Homer’s famous work, The Odyssey, is the epic tale of Odysseus’ decade-long journey to return home from the Trojan War. It was during the finale of the war, Battle of Troy, that Odysseus employed his celebrated Wooden Horse stratagem. His treacherous journey home is marked by catastrophe after catastrophe, but Homer uses these challenges to develop Odysseus’ character, to humble him and to give him knowledge. This essay will examine Odysseus’ identity and its progression throughout the book; the explanation of the metaphor of “home”; ancient Greek society; and the character development of Penelope, Telemachus and the Suitors.
Odysseus began his journey after the Battle of Troy and the conclusion of the Trojan War. The moment he and his fleet
He is also unlike the common man in that he is provided with forbidden knowledge, the most prominent illustration being his ability to enter the land of the dead, Hades (Book 11). Odysseus is not only allowed to enter, but also communicate with its inhabitants and he learns here that death is a “socially levelling experience”-even the greatest war heroes die. His men, however, are not as privileged, as they are not considered ‘worthy’ due to their impetuous nature and stupidity, which ultimately contributed to their demises. This is especially clear when Zeus kills all of the remaining of Odysseus’ men for slaughtering the sun god’s, Helios’, cattle, leaving only Odysseus alive. This further emphasizes that Odysseus was more than just a common man, but one of great privilege given to him by the
Throughout the tale, Telemachus continually grows into the role of a confident, clever and wise young man, striving to live up to his reputation as Odysseus’ son and Prince of Ithaca. His mother, and Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, is a symbol of marital fidelity, having waited for her husband’s return for twenty long years and refusing to succumb to the Suitors demands that she marry one of them, and instead employing trickery and subterfuge to evade their pressing stipulations. In stark contrast, the Suitors are very static characters, neither growing nor changing in character development throughout the tale. Both Telemachus and Penelope are dynamic characters because their characters grow, develop and change. Through the reading of this epic poem of Odysseus’ ten-year journey, we also gain a keen insight into ancient Greek society, and the social expectations one might encounter. The Greeks were very hospitable and very welcoming, even to foreign outsiders. There is also a great presence of both aristocracy and patriarchy in action appearing in this tale, both key aspects of ancient Greek
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.
A common theme amongst many books is the concept of “coming of age”, where a young man transforms his boyish insecurities and lack of courage into honorable and heroic undertakings. While the Odyssey is primarily focused on nostoi, the epic also tells the story of Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, journey to manhood. While his father is lost at sea, suitors seek the hand of his mother while squandering their family’s riches. At first Telemachus sulks in his unfavorable position and ceases to confront the situation. However, with the encouragement and direction given by the goddess Athena, Telemachus overcomes his immaturity.
What do gods, soldiers, and a one-eyed man all have in common? They are all in the Odyssey by Homer. In the Odyssey, Homer uses Odysseus’s journey to show how one’s journey can define them as a person. This essay will show, whomever may read this, how Odysseus is loyal, witty, and violent.
The quotation, “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose,” Bill Gates, an American business professional, philanthropist, investor, computer programmer, and inventor, demonstrates how one can be superior and strong, yet exemplify it in the wrong way. Odysseus can relate to this quotation when he reveals his name to the Cyclops, Polyphemus, not thinking about his outcome. He is a remarkable leader and he proves it throughout his expedition in the Odyssey. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Trojan War hero Odysseus displays heroic and sharp-witted actions throughout the tribulation and journey home. He undergoes the adversity of a ten year war and disregard from the exasperated gods due to his impetuous deportment.
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.
The King and Queen happily welcome Telemachos into their home as they can recognize his relationship to Odysseus by his clear physical resemblance to him. In the household of King Menelaus, Telemachos is told the account of Odysseus and the Trojan horse. Odysseus cunningly dressed himself as a beggar to infiltrate Troy and brought through the Trojan horse, actually full of warriors ready to attack within the city’s walls. Further, this story adds to the character development and description of Odysseus as it portrays his masterful success. While Telemachos is in Sparta, Odysseus starts his ‘nostos’ or journey home. In ancient Greece, when a man of Odysseus’ high character leaves for war or to complete a heroic act he is expected to return home and earn his ‘nostos,’ which is the Greek word to express the honorable and proud return back to one’s own
One must remember the love of their life even in dire circumstances. When Odysseus is held captive on Calypso’s Island, he does his best to remind himself of his wife, “But when day came he sat on the rocky shore / and broke his own heart groaning, / with eyes wet scanning the bare horizon of the sea” (292-96). This is one of the first instances where Odysseus can do nothing to resist Calypso, but still intends on returning to his faithful wife Penelope. In addition, even when Calypso offers Odysseus immortality, he declines because his true love is Penelope and a life surrounded by beauty would not change the love he has for his wife. Nevertheless, Odysseus adores his
I am a fourteen-year-old, 9th grader in high school. Every day, I come to school seeking individuality that helps form my identity, contemplating ways to improve as a person, searching for myself, and I feel as if this can easily relate to Odysseus' story in Homer's "The Odyssey." Odysseus is constantly traveling and searching for his identity. However, incidents that have occurred to Odysseus were out of his control are what shaped him. The men Odysseus traveled with also shaped his identity, therefore, I believe identity is effected by both yourself and society.
