Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Character essay on the odyssey
Decisions odysseus made in the odyssey
Plight of odysseus in the Odyssey
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Character essay on the odyssey
In the Odyssey, Odysseus finally gets back to Ithaca, but finds that more than a hundred suitors occupy his house. In order not to get mauled to death, Odysseus comes up with a plan. Odysseus must find someone trustworthy to help him, to do this he disguises himself as a beggar. I also like to plan ahead, weeks before a vacation I know exactly what I’m bringing. With this in mind, Odysseus plan was to kill all the suitors so that none could harm him or his family. “Your last hour has come. You die in blood” (957) yelled Odysseus to all the suitors. With the help of his son, Telemachus and two trustworthy friends, Eumaeus and Philoetius, they completed this plan. (960) “They room is reeking with blood. Thus the battle with the suitors has come
A very obvious example of loyalty is, Penelope. She is faithful to Odysseus for over 20 years and does not give up for long time. Even when the suitors came to her house and ate her food and overstayed their welcome she did not budge and still stayed faithful to Odysseus for the whole time he was gone. She told the suitors that when she finished her tapestry she would choose who she wants to marry, but every night she would undo a piece of the tapestry just so it would take longer and it would give Odysseus more time to come back just so she would not have to choose one of the suitors.
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
...h physically and emotionally stressful. It leaves many of his needs only partially fulfilled. By the time he arrives back at his home and is prepared to face the suitors, there are many needs that have remained unsatisfied. For Odysseus, the killing of the suitors serves as a final, desperate attempt to guarantee himself intimacy with his wife, safety, family, and respect. He sees no other way to guarantee the satisfaction of his needs without removing the people whom are currently causing him stress. His actions, though certainly not acceptable, show what happens when a person is faced with a desperate situation.
Secondly, Odysseus has great self-control, which allows him to deeply contemplate his decisions. Moments before Odysseus falls asleep, he spots a “covey of women laughing as they [slip] out…to the suitors’ beds” (Homer 375). Seeing this, Odysseus is angered and wants to kill every one of the suitors right then and there. But Odysseus retains his self-control and does not strike yet. At that moment, if he did strike, he would have lost because he would not have been prepared. He retains all his anger for the final battle with the suitors. In that battle, Odysseus is fully prepared and ready to fight, resulting in all the suitors’ deaths. Next, when Antinoos throws a footstool at Odysseus, “Odysseus only [shakes] his head, containing thoughts of bloody work” (Homer 326).
In the graphic novel The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds the suitors are much like the sharks in the book The Old Man and the Sea. The Suitors “eat away” at Odysseus’s wife much like how the Mako sharks eat away at the the Marlin the Old Man caught. In The Odyssey Gareth Hinds uses his artistic talent to depict the suitors as over confident pigs. He does this by associating a drab color with the suitors in each frame, and also by always putting smug smiles on their faces. On page nine and eleven in the Odyssey you can tell the mood of the suitors is very happy and careless while Odysseus’s wife is very melancholy. The Suitors are slowly wearing away Odysseus’s wife just like the sharks slowly eat away at the body of the marlin.
Yes, Odysseus’ action of killing all the suitors was justified. It was a rational decision since the suitors arrived at Odysseus’ household with the full intention of taking all of what Odysseus had made. If Odysseus had turned up any later the suitors were going to kill his only son, and would continue to slander his faithful servants. The suitors did not hesitate to beg for forgiveness or blame each other when confronted by Odysseus, but as soon as they saw an opening they did not hold back attacking Odysseus. The suitors exploited Penelope and took advantage of Odysseus being away from home. The suitors pillaged the food and wine, and refused to leave when asked. The suitors had complete disregard for Zeus’ rules of hospitality.
Throughout the Odyssey, there are many relationships that represent love between two people. These relationships show loyalty, compassion, and the wanting to be near one another. Two of these kinds of relationships are between Odysseus and Telemakhos, and Odysseus and Penelope.
