I. Preliminary Information
A. The name of the book I read is The Odyssey Translated by W.H.D. Rouse.
B. The author of the book is Homer.
C. The name of the book's publisher is New American Library. The novel was published in New York City.
D. This book was published in August 1999. The original year is not known.
E. The edition of this book is Signet Classic.
F. The book's translator is W.H.D. Rouse.
G. This novel has 271 pages.
H. This book is a work of non-fiction.
II. Book's Contents
A. Fiction
B. Non-fiction
1. The general topic of the book is Odysseus trying to get home and people mourning over his absence for twenty years. No one in Ithaca has seen or heard from him. His wife, Penelopeia, and his son, Telemachos, are worried. Since it has been so long, every man in the city is now wooing Penelopeia.
2. The main characters in the novel, The Odyssey, are Odysseus, a man who left his home and family to go fight in Troy and never returned home for twenty years, because of a series of misfortunes. Telemachos, Odysseus's son, who finally, after twenty years, decided to sail the sea in search of anyone who may know anything about his father. Also, there is Penelopeia, Odysseus's wife, who has been waiting for him all this time. Her heart is full of pain and sorrow and all of the men are wooing her for her hand in marriage. There are also several kings who play a part in this novel. They are King Nestor, King Alcinoos, and King Menelaos. Lastly, one of the minor, but still important characters is the swineherd, whom let Odysseus stay in his home when he returned from his long and tiring journey.
3. The chief place in which the novel's actions occur is in Ithaca. Some other places in which actions take place are the Island of Aeaea, Island of the Sirens, and the Island of Helios.
The film O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a reinterpretation of the epic poem The Odyssey. The Coen brothers, writers and directors of the film, did not over analyze their representation. “It just sort of occurred to us after we’d gotten into it somewhat that it was a story about someone going home, and sort of episodic in nature, and it kind of evolved into that,” says Joel Coen in Blood Siblings, “It’s very loosely and very sort of unseriously based on The Odyssey” (Woods 32). O Brother, Where Art Thou? contains ideas from The Odyssey for the sake of modernization and entertainment of an audience that comprehends the allusions to the epic. The Coen brothers utilize elements of Homer’s The Odyssey to improve and to give direction to O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a reinterpretation which was made simply to show that an epic-adventure such as The Odyssey could be modernized to apply to modern times.
this, for once the suitors are gone Odysseus is free to reclaim is post in
her life, and all the tears she will cry. It is also said that the
B. Separated from her husband in their prime years, and hardened from the frauds of men, Penelope, unlike her son, does not welcome Odysseus back with open arms. She refuses to acknowledge him as her Lord until she tests his knowledge of their secret sign. Uncertain whether he is true, she tries him by ordering to her maid to make up a bed for him and move it back to the bedchamber Odysseus had built with his own hands, therefore stating that she had moved their pact and pledge, even though it was mortally impossible. At this, Odysseus, stung and outraged at his wife for moving his handicraft and their secret sign, describes their special bed, an old trunk of an olive tree as a pillar for the building plot, a stump he carved and used as their bedpost, inlaid them all with silver, gold and ivory, and the stretched bed in between, which was a pliant web of oxide thong dyed crimson. Penelope runs to him, throwing her arms around his neck, kisses him, and immediately apologizes for her mistrust and suspicion, and promises that her heart is his. Through this, she rejoices her husband’s return, and that she no longer had to arm herself from suitors who seek to replace her husband, whom she faithfully waited for. She was finally reunited with her husband, and could love again.
The narrative epic, ‘The Odyssey’ composed by Homer between 750 and 650 BC recounts the nostos or homeward voyage of Odysseus If I were you, I should take steps to make these men disperse. Listen, now, and attend to what I say: at daybreak call the islanders to assembly, and speak your will, and call the gods to witness: the suitors must go scattering to their homes. Then here’s a course for you, if you agree: get a sound craft afloat with twenty oars and go abroad for news of your lost father— perhaps a traveller’s tale, or rumored fame issued from Zeus abroad in the world of men. Talk to that noble sage at Pylos, Nestor, then go to Menelálos, the red-haired king 330 at Sparta, last man home of all the Akhaians. If you should learn your father is alive and coming home, you could hold out a year.
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.
The Odyssey is a Greek word meaning 'the tale of Odysseus.'; Odysseus, the King of Ithaca; husband of Penelope; father of Telemachus; and son of Laertes was not able to return home after the war he was once in: the Trojan War. Stuck on an island, he is presumed dead. In his absence, suitors for his wife ruin his house with lavish feasts. This epic poem, by Homer, describes how Odysseus, with the help of the gods, gets home and regains his kingship. Justice is always harsh in the Odyssey; there is either no justice or a lot of it; the punishment however, is always severe. Justice in the Odyssey plays out among these characters: Odysseus and his crew, the suitors, Poseidon, Aeolus, Hyperion, Agamemnon, Aegisthus, Melanthius, Melantho, Telemachus, and Polyphemus. Each one of these characters does something wrong and receives a harsh punishment. In the Odyssey, justice, when done, always allots a large punishment, never a small one. Aegisthus courted Agamemnon's wife and then killed him. The justice of the Gods is a swift and powerful one. However, Aegisthus had been warned: 'we ourselves had sent Hermes, the keen-eyed Giant-slayer, to warn him neither to kill the man nor to court his wife'; (pg. 4). Aegisthus ignored the warning, killing Agamemnon and courting his wife. Orestes, Agamemnon's son, killed Aegisthus to avenge his father's death. The gods saw this as swift, fair, and powerful justice: 'And now Aegisthus has paid the final price for all his sins'; (pg.
