The monomyth was created in 1949 by Joseph Campbell as an archetype for storytelling. The monomyth is a series of stages that a hero experiences through the majority of fictional novels and movies. The monomyth is also referred to as the hero’s journey. The Odyssey by Homer, is an accurate example of a story that follows the monomyth. The Odyssey is an epic poem about Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaca after defeating Troy in the Trojan War. Odysseus is the hero, and experiences all the stages outlined in the monomyth. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time also follows the monomyth. It is the story of Christopher Boone as he tries to find the murderer of a dog in his neighborhood. Christopher follows the hero’s journey …show more content…
This is where the Hero faces their biggest fears and reaches their darkest point. In The Odyssey this is when Odysseus has to travel to the underworld, to talk to Theban Tiresias, who is the only one who can tell him how he can get home. “Then out of Erebus the souls of the dead gathered” (11.87). Odysseus faced his biggest fear here, which is death. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Christopher is leaving his home where he lived with his dad, to go find his mom in London. Christopher had to go into the train station, which contained some of his biggest fears. “And it was like standing on a cliff in a really strong wind because it made me feel giddy and sick because there were lots of people walking into and out of the tunnel and it was really echoey and there was only one way into and out of the tunnel, and it smelled of toilets and cigarettes” (Haddon 145). The belly of the whale for Odysseus and Christopher, were very different and also very similar. Death seems like a much bigger deal than going into a train station for most of us, but they both faced their biggest fears, and entered their darkest places. They both experienced things which were dark, scary, and very uncomfortable for them. This is what defines the belly of the
“The Odyssey” is an epic written by Homer between 750 and 650 B.C. It is the tale of the main hero’s, Odysseus’s, journey home to Ithaca from Troy. It takes place after the Trojan War and is the sequel to “The Iliad.” Odysseus and his men set sail from Troy and come across the lair of the lotus eaters. After escaping, they run into the cyclops,
The monomyth, or Hero’s Journey, is an outline or pattern of events that a hero may follow in a story or movie. This so called pattern takes place in two locations: the ordinary world and the supernatural world. Joseph Campbell was the first person to notice this outline and actually research it. Osmosis Jones is just one example of a movie which follows the monomyth. This movie also serves as a great lesson of perseverance because even throughout the trials and tribulations, Jones never gives up and in the end is rewarded.
The recklessness of Odysseus and his crew places them in completely avoidable predicaments that not only lengthens the journey but also results in casualties. At the start of their journey home, they sack a stronghold of the Cicones.
During the course of this World Literature class, several stories have been covered that accurately describe Joseph Campbell's mono-myth, or basic pattern found in narratives from every corner of the world. The Hero's Journey in it's entirety has seventeen stages or steps, but if boiled down can be described in three; the departure, the initiation, and the return (Monomyth Cycle). Each stage has several steps, but the cycle describes the hero starting in his initial state, encountering something to change him, and this his return as a changed person. To further explain this concept, there are a few stories covered in this class that can be used.
The ancient Greeks have brought upon numerous ideas, inventions, and stories to the world. Greek mythology influences modern day literature and life. The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer, which tells the story of Odysseus's journey home after the Trojan War. Odysseus does not achieve his goal of reaching home so easily; monsters and gods come in his way and hinder him. The Odyssey expresses Greek values of hospitality from the customs of Ithaca, humility from Odysseus’s reform, and loyalty from Odysseus’s family.
"Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it was first composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so is because of the hero, Odysseus.
Odysseus orders his men to tie him up to the mast of the ship, so he can be the only one getting tortured by the Sirens’ song. Circe foretells that Odysseus and his men will die, in an effort to sacrifice himself for the crew, he tells his crew to tie him up. This daring moves is another reason why he is parted from the other characters, as a hero.
Author Ursula K. LeGuin once said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” The Odyssey is an epic poem told by Homer that is about a hero named Odysseus who faces many challenges on his journey home from the Trojan War. Even though Odysseus is a smart and strategic man, he still has many lessons to learn on his journey.
The epic poem called The Odyssey, which was written by the poet Homer, is one of the many classical stories from Ancient Greek culture. It tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his journey back home from the war with Troy, which had occurred in Homer’s other epic Greek poem, The Illiad. Odysseus faces many trials and quests in his journey home and to take back his kingdom from the suitors, such as meeting the witch Circe, blinding a Cyclops named Polyphemus, dealing with Poseidon, and staying with the goddess Calypso. The poem has many themes that are relevant to it. One such theme is the factor of redemption. Redemption is usually a typical subject in any kind of religion, like the Greek religion and Christian religion. The story of Odysseus has an underlying message of him receiving redemption from the Greek gods. The Odyssey is a tale of redemption because it deals with Odysseus being forgiven by the gods after having to go through many trials and wrongs to rightfully claim back his wife and the throne of Ithaca.
Odysseus was an epic hero depicted in the Homer's The Odyssey. He responded to the call to travel to Troy to help Agamemnon get Helen. He encountered great confrontation along the way. He fought the Cicones, the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, the witch goddess Circe, the lonely Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the Sun, and Calypso. He and his men traveled great distances under severe circumstances. Odysseus answers a second call to return home to his family. He returns a more mature warrior and a wiser man. Because of this he is able to conquer the suitors and reclaim his palace and his family. As in all Greek literature, the epic hero Odysseus answers a call to action, suffers through great confrontation, and returns with a better understanding of life.
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.
In particular, this happens in The Epic of Gilgamesh when Enkidu dies and Gilgamesh says, “I have wept for him day and night. I would not give up his body for burial, I thought my friend would come back because of my weeping” (Gilgamesh 93). This reflects the stage of the magic flight and refusal because Gilgamesh might not want to return to his ordinary word and will go through another adventure just to return to the known place. Gilgamesh doesn’t want to let go of Enkidu and is afraid to die so he continues on his journey to find everlasting life. After the refusal and magic flight the hero will receive a rescue from without. This is shown in The Iliad when Priam, Hector’s father, goes to speak to Achilles and convinced him to give him his son and says, “Pity me in my own right, remember your own father” (Homer, 107). This stage shows the hero facing a new challenge and Priam represent as the powerful guide who brings the hero, Achilles back to the everyday life. The final step of Campbell’s monomyth of the return is crossing the threshold and master of two worlds. As mentioned in The Odyssey, Odysseus returns to Penelope and was able to gain her trust back, “Now from his breast into his eyes the ache of longing mounted, and he wept at last, his dear wife, clear and faithful, in his arms… and so she too rejoiced, her gaze upon her husband, her white arms round him pressed as though forever…” (The Odyssey 122). This stage points out the hero’s return to the known which is living with his wife happily, the rest of his life. He is able to understand the two worlds since he has experienced many trials throughout his journey which was unknown. The hero has been transformed to a wiser man who can overcome obstacles much quicker than usual due to his
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
On his journey home, Odysseus encounters many mythical beings. For example, they meet Polyphemus, a Cyclops who eats a few of Odysseus’ men and happens to be the son of Poseidon. Another fearsome creature they face was Scylla, a six-headed sea monster they had to sail past in order to continue on their journey home. Odysseus faced many dangers, which almost lead him to his death on many occasions. Death was quite common on the journey back to Ithaca.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.