The reader first finds the character of Telemachus sitting among the suitors in his father’s palace. This seemingly unimportant detail yields information regarding his temperament. The suitors, whom Homer portrays as malicious usurpers, continue to take advantage of Telemachus’ hospitality. Instead of defending his home, his mother, and his belongings from these men, Telemachus numbers among them. This lack of assertiveness displays his frailty and his helplessness given the overwhelming circumstances. At this point, Athena, disguised as Odysseus’ old friend Mentes, visits Telemachus in order to “inspire his heart with courage” (I.105). The two share a meal and engage in a lengthy conversation. The goddess discusses how Telemachus should handle the troublesome suitors and suggests a journey to try to ascertain the whereabouts of Odysseus. The conversation appears to immediately galvanize the young man’s resolve. In fact, immediately after her departure, he summons the courage to confront the suitors, demanding that they are to leave his house at once. The assertiveness that Telemachus displays in this instance is a dramatic departure from ...
By the time Odysseus leaves Troy after the war, twenty years have passed, and his infant son is now a young man. As doubts about Odysseus’ fate begin to grow, suitors begin to swarm the palace, and impose themselves upon the Queen’s hospitality in an effort to undermine her finances and persuade her to marry one of them sooner rather than later, so that one of the might be King. While Penelope stalls for time, hoping for word of her husband’s survival, Telemachus struggles with his responsibilities as head of the household. Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, advised the young man to sail to Pylos and Sparta, in an effort to bring back word of his father’s fate. If Odysseus was dead, Telemachus was to build him a burial mound, and let his mother find a new husband. Still, Athena urged him to drive off the mob that was, quite literally, eating him out of house and home. (book 1,85) So with this newfound courage, Telemachus summoned the Ithacan assembly, and gave the suitors formal notice to leave his palace, demanding to feast elsewhere, or in each other's homes. He also exposed their main insults: how they wasted the palace's wealth in great parties, enjoying a life free of charge, and how they pestered Penelope with unwanted attention. The Assembly, however, would not be so easily swayed against their relatives, and thought it would be easier to simply look the other way. Telemachus vowed to bring back
Coming home after a prolonged stay anywhere is difficult for anyone. Life has a funny way of moving on regardless of our presence. Reestablishing ourselves in people lives that we care about is the most difficult. I believe that because of this Odysseus’ hardest struggle was finding his place back into the society and family that he left behind. Reuniting with his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus was a challenge far more fearful than the ones he encountered. When Odysseus was reunited with Telemachus, Telemachus was in utter disbelief as to his father’s identity even after seeing his transformation from a beggar to his actual form (16.215-220). With his wife Penelope, Odysseus was faced with the challenge of having strangers ransack his
It took Odysseus ten years to return home after the war in Troy was over in Homer’s The Odyssey. His own decisions caused him to be delayed in his journey home. Odysseus messed up in three major ways: by not telling his men about the sack of wind, not watching his men on Helios’s island, and taunting polyphemus as he was escaping.
Reality is very comparable to the Odyssey in multiple ways. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus faced trials that tested his character and that challenged him. When Odysseus was in the cave of the cyclops, Polyphemus, he was trapped and had to find a clever way to escape. On his way home to Ithaca Odysseus stopped on an island where Helios’ cattle graze. He and his men there would be consequences if they ate any of the cattle. Odysseus was hungry but he did not eat the cattle, his men did not have as much self-control. Sometimes life gives us temptations that might be hard to resist even though we know there are consequences and sometimes there are times where our brains might need to be used to get out of a sticky situation.
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
“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.