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Literary analysis of homer the odyssey
Symbolism of Homer the Odyssey
Literary analysis of homer the odyssey
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Each and every epithet in the Odyssey by Homer holds some kind of power and significance to the whole epic poem. Epithets are adjectival words traditionally placed in front of a name to show how the character’s status or personality. Homer uses many epithets in each of the books of the Odyssey to subtly tell the reader something about the characters in his epic. These epithets illustrate a character's nature without blatantly telling the reader; they give us information about characters by showing, not telling. Epithets tell the reader about a character's status, with epithets such as king, or lord, as well as how they are seen in the eyes of various people. Epithets tell us how characters are similar to each other, when they have epithets …show more content…
that are repeated amongst two or more characters. It shows something has changed when epithets are repeated among characters frequently, and then suddenly stop repeating, but doesn’t tell you how, or why, making the reader have to ponder that out on their own. Another way Homer uses epithets to show change and development of the character throughout a book, multiple books, or the whole epic is by changing the intensity of an adjective used as an epithet, or by using a completely new adjective. Epithets are often used to show a character's status, either overall, or through the eyes of people who either relate to them closely, look up to them, or look down on them. Odysseus’ most common epithets include great, king, lord, and fearless. These are all epithets that show Odysseus’ high social position, as the King of Ithaca, and a god among mortals. Many mortals take him in high regard, and address him with epithets that show his status, but the gods on Mount Olympus think differently, as only a mortal. Rather than use epithets that show his high ranking, such as great and godlike, they use epithets that show the gods high rank, such as worldly, or epithets that don’t relate to a hierarchy at all, like Son of Laertes. When Odysseus is being spoken to by Calypso, she used the word “wicked”, a word that is used mostly in a negative sense. This is the first time that Odysseus is referred to as anything negative, and reveals how Calypso thinks of Odysseus differently than mortals and other gods do. By using different epithets when referring to the same character, when addressed to by characters of both low and high authority. Every time Homer uses an epithet, he tailors them specifically to show their status in the world, and also their hierarchical rank as seen from the perspective of various characters. As well as show the status of a given character, epithets can also tell the reader how characters are similar.
Homer expresses this in a few different ways. In several books, Odysseus has the epithet “godlike”, showing that he is in some way similar to the gods, and a tier higher than a regular mortal. The use of similar adjectives is another way that epithetes link characters. Again in this way, Odysseus is connected to the gods, because the epithet “lord”, which is an epithet used frequently for many gods, is used for him in many books. Odysseus also shared the epithet “lionhearted” with three highly esteemed men: Pirithous, the king of Lapiths, Nausithous, the ruler of Phaeacia, and Achilles, one of the greatest warriors in all of Greek history. Without telling us specifically that “Odysseus is much like Achilles”, Homer associates certain characters with each other, saving time and also making the writing more …show more content…
eloquent. Lastly, epithets can show changes in certain characters, again, in a subtle way. There are a couple ways that Homer exhibits the change of characters, the first of which is to make a sudden change in the epithets that are continually repeated. Twenty two times in the Odyssey, when a new day starts, the phrase “When young Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more...” is used. A couple times during the epic, “lovely locks” is used in place of “rose-red fingers”. When a sudden change like in an epithet repeated so many times takes place, it becomes clear that something is different about this scene, or that the character has changed. An additional way that Homer illustrates changes in a character is by making the number of epithets larger. In book one, Odysseus has only one epithet throughout the whole book, great. By the time he returns home to Ithaca, he has over fifteen epithets per book. This shows that Odysseus is becoming more and more prominent in the epic, by using more positive epithets. Great is a very general word that could apply to many of the characters in the Odyssey, but when so many “great” epithets are used, such as renowned, tactful, deft, shining, it makes Odysseus stand out at a higher tier of status. It also tells us that other traits are beginning to emerge. In the first three books, all of the epithets for Odysseus were positive epithets, making us aware over and over that Odysseus is a great hero. In book four and later books, a more human side of him came out, with epithets like wretched and battle weary. The last way that Homer uses epithets to show the evolution of a character is by changing the intensity or positivity of an epithet. In earlier books, Odysseus had the epithet “man of exploits”, or “battle weary” but by his homecoming to Ithaca, he was described as “master of exploits”, “famed for exploits”, and “mastermind of war”. Homer made it clear that even the great Odysseus can turn into something more. Epithets are strong, concise words or phrases that powerfully show us more about a given character.
