The Odyssey Research Paper

If the Odyssey is an Epic Could the classic story The Odyssey be teetering on the edge of being or not being an epic? In any true epic, certain elements, such as a wicked temptress, or godly intervention, can dictate the difference between an epic and a novel. When Odysseus is tarrying upon the island of the God Aeolus, he is confronted by Poseidon, the God of the sea. Poseidon intimidates Odysseus. He recites a prophecy telling that Odysseus will have a long and hard travel home, and arrive “under a strange sail,” thus showing that Poseidon has intervened with Odysseus’s journey by saying what is to come. The Odyssey is an epic. The long and hard travel foretold by Poseidon, and many other elements in this journey come together to form

Towards the middle of the end of The Odyssey, Zeus destroys Odysseus's last ship, as a result of his men eating the sacred cows of Helios. In Book 12, line 210, the book cites, “To appease Helios, Zeus sends down a thunderbolt to sink Odysseus' ship. Odysseus alone survives.” This is the event that completely wiped out Odysseus's crew and navy. As by the direct will of Zeus this was the harm of a god. Furthermore, in Circe's island, the wicked temptress Circe tempts and forces Odysseus to stay with her in order to free his men. She keeps the group of men for one year and then releases them, only upon the condition that Odysseus must hear a prophecy from the ghost of Tiresias. In Book 10, line 53, The Odyssey states, “Circe turned the pigs back into men but puts them all into a trace. They stay for one year, until Odysseus finally begs her to let them go home. She replies that they must first visit the land of the dead and hear a prophecy from the ghost of Tiresias.” This shows that Circe did indeed keep them for a year, tempting them to do so in the first place, making her a wicked temptress. As a final point, Odysseus was alone in the ocean without a ship or a crew after Zeus wiped out his last ship. Even after such a disastrous event, Odysseus survives. The epic hero makes it home to Ithaca and becomes it's king once again, even after his perilous

One of these small themes of The Odyssey is the evil of pride. Such pride is shown when Odysseus does not tell his men what is in Aeolus's bag. In Book 10, line 4, the book states, “Within sight of home and while Odysseus is sleeping, the men open the bag, thinking it contains gold and silver. The bad winds thus escape and blow the ship back to Aeolus's island.” So his crew wanted them to open the “treasure” they thought was in the bag, as Odysseus would not tell them, as a result of his pride. On a different topic, the fate of a nation is often decided in the conclusion of such an adventure. During his return to Ithaca, when facing off with the suitors, the fate of Ithaca rests with the victor of the struggle. In Book 22, line 61, Odysseus speaks and says, “'Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold put up by the others, would I hold my hand. There will be killing till the score is paid.” In this moment, Odysseus is speaking to all of the suitors. He makes the choice to kill all of them and reclaim his kingdom, rather than letting them free. This highly alters the fate of Ithaca. Particularly, the homecoming of Odysseus is the largest theme in this story. It represents his promises that he would return home, and how family and love is more important than immortality or fame. Odysseus had been through an entire lifetime's worth of a journey, and yet he still retained his