Homer’s poem The Odyssey depicts the tendency of people to ignore the consequences of their actions. Odysseus punished Penelope’s suitors without thinking of consequences that he would have to endure. He did not acknowledge the consequences because that would prevent him from doing what he wants to do. Odysseus wanted to kill the suitors; they ate away at his fortune. Finding consequences for murdering the suitors would force Odysseus to realize what he is about to do is not a good idea. Odysseus chose to ignore the consequences and killed the suitors anyway. Odysseus had absolutely no reason to kill the suitors; they had the right to stay in his home because Penelope made them feel welcome, Penelope and Telemachus both told them that Odysseus was dead, and although Telemachus told them to leave, he did not have the right to do so.
Odysseus is hailed as one of Greece's greatest heroes for his strength. However, is it merely his brawn that he is hailed for, or is there something else? Although many often dismiss things such as intellect, courage, loyalty and determination, all of which are traits that Odysseus possesses, as being strength. Being strong in these aspects can be equally, if not more, beneficial than simply physical strength, as Odysseus has proven by overcoming sea monsters, traveling through the underworld, and so much more on his journey back to his homeland of Ithaca. Homer’s Odyssey demonstrates that strength can be much more than purely physical strength by creating characters that display mental, emotional, and other forms of strength throughout the entirety of the poem.
In Homer’s prominent epic, The Odyssey, A male protagonist gifted with immense physical strength and power named Odyssey is traveling back home to Ithaca. Over the course of his 10 year journey across vast and treacherous waters, his physical attributes are not enough to help him reach home. He faces many obstacles that he must overcome. The most important obstacle is temptation. His journey home is full of temptation and will challenge his physical and mental capabilities that he must learn to control, and overcome, so that he can find his way back home.
Two of the most influential books of ancient Roman and Grecian culture are the Odyssey and the Aeneid. The Odyssey is centered on the Greek hero Odysseus. It portrays Odysseus’ journey back home and the endeavors he has to go through. The Aeneid depicts the Roman hero Aeneas as he is sent on a journey to start the great Roman Empire. The books both have many similarities between them especially due to the fact that Virgil, the author of the Aeneid, was heavily influenced by Homer’s Odyssey. But like with any good story they are both unique in their own way. One of the major differences is in the setting. Some of the differences are in the choices that they make while some of the differences are even in the characters themselves. But the parts of the stories that have influenced much of modern day literature are the instances where the protagonists have to make a visit to the underworld. Virgil and Homer wanted to emphasize the underworld so much that they each dedicated an entire chapter in their epics to the underworld. But each underworld is blatantly different thus giving each hero a distinctly different journey to the underworld. Three of the main differences in their underworld journeys are their purpose for being there, visuals in the underworld, and the underworld itself.
Hu•bris /ˈ(h)yo͞obris/ noun: excessive pride or self-confidence. Hubris is believed to be the most serious of all seven deadly sins. Some say it was the original sin that led to all others. A word with such loathsome synonyms like arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, pomposity, and egotism was seen as one of the worst possible sins in Greek culture. They believed that no matter your social status those who exhibited it were destined to fall down into damnation. Yet some Grecian heroes seemed to ooze hubris in the form of confidence or cockiness. There was a fine line between the two that they should never cross. One hero in particular showed this sin on more than one account. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus, shows the sinful trait of hubris, in the form of cockiness when he talks to Polythemus, his crewmen, his wife, and his son.
In book eight of Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is on the island of the Phaeacians and is waiting to return home to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Alcinous, the Phaeacian king, has arranged for a feast and celebration of games in honor of Odysseus, who has not yet revealed his true identity. During the feast, a blind bard named Demodocus sings about the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at Troy. The song causes Odysseus to start weeping, so Alcinous ends the feast and orders the games to begin. During dinner after the games, Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing about the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy. This song too causes Odysseus to break down and cry. Homer uses a dramatic simile to describe the pain and sorrow that Odysseus feels as he recalls the story of Troy.
Homer's great literary classic, The Odyssey, represents and illustrates many emotional and mental values. All of these values can be classified under three different main themes that are constant throughout the epic tale. These themes are: A boy's struggle to be a man, a king's struggle to reclaim his kingdom, and a man's struggle to return home. As one reads this book it will become more and more evident to them that a man's struggle to get home is the most important theme throughout Homer's adventure.
Since the beginning of human civilization, women have often occupied inferior roles in society while the dominant role has been played by men. In Homer’s The Odyssey gender roles in Greek society are emphasized showing how men controlled society while women were undervalued and constantly disrespected. Although it may be argued that Homer poses some rather feminist views, it is evident by several elements that The Odyssey is a misogynistic text. First, women in the Odyssey were continually oppressed by men never having true free will. In addition, Women were depicted as symbols of lust, seduction, and evil who bring destruction to men, undermining the true values of women. Furthermore, Women were expected to remain loyal to men while men have no expectation for themselves which promoted gender inequality. Exemplified by these three elements, it is evident that The Odyssey is a misogynistic text depicting a society where women occupy subservient and inferior positions.