More handpicked essays just for you.
Contrasting iliad and the odyssey themes
Contrasting iliad and the odyssey themes
Contrasting iliad and the odyssey themes
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In "In Back From War,But Not Really Home" by Caroline Alexander, and "The Odyssey by homer both experience grief in their characters . survival , hope , and pain are the themes in the literature pieces . In "The odyssey" by homer , the character Odysseus is a angry man. Broadsea Challenged Odysseus because he said that Odysseus doesn't look like an athletic man and Odysseus gets very angry and proceeds to hurl a discus further than any man present has managed to so far. Alkinoos wisely decides to diffuse the situation by switching things up he asks for demodokus to sing to the guest. Then Broadsea orders some dancing to entertain odyssey and bestows on his guest a few gifts , they treat him like a god because he proved them wrong for saying that he didn't look like the athletic type. Broadsea approaches Odysseus and offers him a lovely sword in repentance for his rash words earlier. Later,after being given a nice bath and some clothes odyssey asks demodokus to sing about the great man odyssey in the Trojan horse. He begins to cry like a woman , were not sure why he asked for demodokus to sing this song ,since it makes him cry. Broadsea sees Odysseus weeping and begs for …show more content…
She woke up and told her father that she would wash all the clothes, her and her mates when down to the shore and washed all of their clothes they got naked and started playing and running . They woke up Odysseus with all the noise and laughter and she tries to help him. She gives him clothes to put on and she told him to meet her at her family's town so Odysseus goes and he finally gets to town and Athena disguises herself as a little girl and leads him in front of the gates and puts her magic so the king wouldn't see him and Odysseus got inside and ran to the queen and hugged her legs and the queen excepted
“Oh for shame, how the mortals put the blame on us gods, for they say evils come from us, but it is they, rather, who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given,” (1.32-34) is a simple quote reminding us the entities in charge of all characters in the poem The Odyssey – the gods. Hubris, or excessive human pride, is most detested by the gods and likewise is most punishable by them. The Odyssey is a story about Odysseus and Telemachus, two heroes who throughout their adventures meet new people and face death many times. Telemachus goes to find his father after he learns from Athena that he is still alive. The two meet, and Odysseus attempts to go back to Ithaca after he was lost at sea, and on his way there becomes one of the most heroic characters in literature as we know it. Like all heroic characters, Odysseus began to display hubris as he learned how true of a hero he was. James Wyatt Cook, a historian and an expert on The Odyssey, wrote about how hubris can affect the characters that display it. He says, “Because Homer’s Odyssey is essentially comic, that episode [opened wind bag destroys ship] is only one of a series of setbacks Odysseus experiences before reaching his home in Ithaca and recovering his former kingdom and his family. Such, however, is not the case for those who display hubris with tragic outcomes.” (Cook 1) Initially, Odysseus learns about Aias who died as a cause of the excessive pride he portrays. Proteus warns Odysseus when he says, “…and Aias would have escaped doom, though Athena hated him, had he not gone widely mad and tossed outa word of defiance; for he said that in despite of the gods he escaped the great gulf of the sea, and Poseidon heard him…...
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
This part of the Odyssey begins with Athena appearing to the sleeping Princess having a beautiful dream convincing her that all too soon her wedding day will be upon her. It is clearly assumed by Nausicaa that this is all real because the god’s wouldn’t lie! Athena arrives in disguise of Dymas whom Nausicaa has affection for, a ploy by Athena to gain trust from the innocent Nausicaa who would then not question the content of her dream. Homer tells us that Athena insists she prepare for her ‘wedding’ by going outside the city to the river with her maids to clean and prepare her trusso. Homer lets us know that Athena is all too aware of the sleeping shipwrecked Odysseus in need of rescue. Nausicaa probably for her naiveté and youth is the chosen subject to assist the rescue of this man.
Arrogance has been the downfall of many great leaders including Odysseus. Examples of Odysseus’s arrogance are clearly discernible at the Cyclops’s island. “Here we stand, beholden for your help, or any gifts you give – as custom is to honor strangers. We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care for the gods’ courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest” (Homer 900). This exhibits Odysseus’s arrogance as he threatens a much stronger foe with the god’s power, not his own. “Cyclops, if ever mortal men inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!” (908). This is another illustration of Odysseus’s deadly ego. Despite his crewmate’s suggestions, he taunts Polyphemus, almost
Athena aided Ody in his journey home by providing guidance and advice on difficult obstacles. She gives Odysseus a lot of advice on how to handle perilous obstacles. For example, Athena tells Odysseus to go home in a disguise. This is the reason that she transforms Odysseus back into a poor, shriveled beggar from a godlike man. The new disguise allows Odysseus to get home
... onslaught spinning his craft round and round” (Homer 321). This example shows how Odysseus is constantly suffering from the revenge of the god Poseidon. By keeping Odysseus away from home and trapped within the bounds of sea, Poseidon shows his godly revenge.
In The Odyssey, Homer, or more so, the characters, often referred to Odysseus as the ‘Great Odysseus’. In the text, it is obvious to see that Odysseus demonstrates arrogance, charisma, over-confidence, and pride. Odysseus and his m...
