In Ancient Greek culture Kleos, or glory, was one of, if not, the most important life goal for a Greek citizen. The reason it was so important is that Kleos would, with enough of it, secure you a spot in one of the three rings of Elysium; the more kleos you had the farther into the three rings you got, and the better your after life ended up being. To the Ancient Greeks making it to the center, or third ring, was the holy grail of life. To put it into perspective making it to the third ring was today's equivalent of being superman and saving the world several times over. Unfortunately, Greek heros can and often do dig holes for themselves by not recognizing that a god has helped them along in getting more Kleos. In this article three …show more content…
different instances of Kleos will be presented with their significance explained, as well as how some of these have created conflict that Odysseus must overcome. The first example that will be discussed isn't actually in the Odyssey.
The cases being referred to is when Odysseus decides he doesn't need the gods to get back home at the end of the Iliad. The resulting consequence is that Odysseus is sent, by Poseidon, to Calypso’s island, Ogygia, for 7 years.
The importance of this example is showing that Odysseus lost sight of what was the most important thing in the Greeks’ eyes; the gods. As a result of Odysseus’ actions the whole conflict of the Odyssey is thus created through the simple action of not making a sacrifice to the gods for safe travel home. So while this may not be one of Odysseus’ shining moments of glory it is important for showing that the search for more Kleos may result in terrible or unwanted outcomes.
The next instance that will be discussed will be when Odysseus tells his story to the Phaeacians in exchange for a ride back to his homeland, Ithaca. This happens at the beginning of book 9 when Odysseus begins his tale. The significance of this example is that it shows that Odysseus is willing to lie in order to get more Kleos among the mortal population. For instance, Odysseus leaves out that a sea nymph gifted him a scarf that would grant him invulnerability while he wears it to escape the wrath of Poseidon after leaving Calypso's’
island. I choose this to show significance in that rather than maybe gaining Kleos by telling the truth to appear more humble, Odysseus would rather show himself as more impressive and gain Kleos that way. Another reason this citation was included was because Odysseus is doing exactly what got him in trouble with Poseidon in the first place. What I mean by this is that Odysseus is not paying proper homage to the gods by cutting out the parts where they help him out of his story to the Phaeacians.
He tells Pallas Athena, first, that he is from Crete, had killed a man there, and had gotten a ride with some Phoenicians to Ithaca. He tells Eumaios that he grew up in Crete, went to Troy for the Trojan War, returned to Crete afterward and traveled to raid Egypt, where he was captured by Egyptians. Odysseus (as the beggar) says that he grew wealthy in Egypt, but was taken in by a man who meant to sell him as a slave. He tells that he escaped, and found refuge in Thesprotia. Then on his way back home to Crete, people tried to make him a slave again, he escaped again (although in a different fashion), and he ended up in Ithaca. Except for the fact that it’s the story of a hard life, this bears absolutely no relation to the actual story of Odysseus. He tells everyone (or lets them believe) nearly the same tale to everyone else that he meets in Ithaca before he kills the suitors. There are a few noticeable differences that we will get to, but one must be consistent in one’s lies, after all, in enemy-held territory. After killing the suitors, he tells Laertes a completely different lie, mostly centering around him (Odysseus as the stranger) having seen Odysseus alive after the Trojan War.
Every day people make decisions. Some are more important than others, but all decisions have consequences, no matter how small. The decisions that you make, and the decisions others make could affect your life. They may have positive effects, but they may also have negatives effects like in The Odyssey by Homer. In general, Odysseus and his men made some decisions that lead to some very negative effects.
In The Odyssey, Homer conveys a mixed message about Odysseus’s crew. At times, they seem loyal, whereas other scenes reveal them as disloyal. Homer does this to help center the attention on how Odysseus can fall victim to temptation and stand up to take control of his crew. The critical moments where Odysseus and his crew are in disagreement are significant because they demonstrate how Odysseus is epic, yet still human and flawed.
This shows that Odysseus’ self-serving nature extends beyond material greed into the equally sinful realm of pride. In a classic display of hubris, Odysseus taunts the Cyclopes fulfilling the sole purpose of stroking Odysseus’s ego. At first it appears that our hero is lacking foresight, but Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name in hopes that tales of his cunning will spread throughout Greece: a very selfish goal, directly resulting in the endangerment of the lives of both him and his men throughout the remainder of their travels.
This was a major step in the hero’s journey because it helped Odysseus discover and meet new friends, mentors, enemies, challenges, skills and new knowledge. This self-knowledge began with Odysseus not having any friends who trust him whatsoever. The main reason to do so is, in book nine, Odysseus doesn’t make any new friends considering the fact that he has a problem with letting his hubris get into the way of letting him believe someone is actually good enough to be friends with him. Here, it is clearly articulated that he was too boastful for him depend on anyone. This is major because not only does he avoid dependence, but he also avoids trust put on him. If he is too selfish, no one will believe his word, as they will think it’s all for himself and not any for them. The part of the epic which identifies this is when Odysseus gives specific instructions to his crew to not open the bag which was given by Aeolus. Only Odysseus knew that the bag contained powerful winds which could help them reach Ithaca, but this is hidden from the crew. They had already identified Odysseus as selfish, so they expected the bag to be full of treasure, and how mankind is, they wanted some too. To the readers’ surprise, this all changes the minute he enters Ithaca. He is welcomed by his dog, Argos, and was helped a kind shepherd who filled in Odysseus
These few instances of revenge: Orestes’ revenge on Aegisthus, Zeus’ revenge on Odysseus and his men, and Poseidon’s revenge on Odysseus in The Odyssey, lay the background for Odysseus’ story of struggle in his journey home from Troy. Revenge proves to be the main reason not only as to why Odysseus cannot return home, but also as a means of proving the importance of the gods’ role in the epic journey. Without these occurrences of the gods getting revenge on Odysseus and other mortals, there would be no passionate tales of the perseverance that Odysseus had in achieving his goal: getting home to Ithaca.
