Throughout your life you will meet some people that are so similar to each other, you think they could be the same person. They possess most, if not all of the same characteristics. This happens quite frequently in literature. The book The Odyssey is a 303 page book by Homer, that has a character named Odysseus that is very similar to a character named Othello. Othello is the main character in a 314 page play called Othello by William Shakespeare. Both of these characters go through similar hardships throughout both of the stories. Characters are often portrayed similar to other characters in other stories, and share the same traits. Othello and Odysseus are very similar characters and go through some of the same battles throughout the two …show more content…
stories. The first thing that makes Odysseus and Othello so similar is that they are both considered leaders, or they at least they tried to be. Odysseus is the leader of the Greeks, and Othello is the general of the Venetians. You could argue and say that they weren’t the best leaders, because Odysseus’ whole crew died and Othello had many people killed in the end, but they both had the intentions of being good leaders. Odysseus tried his best to get everyone home, but his crew didn’t exactly have the same mindset all of the time. They betrayed him by eating the cattle, eating the lotus, and small things like getting drunk and falling off a roof. Odysseus had good intentions, but sometimes he let his curiosity and cockiness get the best of him. Othello was a good leader to his people, but he fell short when he was manipulated by Iago, which costed many people's lives. In the beginning of the stories Othello and Odysseus show characteristics of being leaders, but by the end they don’t show enough skill to be considered good leaders. Another thing that makes Odysseus and Othello so similar is their strength.
Both of them are strong both mentally and physically. They both go through hardships and have to get through them. Odysseus is very strong physically. He looks like a god, he was a solid character throughout the story. He used his physicality and mental strength to get home. He got out of tricky situations like when they stabbed the Cyclops in the eye and got out by hiding under the animals to get out. He also said his name was Noman, which shows intelligence. He got through Scylla, Charybdis, and many other dangerous things on the way. He had to be both physically strong and mentally to get home. The final thing that showed Odysseus is smart, is when he disguised and killed all the suitors. On the other hand, Othello shows he is mentally strong by getting through the fact that he is black and people are racist. This cruel behavior from the people did not stop Othello from doing what he wanted to do. He was even accused of using witchcraft to win Desdemona, but he proved he did not use such a thing. Othello lets his jealousy make him too aggressive and ended up using his strength to kill his wife and stab Iago, which shows his physicality. Othello and Odysseus used their strengths in negative and positive
ways. The last thing Odysseus and Othello have in common is their lovers. The whole stories are based on them. In the Odyssey, Odysseus spends the entire novel sailing through the sea to get back to his wife after the Trojan war. In the play Othello, the character Othello accuses his wife Desdemona of cheating. Both stories are about their wives. Odysseus’ main reason of returning home was to see his wife Penelope. During the novel Odysseus speaks of his love of Penelope, and how he wishes to return to her. Odysseus fails to be loyal, but never mentions it to Penelope. When Odysseus is sleeping with goddesses, he always mentions that he needs to get home to his wife. The women would say they are far more beautiful than Penelope, but Odysseus believes Penelope is better for him. At the end of the Odyssey, the two lovers end up together. In the play Othello, Othello has been told that Desdemona is cheating. He gets fed false information from Iago. Iago makes Othello believe that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. Iago uses things like the handkerchief to provide evidence for Othello to believe it is true. Othello gets so jealous because Desdemona was being unloyal that he kills her. After this, it is brought to his attention that Iago made this up for revenge. Othello becomes crushed that he is without his lover forever. Both of the stories the wives have impacts on how the stories end. Quite frequently in literature characters can be portrayed similar to one another, and even hold the same traits. Odysseus and Othello is one example of similar characters. In the stories they both of the characters do many things that makes you wonder about the similar traits they possess. You will meet people in life that share the same qualities and traits.
One archetype the two stories have in common is the hero. The heroes, Odysseus and Everett, try to reach their family, no matter the risks. Both have the same goal and will do anything to keep their loved ones again. Also, both of the heroes are extremely loyal to their companions. Like whenever Odysseus tried to save his crew, or when Everett went to rescue Pete from jail. However, they can also differ in ways like character. In the face of an obstacle, Odysseus faces the problem head on and uses strategy at the same time, while Everett uses excuses to try to avoid the problem. On the other hand, Everett has his friends throughout his quest, while Odysseus’ companions all die except him. These examples show how the heroes of the Odyssey and O Brother! are different.
Another similarity is that they are very strong leaders that will overcome any challenges that come their way. For example, Odysseus has many challenges he faces, like Polyphemus, but he defeats him with a stick on fire. He also has to deal with Poseiden because of what he did to his son polyphemus and defeats him with help from the gods/goddess which were Athena, Zeus and Aeolus. Another challenge he faces are the Seirenes, but has the help from Athena so he and his shipmates do not die and overcome this challenge, and more.
Odysseus and Ullysseus Everett McGill are similar characters because of their perseverance, cleverness, and their leadership abilities. In The Odyssey, Odysseus portrays an important trait to the story, perseverance. His perseverance really stands out as something that he has and always will have. On his long journey home, he never gives up and just stays where he is, no matter how tempting.
What would you do for entertainment in a time before television? The Ancient Greeks solved this dilemma with Bards. Humans have always enjoyed great stories and storytellers; the ancient Greeks were no different. However, oral tradition can encompass and convey much more than stories. It can reveal an identity, motivation or persuade an audience. For the Ancient Greeks, stories take on the additional role as the sharing and spreading of information. So, while it is enjoyable to hear tales of adventure, oral tradition has practical uses too.
