More handpicked essays just for you.
Men and women in greek society
Greek ideal of masculine behavior the Odyssey
Greek myth stories male dominance
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the Telemachy, the effects of Odysseus' (Noun used as a subject) absence on his polis are his powers(Direct object) and ability to do things, it is gone without him, there isn't someone there to take action and make key decisions. Therefore, his nostos is necessary because the people need a leader more then ever. Odysseus is gone because of war and now he is having a tough time coming back causing people to worry and the people in his polis need him. "But my heart is torn for skillful Odysseus, ill-fated man, who has had to suffer such misfortune for so many years, a long way from friends." (Homer 1.50-54) People are worried and feel bad for Odysseus since he has been gone for so long. When Odysseus is gone people start to think and believe that he will not return because he is dead. …show more content…
Odysseus's wife still believes that Odysseus will have a glorious nostos despite what people are telling her. Having someone missing from the family is tough, especially when they are as powerful and play as big of a role as he does. "He could lay his hands upon these shameless suitors." (Homer 1.201-202) The family doesn't have enough power to put the suitors in their place, only Odysseus can do this laborious task. Without Odysseus there are task that need to be done but only he can accomplish these task because of how powerful he
Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus’ power was gained through the power of others resulting in three phases of understanding: self-determination, courage, and having a greater vision in life. In order to understand these three phases, one must be able to conquer predominance from those less useful than others. Although Odysseus was physically strong, he was not who he was mentally, without the help and guidance through the gods. Odysseus was like one who has no friends, but when he meets up with more people, he becomes popular. One who was alone and meets new people, has more friends and finds out more interesting subjects about daily life. They are the ones who have more predominance than others because they know more people and have much more interesting subjects. Odysseus was like this because he didn’t know much without the help and guidance from others.
At some point in their life, many people experience feelings of inadequacy or uncertainty. In “The Odyssey” by Homer, one of the main characters Telemachus experiences both of these feelings. He feels that he is not good enough, especially compared to his father, Odysseus, who many people refer to as a great leader. In the beginning of “The Odyssey”, Telemachus’ home has been taken over by suitors, each with the goal of winning over his mother, in hopes to marry her and become king. Telemachus is not fond of these men in his home, but does not have the confidence to get rid of them. Lastly, at this point in the story, Odysseus, Telemachus’ father, has been gone for approximately twenty years, most of Telemachus’ life. Telemachus has been
“Our life’s journey of self-discovery is not a straight-line rise from one level of consciousness to another. Instead, it is a series of steep climbs, and flat plateaus, then further climbs. Even though we all approach the journey from different directions, certain of the journey’s characteristics are common for all of us.” Author Stuart Wilde’s impression of journeys and their shared commonalities supports the claim that all journeys have a motive and an outcome. In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus sets off to defeat Troy, leaving his wife and child behind. After accomplishing his goal, Odysseus faces many problems while trying to return him and his crew back home to Ithaca. Similar to Odysseus’s physical journey, the goal in
Odysseus faced many challenges and monsters along the way but one of the biggest challenges was when he returned home to his wife Penelope. She was testing Odysseus because he did not believe it was home that really came back. Penelope challenged Odysseus with a bow and arrow . But she said that there was a “ … have sawn that trunk and dragged the frame away” ( Homer 615 ). This is important because of the fact that in The Odyssey the whole story is based on the fact that. Odysseus is coming back home but since his wife does not believe it is him it has to prove to his wife that he came back .
After his near decade captivity and escape from Calypso, Odysseus faces many challenges in his attempt to return to Ithaca. Arguably, being held captive so long may have been a shameful period, although being a sex slave for a beautiful goddess wasn’t the worst thing imaginable. With the lack of help from and trust in the gods, Odysseus had heavy weight on his shoulders that would decide whether his fate would be shameful or honorable. A quote from Zeus emphasized this, “Odysseus shall come back by the convoy neither of the gods nor of mortal people, but he shall sail on a jointed raft and, suffering hardships, on the twentieth day make his landfall on fertile Scheria at the country of the Phaiakians who are near the gods in origin, and they will honor him in their hearts as a god, and send him back, by ship, to the beloved land of his fathers, bestowing bronze and hold in abundance upon him, and clothing, more than Odysseus could ever have taken away from Troy, even if he had escaped unharmed with his fair share of the plunder” (Odyssey 5, 30-40). The gods here place trust in the abilities of Odysseus, even though he would very much appreciate some help. Although Odysseus is mortal, he is comparable to immortal heroes due to his strength and leadership. A quality of his that is notable for a great leader was that he wouldn’t ask of his men something he wouldn’t do himself. At times though, he
When Odysseus is at the swineherd’s house he receives comforting news about his son, “‘‘ In the ranks of men he’ll match his father, / his own dear father- amazing in build and looks that boy! / off he’s gone to catch / some news of his father, down to holy Pylos ’’” (203-06). Odysseus feels somewhat hopeful that Telemachus might not have relinquished hope that his father is dead. Even though Odysseus has never met his son, he loves him enough to trust him with his plan to take back his kingdom. At the same time, Odysseus owes Telemachus a father and son relationship because Telemachus did not have a father figure while Odysseus was away. Furthermore, Odysseus wants his son to know he did not deliberately mean to neglect him while he was on his journey and will redeem himself by reclaiming his rightful throne and reuniting with his
For seven years, Odysseus is held captive by the goddess Calypso. The young goddess “desired me and detained me in her hall. But in my heart, I never gave consent” (Homer 372). This quote suggests that although Calypso may have believed she was loved by Odysseus, he never really cared for her. If Odysseus would have stayed faithful to his wife, Calypso would have killed him. Thus, he is able to protect himself by lying to her. Another point in the epic where Odysseus' dishonesty impacts his success is with the suitors. After arriving at his homeland, Odysseus disguises himself to protect himself from being harmed: “Odysseus enters his home as a beggar, and the suitors mock and abuse him” (Homer 402). When Odysseus appears to be a beggar, the suitors think nothing of him. They disrespect him, his family, and his home. Had they know Odysseus was back, they would have treated him much differently. Because of the way they acted towards him, it can be suggested that they would be willing to do anything to take control of his kingdom. He is then able to find out more about them and their motives without getting
Although some could possibly call Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey, a great leader, the fact that he fails to earn his men’s respect, endangers his men’s lives repeatedly and allows them to die due to his own selfishness states otherwise.