Homer uses them so that he doesn’t need to manifestly tell us about the characters. He adds another few feet to the depth of the lake that is The Odyssey. It makes us contemplate the meaning of a whole new realm. Homer took not the easy path, clearly marked, leading directly towards the reward, but the more difficult path, with twists and turns, bumps and holes, scattered with dead ends. This path leads to the same reward in a physical way, but the journey that was taken to reach that goal makes it so much more. It makes epithets useless in a way, for the same result can be achieved through a much easier means, but the hard contemplating and the thinking that is needed to get there makes it a whole different result. Many people fail on the path to uncover the meaning of epithets, and many people don’t even undertake the task to do so, which makes the understanding of the topic coveted and
valuable.
In this long narrative poem, Odysseus changes from being disrespectful to the gods by explicitly saying that he doesn’t need them, to longing forgiveness later by stating that he is nothing without them. After the success with the Trojan Horse, Odysseus considered himself higher than the gods because he, a mortal, was able to accomplish something even the gods couldn’t. He boasted to Poseidon and the others about how he is overpowering, and how his power and abilities were far beyond their limits. His epic boasting to the gods had lead him to create his own obstacles as, he is one who essentially was the cause. This disrespectful attitude is the personality which shows how Odysseus behaved at the beginning of the story. It not only demonstrates what he was once like, but how his obstacles get much more precarious. As this is the attitude in the beginning, by the end of this epic, Odysseus understands the value of gods and their power, even if it’s for good or bad. At the end of book twenty-two, page 1160, on lines 107-109, Odysseus finally accepts the fact that he is not the biggest thing
When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.
The assignment that we were to do was to annotate The Odyssey of Homer. The instructions for the assignment were to mark and define words that were unfamiliar to you, ask questions on the front page of each new book and answer those with quoted evidence throughout the entirety of the chapter. We were also told to use our study guides to focus our annotations and write bulleted summaries at the end of each chapter to help with further understanding and comprehending it. We were to mark the text for things like invocation to the gods, epithets, epic digressions, and epic similes. Other things we were told to mark for were, xenia, father-son relationships, honor/glory, pride/hubris, loyalty, justice/vengeance, cunning/deceit, and family. With all of these things we had to identify we also needed to be critical and go in depth while explaining them. The overall purpose of this assignment was to further
Odysseus’ character , as seen in the Iliad, is much like that of a Homeric hero. A hero in Homer’s world entails many attributes other than physical strength including, but not limited to, courage, honor, respect, intelligence, and good morals. Throughout The Odyssey, some of these character traits are illustrated, and some are slightly changed.
Within the epic poem "The Odyssey", Homer presents the story of Odysseus's quest to find his home and his identity. According to Homer's account, with its origin in oral tradition, the two quests are interchangeable, as a mortal defines himself with his home, his geographic origin, his ancestors, his offspring, etc. But in addition to this Homer illustrates the other aspect of human identity, shaped by the individual and his actions so that he may be recognized in the outside world. Through this Homer presents Odysseus in two ways: the first his internally given identity as ruler and native of Ithaca, son of Laertes, father of Telemachos; the second the definition of the external world which sees the "god-like" mortal famous for his clever actions and the god's almost unanimous favor.
To start with the most common one, the role of the gods, one can see many such allusions thrown all over the odyssey. The epic poem starts in Mt.Olympus where the gods are discussing what will happen to Odysseus , Master mariner and warrior of Ithaka. As it so happens he is on the island of Kalypso, one of the lesser gods. Also, as Odysseus travels, one learns about the role of the gods in not only his travels but other peoples ones too. Agisthos, the man who stole Agamemnon's wife and killed him, was sent a message from Zeus by Hermes, giving him the information of what will happen if he kills him. Also, Menelaus, the red haired king of war, had to wrestle with a sea-god in order to gain acceptance and sail all the way back to his homeland of Sparta, and find news about the rest of his companions. He would not find out about his brothers demise until he got home.