He could have simply let all of the men leave or punish them in some other way, but he chooses to create the ultimate bloodbath instead. He is on the ultimate quest for vengeance, and the only way for him to feel satisfied is by killing all of the suitors. He justifies his actions by believing that he is defending his honor and his family. To make matters worse, Odysseus then demands that his women servants carry the bodies of the dead suitors outside where Telemachus and the herdsmen will “hack” and “slash” them until the men “blot out of [the women’s] minds the joys of love they relished under the suitors’ bodies” (453). The servants are forced to obey the suitors when they siege Odysseus’s home. Yet, Odysseus sees the women as another reminder of the betrayal by his own citizens. Selfishly, he believes the only way to rid himself of another betrayal is by
Throughout the novel, Odysseus is on the constant race to get back to his family again. This is a sign of love and compassion, even though he doesn’t show that every time, like when he blinds Polyphemus. Odysseus wanted to know if his father was still well and alive, because he had been gone for 20 years now, and he has no clue what has happened to Laertes. I believe that there is a rollercoaster of emotions inside Odysseus at this point. On one hand, he had been wanting revenge on the suitors, and now that he has, he must feel accomplished. Then on the other hand, he is happy that he has gotten back to his family, and he shows concern for his father. I also infer that the reason that the parents of the suitors wants payback on Odysseus is because he had been gone for a long time, and he just showed up, and killed everyone. The parents didn’t even know for certain that Odysseus was back, they just knew that if someone had the strength to do it, it would be
In Stanley Lombardo’s translation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic Iliad, the gods and goddesses intervene in the Trojan war and make a difference in the outcome of events, such as breaking the truce between the Trojans and the Greeks, providing distractions for the Greeks’ advantage by using the art of seduction, and deceiving the enemy by disguise. Throughout the entirety of Homer’s Iliad, Hera and Athena create an influence in their favored sides’ lives by their actions and words. From the beginnings of the Trojan War to the end, Hera and Athena’s intentions to destroy the Trojans are evident as they help their follower’s win the war by recruiting Poseidon, who encourages the Greeks they will be victorious. The two go as far as to betray one
Women play an influential role in The Odyssey. Women appear throughout the story, as goddesses, wives, princesses, or servants. The nymph Calypso enslaves Odysseus for many years. Odysseus desires to reach home and his wife Penelope. It is the goddess Athena who sets the action of The Odyssey rolling; she also guides and orchestrates everything to Odysseus’ good. Women in The Odyssey are divided into two classes: seductresses and helpmeets. By doing so, Homer demonstrates that women have the power to either hinder of help men. Only one woman is able to successfully combine elements of both classes: Penelope. She serves as a role model of virtue and craftiness. All the other women are compared to and contrasted with Penelope.
“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.
The Odyssey, written by Homer has a protagonist that are brave and clever and “The Most Dangerous Game” written by Richard Connell has protagonists that are clever and intelligent. Rainsford and Odysseus went on a epic journey. On the epic journey they face the antagonists and they must survive.
There are many essential emotions that form the building blocks of our lives. These emotions help to shape the people that we are. These feelings are emotional necessities to ultimately keep us happy. No piece of literature these feelings more evident than the Odyssey by Homer. Throughout the course of this book there is one major emotional theme: love.
Throughout the story The Odyssey there are many themes that represent major parts of the story. The main theme that stood out to me is love which includes loyalty. “Love is a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend; or a sexual passion or desire” (dictionary.com). “Loyalty is defined in the Webster's dictionary as faithfulness or devotion to a person, a cause or a duty” (Webster’s dictionary). Through these definitions, it can be expressed that loyalty and love are major themes in Homer's epic, "The Odyssey". Love and loyalty shows relationships that are between two people. The few relationships that represents love and loyalty is between husband and wife Odysseus and Penelope and also between father and son Odysseus and Telemachus. These relationships shows more than just love and loyalty though, their relationships also shows compassion, sympathy and the need to be in each one another’s lives.