Before Telémakhos takes the journey in which he matures and learns how to take care of himself as well as his similarities with Odysseus, Telémakhos would not be able to help Odysseus with his plan to gain back his kingdom because never he would not have developed courage. During the journey Telémakhos takes part, the suitors become aware that Telémakhos is now a threat and decide they must do something. This is shown in the quote: “Meanwhile the suitors had got under way, planning the death plunge for Telémakhos.” (Od.4.896-897) This displays Telémakhos’ growth because it shows that he has changed from the beginning of the poem as a boy who would not stand up for himself to a man who is viewed as a threat. This is essential to Odysseus’ nostos because without Telémakhos becoming courageous he would not be able to fight the suitors with Odysseus. Telémakhos meets Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, in the swineherd’s shelter at first Odysseus keeps his disguise but after talking to Athena he shows Telémakhos his true appearance, Telémakhos and Odysseus become overjoyed with their reunion. Together Odysseus and Telémakhos make a plan to get rid of the suitors once and for all: “I must put all my mind to it, to see if we two by ourselves can take them on or if we should look round for help.” (Od.16.278-282) Odysseus does not know who they can
Throughout the last books of The Odyssey Homer tells us how Odysseus restores his relationships with his friends and relatives at Ithaca. Perhaps one of the most revealing of these restoration episodes is Odysseus' re-encounter with his son, Telemachus. This re-encounter serves three main purposes. First, it serves to portray Telemachus' likeness to his father in the virtues of prudence, humility, patience, and planning. Secondly, it is Odysseus' chance to teach his son to be as great a ruler as Odysseus himself is. Lastly, Homer uses this re-encounter to emphasize the importance of a family structure to a society. To be able to understand the impact that this meeting had on Odysseus it is necessary to see that Telemachus has grown since his first appearances in the poem and obviously since his last contact with his father; Odysseus left Telemachus as an infant now their relationship is a man to man relationship rather than a man to child relationship.
...y, Odysseus’ fate depends on his power and magnificence. In the last part of the piece, the hero conveyed: “Yet Fate, yet cruel Fate repose denies; / A labour long, and hard, remains behind; / By heaven above, by hell beneath enjoin’d: / For the tiresias through th’ eternal gates / Of hell I trode, to learn my future fates” (Homer, 1853, XXIII; 266-270). Odysseus expresses his strength and influence to bring back his kingdom. Despite all his circumstances in the hands of different gods and goddesses, Odysseus emphasizes his strength to conquer all his foes and win the battle against them. This also brings him home to his family and followers. This idea proves that Odysseus’ destiny lies within his own hands. He holds his fate—depending on his wit, strength, and dignity. He used these personalities throughout his journey, which brings him back to his wife and son.
The relationship between Odysseus and his wife Penelope is one of loyalty, love, and faith. Both characters are driven by these characteristics. Odysseus displays his loyalty in his constant battle to get home to his wife. This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. Odysseus spent 20 years trying to return to his home in Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. Along the way he manages to offend both gods and mortals, but through his intelligence, and the guidance of Athena, he manages to finally return home. There he discovers that his home has been overrun by suitors attempting to win Penelope’s hand in marriage. The suitors believed that Odysseus was dead. Odysseus and his son, Telemachus,
In the Odyssey, Telemachus, son of great hero Odysseus, who grows up in the world of greed and disrespect where the suitors take over his palace and court his mother, is one of the most significant character throughout the whole epic. His father, Odysseus, leaving the land Ithaca for 20 years, is the only warrior alive in Trojan war who hasn’t make his return home. During Telemachus’ expedition to search for the news of his father, he is under a process of maturation from the beginning in which he is mere a shadow of his father to the end in which he becomes more and more like him in terms of initiative, sensitivity and socialization.
If not for divine interference, neither Odysseus nor Telemachus would have journeys to make. The gods are first responsible for establishing the conditions under which the story begins. While the Greek soldiers had returned home from Troy, Odysseus remained trapped as “the brightest goddess, Calypso, held him in her hollow grottoes” because “she wanted him as a husband” (Homer, Odyssey 1.5, Translation by Allen Mandelbaum). Calypso traps Odysseus on her island of Ogygia and “keeps the sad Odysseus there—although he weeps. Her words are fond and fragrant, sweet and soft—so she would honey him to cast off his Ithaca” (1.7).
In The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men had beached their boat on the Cyclops’ island. They