Odysseus (Ulysses in Roman) was one of the great Pan-Hellenic heroes of Greek mythology. Famous for his courage, intelligence and leadership he was most recognized through his resourcefulness and oratory skills. Throughout classical literature and through many authors Odysseus’ characteristics have changed as much as the stories that surround him. The epic and tragedy I will focus on in particular is The Odyssey by Homer and Hecuba by Euripides. The defining characteristics of Odysseus ranges widely as is shown in Homer’s The Odyssey and Euripides’s Hecuba. The figure of Odysseus in homers The Odyssey is the antithesis of the Odysseus in Euripides Hecuba due to their historical contexts and respective audiences.
The epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Stanley Lombardo. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Ed Peter Simon. 9th ed. New York: Norton, 2014. 291-581
Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity is revealed in both Odysseus and Achilles: man is a combination of his will, his actions, and his relationship to the divine. This blend allows Homer to divulge all that is human in his characters, and all that is a vehicle for the idyllic aspects of ancient Greek society. Accordingly, the apparent inconsistencies in the characterization of Odysseus can be accounted for by his spiritual distance from the god-like Achilles; Achilles is more coherent because he is the son of a god. This is not to say that Achilles is not at times petty or unimaginative, but that his standards of action are merely more continuous through time. Nevertheless, both of Homer's heroes embody important and admirable facets of ancient Greek culture, though they fracture in the ways they are represented.
In the early aspects of Odysseus’ journey, Homer establishes the initial state of Odysseus’ identity, one that includes dangerous arrogance, complacency, and desires for concealment. This image is prominently presented in his encounter with Polyphemus. Overstaying his welcome, stealing, and overly expectant of hospitality he leads his men to their doom (IX.325-328, 258-259, 300-302). When asked for his name, he replies cleverly “Nobody--that’s my name” disg...
The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for certain characteristics everyday of their lives, whether they realize it or not; and The Odyssey is just one of those many miraculous tests.
The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald, is about the war hero Odysseus' ten year adventure to return home after the Trojan War. At one point in the epic poem, Odysseus is retelling his adventure at the land of the Kyklopês, in which he and his crew go to an island filled with these creatures. Through Odysseus, Homer uses contrasting connotation when speaking of the crew and the Kyklopês to convey that mankind is better than the Kyklopês using two different domains domains of society.
The challenges that Homer give the protagonist is all a test of character. Odysseus continues to pass the obstacles with flying colors, but his arrogance is the one flaw that is in dire need of correction. Some of the many challenges Odysseus overcomes on his voyage home is defeating the Cicones, surviving the Island of the Lotus Eaters, outsmarting the Giant Cyclops, saving his men from Circe, Traveling to Hades, passing between Scylla and Charybdis, escaping Calypsos’ Island and many more. Odysseus survives these obstacles and uses his smarts to escape near disaster. Often times he was the only one to survive these things and his crew often lost their lives due to their own stupidity. “‘We left the island and resumed our journey in a state of gloom; and the heart was taken out of my men by the wearisome rowing. But was our own stupidity that had deprived us of the wind.’”(P127 L75-79) Odysseus shows how he is an extraordinary man by being much smarter than his crew and the men that follow him. As a part of this stripping of Odysseus, Homer shows that Odysseus is a collective symbol of Everyman. On the one hand Odysseus is a great warrior, who is extremely intelligent, noble, and a great man. Although he has many god- like qualities he is still human. He shows that he is human and like every man, because of the fact that he still has major flaws. The
In conclusion, the “Odyssey” is one of the greatest literary works ever known and this literary analysis should help the reader to understand the important components of the novel such as theme, characters, relationships, symbols, motifs, literary devices, and tone.