from monsters and gods. One of the men that dies is Elpenor at Circe’s house. When Odysseus reached the underworld, souls of people come and talk to him, in which included Elpenor. He says “After I went to sleep on Circe 's house, I did not notice how to go down again by the long ladder, but fell headlong from the roof; my neck was broken in its socket, and my soul same down to the house of Hades” (Homer 132). This man…

Society's favorite superhero stories would not exist without the implementation of a specific archetype. This archetype is none other than the hero’s journey. Developed by famous mythologist Joseph Campbell, the hero’s journey exists as a metaphor for life itself, with 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…

While The Odyssey might, upon first glance, involve godly intervention against humans to advance its plot, the true conflict that drives the whole story is the selfish and arrogant nature of men against other men. The human-on-human conflict is the very cause of all the other three classical conflicts, as a conflict between humans often escalates to a conflict against the Greek gods, a war against oneself, and finally a war against the powerful forces of nature. Human arrogance and pride are the…