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Penelope being loyal odysseus
Where does odysseus show loyalty to penelope
Odysseus journey to penelope
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Why doesn’t the final book of Homer’s Odyssey receive the praise that it deserves? Critics believed that the epic ended right after the reconnection between Penelope and Odysseus, but how does that make sense? That would be like ending a superhero movie immediately after the villain is defeated. Sure the major conflict is resolved, but what becomes of everyone? A final falling action and resolution is necessary, and that is the purpose that book 24 serves in the Odyssey. Overall, this final book is key in completing the homecoming of Odysseus, and puts an end to the ceaseless conflict that has been faced since the beginning of the Iliad. First and foremost, this conclusion is necessary for Odysseus to complete his full homecoming. He has …show more content…
been on his return journey for almost ten years and needs to fully assimilate back in to his home as if he never left. So far he has reclaimed his wife and kingdom, but he has not fully reclaimed his family and identity. He has reconnected with his son and wife, but his father serves a crucial role in his life as well. Seeing him again is crucial in Odysseus reasserting his full self and feeling comfortable at home. In addition to this, book 24 also provides closure and a full ending. Odysseus just killed all of his wife’s suitors, the most powerful young men in the land. Shouldn’t he have to pay for such an atrocity? Odyssey 24.485 answers this when Athena spreads peace: “Let them then all become friends as heretofore, and let peace and plenty reign.” This was what Athena was already eager to bring about.” With this concluding book, Odysseus has truly returned and all questions have been answered. Beyond the scope of the Odyssey itself, the final book ultimately is a much larger conclusion whose beginning traces back to the start of the Iliad.
The two epics occur sequentially and have intertwined plots. Since the start of the Iliad there has been a ceaseless conflict. Our two main heroes, Achilles and Odysseus, have been fighting and experiencing death through the Trojan War, and trying to make their way home. Now, finally, there is a pause - a moment of peace. Achilles has earned his kleos through the Trojan War, and Odysseus has earned his nostos through his homecoming. This final book reinforces that idea and sums it all up together. At the end of the Iliad of course we knew that Achilles was to be immortalized through it, but we did not know his final fate. This is told to us more so and given closure when the Achilles and Agamemnon argue over one another’s death. Here also we learn about Achilles’ funeral, literally and figuratively closing the book on him as a hero. The story is summed up for Odysseus as well in this key book. He is now back to his prior social standing, has defeated the threats of the suitors, and no longer has to dress up like a beggar. Odysseus has seen his son, his wife, and now his father, arguably the three most important people to him, and has reclaimed his identity. The question of the angry families of the suitors is answered and ultimately all is well. For the first time in two epic poems, and more than a decade, there is not some huge
looming threat. In Odyssey 24.545, “Athena, daughter of Zeus of the aegis, assumed the form and voice of Mentor, and presently made a covenant of peace between the two contending parties.” This is the final “and they lived happily ever after” that truly closes the door on and concludes not only the Odyssey, but the Iliad as well. The critics are wrong when they speak poorly on the final book of the Odyssey. Sure the action is completed, and all of the raw excitement is over, but this final book is by all means necessary. If this essay itself didn’t include a conclusion it would still make sense and have all of the meaning with it, but there would just be a hanging feeling of something more that is missing. A conclusion, the purpose that book 24 serves, is vital to an essay as short as this, and even more so to a several thousand-line epic. It finishes up the homecoming of Odysseus tying all the loose ends, and ultimately serves as a peaceful happy ending to both the Iliad and the Odyssey.
In the Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus's main goal was to reach home. Even though all of his thoughts were turned towards his home and family, he learned many lessons along the way. Odysseus's greatest learning experiences were in his journey, not his destination.
...ry for him to learn the virtue of temperance. If he is not able to moderate his impulses towards revenge, feasting, and lovely goddesses, then he shall always be doomed to roam upon the wine dark seas. Obviously he does learn this, since he does return to Ithaka without being smitten down by the gods, but he returns a different Odysseus. The new Odysseus realizes that there is more to living than a feast of roast meats and wine each night before the flawless bed of love of a lovely goddess. The new Odysseus wipes a salt tear from his cheek at the sight of an old hound that lays neglected (17.394).
... master finally made it home. While Odysseus was gone, the suitors in Ithaca wanted to take over, but Penelope and Telemachus persevered. Most of Ithaca have lost hope for Odysseus but still “Penelope does not believe that Odysseus is dead (Father and Son).” Penelope has not yet given up on Odysseus. She has remained loyal to him and did not let the suitors take over Ithaca. She stood up for her husband that she has not word of for 20 years. Her strong loyalty allowed Odysseus to rule his kingdom once again when he arrived home.
The subject of Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, is very clearly stated--it is “the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles.” The reader remains continually aware of the extent of Achilles’ rage, yet is never told the reason why Achilles remains angry and unreconciled. There is no definitive answer to this question. Achilles is not a static character. He is constantly changing; thus the question of why he remains angry solicits different answers at various stages throughout the poem. To find an answer, the reader must carefully examine Achilles’ ever-changing dilemma involving the concepts of mortality and honor. At its simplest, Achilles’ dilemma is that if he goes to war, he will die. But he will die with glory.