“O muse! Sing in me, and through me tell the story...Of that man skilled in all the ways of contending...A wanderer, harried for years on end…” (Homer). These are the opening words of The Odyssey. This is also in the opening scene of O Brother Where Art Thou?. O Brother is a reception of the revered story of Odysseus’ journey with a bit of a twist. The works have similarities that only a person well informed of the Odyssey could see. The Odyssey and O Brother highlight the trials of the main character’s journeys. While the Odyssey was written in the eighth century, O Brother is set during the 1930s in the deep south. Each of the trials that the characters face is supposed to make them quit their journey, but they proceed with greater determination.
In conclusion, the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou” by the Coen brothers and the “Odyssey” by Homer are very interesting works to compare to one another. Some events can be loosely interpreted while others are very obvious. The film is a very fascinating and entertaining way to see the “Odyssey”, and makes a person see it in a whole new way. The movie can make a person realize how the Greek myths can actually be compared to real life situations and events that people face. It was a great interpretation of the “Odyssey” and both the film and the book the “Odyssey” are very entertaining and powerful stories.
The main characters of each work are automatically associated with each other by their names, but they also share similar personalities and characteristics. Odysseus is a wily hero of the Trojan War who uses his deceptive...
In Odyssey, Homer creates a parallel between Odysseus and Telemachos, father and son. The two are compared in the poem from every aspect. One parallel was the quest of Telemachos, in correlation with the journey of his father. In this, Odysseus is developed from a childish, passive, and untested boy, to a young man preparing to stand by his father's side. This is directly connected to the voyage of Odysseus, in that they both lead to the same finale, and are both stepping-stones towards wisdom, manhood, and scholarship.
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.
As you might know, many of the characters in Homer’s tale of The Odyssey are known for their physical strength as their main tool used to strive for success. On the other hand, there is Odysseus, who uses something a little different to help him make his way home. His impressive oratory skills help him to escape some sticky situations. His spectacular ability to disguise himself within a crowd gives him advantages that others do not have. Each plan that he effortlessly conceives to find his way home was outstanding and shows his abundance of intelligence. Although many men use their physical strength as their main power to succeed in their travels in The Odyssey, Odysseus’s brains are his strongest
Both Odysseus’s are calculating and sneaky and both commit acts of self-interest but the similarities end there and eventually head down two completely different paths. In The Odyssey, Homer shows that, despite all of his drawbacks (i.e. getting his shipmates killed by a sea monster without their knowledge), he is ultimately a heroic character due to his courage, bravery, sharp intellect and the rescue of his men from Circes home. In Euripides Hecuba, Odysseus is portrayed as a corrupt human being, without sentiment or empathy. He is a self-interested, cruel, and insensitive individual. There are no redeeming qualities about Odysseus and he never redeems himself throughout the play, replacing the thought of the great hero with a dark stain of misery and
One of the major themes of Homer’s Odyssey is the importance of cunning over strength. This also happens to be the case with Odysseus and his long ten year journey home from fighting in Troy. Odysseus uses his intelligence over strength to ‘fight’ through tough times and bring himself home to Ithaca. Odysseus uses his intelligence when he has his men tie him down while passing the Sirens, so he himself will be able to hear their beautiful song, but not be entranced by their singing. He also uses cunning to escape from the Cyclops’ cave without being harmed. He then uses his cunning by storing away all of the armory, shields, and knives from the suitors so he is able to kill them easily.
Both men are brave in their own way. Odysseus has to develop his bravery during his travel. He did not want to fight in the Trojan War, but was tricked into going. If he had not gone, then Poseidon would not be mad at him. Odysseus gets braver as his journey continues throughout the epic. Odysseus shows his bravery through the example that he sets for his men. When he and his men are getting the Cyclops drunk so that they can defeat him, he says, “So, you ask me the name I’m known by Cyclops? I will tell you. But you must give me a guest-gift as you’ve promised. Nobody- that’s my name. Nobody- so my mother and father call me, all my friends.” (Homer 9.408-411). Odysseus showed his bravery and wisdom by thinking ahead to what the Cyclops might do when they attack him. This proved to be helpful because the other monsters come to help the Cyclops, but left when he screams that nobody is killing him. Odysseus’s bravery is built into his character and is shown through his
The most obvious comparison is that Ulysses and his fellow escapees are based off of Odysseus and his crewman from the Odyssey. In many ways Ulysses and Odysseus resemble one another, from their main goal to both having a major weakness. Ulysses’ goal in the movie is to return home to his wife before she gets remarried to some insignificant low life. Odysseus had the same goal; wanting to return home to his family and doing so before his wife remarries an unworthy suitor. In the book “The Odyssey” Odysseus wants to go home because, in addition to stopping the marriage, he is also homesick. We are told this in book 1 line 15 and 16 “Only Odysseus Still longed to return to his home and his wife.” This comes up again in book 5 line 208-209 “Still, I want to go back. My heart aches for the day I return to my home.” It is
An analysis of The Iliad and The Odyssey show us that Achilles and Odysseus do have several qualities in common, but that they also have numerous makings that show the differences between the two epic heroes. Both of these men are very violent and kill in very vicious was, they are also very emotionally immature, and finally both Achilles and Odysseus are favored by Athena. With all those features in common they also have several things that make themselves stand out from each other. First off, their mindset is very different. Achilles is very linear minded; he doesn’t beat around the bush and gets straight to the point of why he wants to fight. On the other hand, Odysseus is much more deceptive and cunning; he is very strategic and is almost more powerful with how he makes you think and act towards him. Next, their reasons for fighting are very different. Achilles is fighting because it’s his destiny and it’s what he has to do, Odysseus is fighting to get home to his family whom he hasn’t seen in several years. Finally, their homecomings make these two characters very different. Achilles never does get a homecoming, he dies at the walls of Troy as he is fighting. Odysseus, in contrast does end up coming home to his wife and son, that is, after he fights off the suitors that