The Cyclops in the Odyssey can be viewed as the victim at the hands of Odysseus and his men because his lack of intelligence led him right into Odysseus’ trap. The Cyclops was left vulnerable and defenceless, being stuck in a cave with warriors trained to kill. After Odysseus’ deceitful plan had succeeded, “[he] was filled with laughter” (Homer 756) about how the Cyclops and his brethren were fooled by his clever gimmick. Even though the Cyclops held Odysseus and his men captive, the Cyclops’ home had been intruded and used by the men without his knowledge or permission. Although Odysseus is the protagonist and hero in the poem, the Cyclops deserves sympathy from the readers because of having a lack of mental acuity and being the victim in
They sit, entranced in the magic of his words. He pauses. On the edge of their seats, they await in silence his next utterance. The one spoken of is not a bard or man refined in the art of song, but rather a warrior scarred and hardened through intense conflict. He has a special mastery of the spoken language that enraptures his audience and a gift that endows him to command and persuade them without physical force. This man is a manipulator of words, a subtle combatant. The proverbial "He" represents Odysseus in Homer's epic adventure The Odyssey. Youthful Athenian men gained wisdom and admonitions about the machination of words by studying Odysseus's shrewd intellect, and in contrast the use of persuasion by Eurylochus whose ignorance brought about the demise of their comrades.
When Odysseus and his men outwitted The Cyclops, Odysseus felt good and wanted to brag about escaping him. Anyone would’ve felt good about that, but Odysseus took it too far. “Now when I cupped my hands I heard the crew
Both the "Odyssey" and "Back From War, But Not Really Home " depict the concept of grief by the description of the characters emotions. For instance in the odyssey Odysseus washes up on new and strange lands. This land that Odysseus washed up on was the home of the Phaecians. The Phaecians treated him well and fed Odysseus. Ironically they tried to entertain him by telling the tales of the Trojan war. Odysseus the brave hero cried, he was grieving.
The challenges that Homer give the protagonist is all a test of character. Odysseus continues to pass the obstacles with flying colors, but his arrogance is the one flaw that is in dire need of correction. Some of the many challenges Odysseus overcomes on his voyage home is defeating the Cicones, surviving the Island of the Lotus Eaters, outsmarting the Giant Cyclops, saving his men from Circe, Traveling to Hades, passing between Scylla and Charybdis, escaping Calypsos’ Island and many more. Odysseus survives these obstacles and uses his smarts to escape near disaster. Often times he was the only one to survive these things and his crew often lost their lives due to their own stupidity. “‘We left the island and resumed our journey in a state of gloom; and the heart was taken out of my men by the wearisome rowing. But was our own stupidity that had deprived us of the wind.’”(P127 L75-79) Odysseus shows how he is an extraordinary man by being much smarter than his crew and the men that follow him. As a part of this stripping of Odysseus, Homer shows that Odysseus is a collective symbol of Everyman. On the one hand Odysseus is a great warrior, who is extremely intelligent, noble, and a great man. Although he has many god- like qualities he is still human. He shows that he is human and like every man, because of the fact that he still has major flaws. The
Once they had arrive at the cyclops island they had found a cave where there was plenty of food like plenty of resources for them to rely on meanwhile they had notice that the cyclops was on the way to the cave and had put the big stone to seal the cave,while they were hiding the cyclops had eaten two of Odysseus men because they were intruders. As Odysseus had seen what happened the cyclops had saw them, he had ask what your name and Odysseus said my name is “no man” so as they had talked the Odysseus had offered him wine as a gift this type of wine was to get him drunk to the position where he would just fall asleep. So the Cyclops had gave them a gift too, that night would be the last were all
Would you feast on my companions? Puny, am I, in a Caveman’s hands? How do you like the beating that we gave you, you damned cannibal? Eater of guests under your roof! Zeus and the gods have paid you!” (The Odyssey) The Odyssey is an epic poem. Throughout the book, Homer uses epic simile to continue the story. “Then he dismembered them and made his meal, / gaping and crunching like a mountain lion- / everything; innards, flesh, and marrow bones. (The Odyssey) Odysseus fought in the Trojan War and it had took him 10 years to get back to Ithaca. He has fought Cyclopes, listen to the Sirens, and have encounter nymphs. Odysseus seems like the least qualified person to be similar to a person in real life with his unnatural qualities. Believe it or not, Odysseus couldn’t be more similar to us. Odysseus has strong pride with what he does. “You are free to make any decision you wish. But you are not free from the consequences of that decision.” Odysseus was trapped inside of Polyphemus’ cave and needed a way to escape. While staying there for a few days, him and his men had decided to hit the cyclop in the eye with a spike and clinging to the belly of a ram. Successful as this was, Odysseus took much pride in what he did and had to pay the price. Poseidon, Polyphemus’ father, roared the seas and it crashed onto Odysseus’ ships. This is related to real life because pridefulness is a trait that many can have. Karma pays the price to those who cannot control
Years ago, a long time before somebody wrote the song, I read a story about a boy who had caused his parents a lot of heartache. He had done just about everything possible to bring grief to the hearts of his mother and his father. Finally, he left home and moved from one place to another until he was a great distance from home. For several years he lived a rebellious and low life.