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.
Fitzgerald’s translation keeps it all together, not placing emphasis on the story immediately. This changes the conflicts within the story, as the perception of Odysseus as a skilled man versus a hero alters his adventures. On the island of the Cyclops and on Circe’s island, Odysseus does more than just escape and free his men. Through the lens of Odysseus as a hero, this is acceptable because he is trying to make it home and take his men with him. Through the lens of him as, simply, a very skilled man, he is cruel and destroys the lives of others to save his own. The ending has clear affects on the understanding of the conflict as well, through the lens of the translator’s imagery. Shewring completes his work, “So Athene spoke, and with joyful heart the king obeyed. Then a solemn covenant was made between those who had been at enmity. The contriver of it had the form and the voice of Mentor now, but this was no other than Athene, daughter of Zeus who holds the Aegis” (Shewring
In the beginning Odysseus is a careless, foolish and immature warrior who seems to care only about battle. But in the end we see a completely different person who has seen the error of his ways and realizes the evil in being only a prideful warrior.
The overarching theme of The Odyssey is the belief that man cannot escape the destiny which has been preordained for him by the gods. Destiny plays a vital role in the survival of Odysseus throughout his adventures. As Odysseus languishes on the island of Calypso, Hermes commands her to free Odysseus in order for the will of Zeus to be carried out, "This is the man whom Zeus now bids you send away, and quickly too, for it is not ordained that he shall perish far from friends; it is his lot to see his friends once more and reach his high roofed house and native land" (47). It is evident that Zeus does not want his predetermined plans for Odysseus to be altered by any being, mortal or god, and will not allow anything to stand in the way of the destiny he has set out for Odysseus.
...journey is less cyclical than Achilles' but similarly ends with his regret for the ravages of war. Odysseus is a flawed character, much like man himself, and his actions can only be fully accounted for by attributing them to the gradual progression of his soul. He is gifted, yet possesses shortcomings; insightful, yet blind; driven, yet lost. Achilles is divine, yet mortal; rational, yet contradictory; kind, yet vicious. Still, together they represent the ideals of Greek mythology and the weaknesses of mankind. They are in control of their own actions, but subject to fate. Through both heroes, Homer manages to convey some of the most fundamental features of human existence.
...a, 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. He is released from Ogygia and permitted to return to Ithaca only by the command of Zeus, as delivered by Hermes. Telemachus, rather than being trapped physically, was detained emotionally, feeling helpless to repel the suitors wooing Penelope. Only through the motivation of the goddess Athena did Telemachus find the will and courage to embark in search of Odysseus.
The first requirement of Aristotle's tragic hero is that they are more admirable than the average character. Achilles meets this requirement because of his ability on the battlefield. In The Iliad, the background to the story is the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This background is not only the basis for the story overall, but is also the basis for Achilles' own story. This begins when Achilles refuses to join the battle because he is insulted by Agamemnon. This decision results in the action that drives the remainder of the story. Later in the story when Achilles becomes angered and goes to the other extreme, launching into battle and killing ferociously. The significance of this is that it places battle as central to both Achilles' story and to what is important in the setting of the story. Importantly, the aspect that makes Achilles greater than most is his ability o...
Throughout the book every time and after he conquers the new challenges Odysseus answers the question, which is repeated throughout, with a different answer. Each time he conquers a challenge on his journey home he learns a new lesson towards humility and answers with a new perspective. “‘I am no god,’ said the patient, good Odysseus. ‘Why do you take me for an immortal? But I am your father, on whose account you have endured so much sorrow and trouble and suffered persecution at men’s hand.’”(P 214 L 186-189) Although he is viewed by many people as very god-like Odysseus realizes that he is an ordinary man and is not a god. Odysseus’ desire to return home is another example that makes him an everyman. In this epic tale the word home had a double meaning for the hero. Home was where his family was and where he wanted to be. The physical element of being home and with his family was a huge deal for him. The other meaning of home was being safe and secure. His aspiration to return home and to return to his safety in sometimes shows that he is also a rather weak man. It is a human instinct to want to go home and stay safe instead of always being brave and
The Iliad is not a story about the Trojan War at all, the war is just to set the stage for Homer to bring together the swift footed Achilles and Hector, the Prince of Troy, so they can be compared. The Iliad starts with how Achilles is dishonored by Agamemnon and withdraws from the war and ends with his return to the fight and eventually falling at the end. Hector is brought into the story and displays through his character what a real hero should be like.
The Iliad may be seen as an account of the circumstances that irrevocably alter the life of one man: Achilles, one of the greatest warriors. Throughout the course of the poem Achilles goes through many ordeals that change his character immensely. Starting with his quarrel with Agamemnon and withdrawal from battle, to the death of Patroklos, and with the slaying of Hektor. Achilles emotions and actions decide the fate of many warriors on both sides. Achilles struggles with anger, honor, pride, loyalty and love make the poem more that just a gruesome war story.
“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.