Temptations of Odysseus Odysseus: a hero in every way. He is a real man, skilled in the sports, handy with a sword and spear, and a master of war strategy. Most of the challenges and adventures in his return voyage from Troy show us this even if we had no idea of his great heroic stature and accomplishments in the Trojan war. I found in my reading of the Odyssey that most of the trials the gods place upon him are readily faced with heroic means. These challenges are not necessarily welcomed by Odysseus but accepted as part of his role.
The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus’s journey home to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. This voyage took nearly 20 years because of the many places Odysseus went to and the trouble he experienced at sea. A large part of the many circumstances that lengthened Odysseus’s journey were caused by the gods. Whether it was Poseidon, Calypso, Circe, Zeus or Athena; a divine creature controlled Odysseus’s journey. Zeus sent Odysseus and his men “hard fate” and “laid sorrows upon” (106). Odysseus’s will was to get home to his family however; these sorrows and the fate from the gods controlled his will and left him little power with what he wanted to do. After Odysseus encountered the Ciconians, men from the island attacked his ship and this slowed his return home. They fought from dawn until “the sun began to change course” (106). This fight caused by Zeus is like when one is trying desperately to leave somewhere to go home but the person he is visiting keeps asking questions or starting new conversations. Every minute the person spends talking; he gets home one minute later. This is similar to Odysseus because he wanted to get home...
In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, gods play a very important role to the plot of the story. They are the one deciding if someone can survive or not according to the sacrifice that the person made for them. In the book 1, Athena said to Zeus her father, “Didn’t Odysseus please you with sacrifices beside the Greek ships at Troy?” (Homer 65, book1). In this part Athena was trying to plead with her father Zeus in favor of Odysseus because she wants to help him to go home, while others are trying to provoke his death. This love that Athena has for Odysseus and his family is revealed throughout Homer’s epic. Although Athena supported Odysseus throughout his voyage, other gods including Poseidon, Calypso, and Circe made it difficult for Odysseus to return home, such in our real life, some people will make your life hard, but you have a good faith as Odysseus, you should always find your way out. Our God is omnipr...
middle of paper ... ... In Homer’s Odyssey, both Odysseus and his son Telemachus embark on long, difficult journeys; Odysseus trying to return from Troy to his home in Ithaca, escaping Calypso and the island of Ogygia, and Telemachus from Ithaca to Pylos and Sparta in search of his lost father. While The Odyssey tells of the courage both men demonstrate during their respective travels, their quests are the results of the intentions and desires of gods. Odysseus is trapped in exile on Ogygia by the will of Poseidon, whose anger Odysseus attracts when he blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, and by the love of Calypso, who wishes to make Odysseus her husband.
There have been speculations against The Odyssey as a quest because of Odysseus' willingness to be delayed. Yet, there is plenty of evidence proving that Odysseus' struggle is a true quest, as is reflected in is his role on the island of Calypso. In book five, "Homer" uses words like "imprisonment" and "misfortune" to describe Odysseus' time on the island of Calypso. Not to mention the fact that when Odysseus was finally released, he delivers a speech to Calypso in which he acknowledges her beauty but states, "Nevertheless I long to reach my home and see the day of my return. It is my never-failing wish" (Book IV l. 216-221), confirming that the deterrents of Odysseus are not of his own choosing.
Returning to the quotation “… the great leveler, Death: not even the gods/ can defend a man, not even one they love, that day/ when fate takes hold and lays him out at last’” (Homer 3.269-271). Death is a power that surpasses the gods. In The Odyssey we are introduced to gods who control the water, the wind, and the decisions of men. They can bring peace and war, but the one thing they cannot do is prevent a mortal’s fated death. This alone shows how central death is to The Odyssey. The power that death holds rivals no others in this story, there is “… no escape from death” (Homer 12.483). Death is a constant threat for Odysseus throughout this story, and the future foretold for Odysseus by Tiresias is not one of his life being a good one but of “…your own death will steal upon you…/ a gentle, painless death, far from the sea it comes to take you down…” (Homer 11.153-154). His fortune ends not with his happy life, but with his eventual death. This scene is crucial because it draws the reader back not to the life that Odysseus will have once he has successfully returned home and killed the suitors but the death that he will experience. It draws it back to when and where Odysseus will die and take his place among the
Given that Odysseus was away from Ithaca for 20 years, it is significant that nearly half of his time away was spent engaging in extramarital affairs. His infidelity is highly problematic and questionable when viewed in light of his supposed longing to return to Ithaca and Penelope. Most notably in Book 5 (5.129-247), he is overwhelmed with grief over his inability to leave Calypso’s island, and yet expresses no remorse over his extramarital affair with Calypso. This essay will thus consider if the contradiction between Odysseus’ infidelity and his intense longing for home can be reconciled.
Athena had advised Odysseus that the best way to become reintroduced into his home, would be to first see what had changed. However the only way for him to do this would be to do it as a beggar. When Odysseus finally returned to Ithaca, Athena had him disguise himself at first to see what has changed in the 20 years he had been gone. He spoke with the shepherd Eumaeus about all the
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The