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Odysseus the hero's journey
Odyssey as an epic hero
Hero's journey odysseus
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Recommended: Odysseus the hero's journey
The people of today when discovering a new hero always seem interested in being educated about their backstory, their progression, and their true character. They want to be able to relate to these people of popularity for their own self-satisfaction. But for some unknown reason, people enjoy to watch other people fall; it amuses them. The lower part of society is obsessed with the drama that heroes (celebrities) bring along with making their own life decisions. In Mythology and You by Donna Rosenberg and Sorelle Baker, Hercules and Odysseus made ignorant and selfish choices on their way to high heroic success. People of Ancient Greek mythology didn’t seem to value the lives of humans compared to the societies of the modern world, gruesome battles
What is a hero? The book Mythology by Edith Hamilton has a lot of heroes and most of them have 2 things in common. The heroes are in their own ways superior whether it be strength, intelligence, and/or courage. The second thing they have in common is a quest that establishes their greatness and proving that they are good enough to be called heroes. The catch is that even though they may have the characteristics of a hero, not all of them are epic heroes.
In the Hero’s journey, The Odyssey, the main protagonist, Odysseus, changes in a way which helps him gain self-knowledge. Odysseus ' experiences transformed his personality from how he was in the beginning to the end, by leading him through a heroic journey, also known as a quest. The real reason for a quest never involves the stated reason, and this is no different with Odysseus. As the story developed, many of Odysseus’ sides were exposed through the challenges he faced. Out of the countless dangers and obstacles every step back home, him and his crew have only acquired minimal character changes. Even though they are minimal, they are those which take many decades to achieve.
"Could I forget that kingly man, Odysseus? There is no mortal half so wise; no mortal gave so much to the lords of the open sky." proclaims Zeus, the king of all gods in Homer's The Odyssey. He, among countless others, harbors high regards for Odysseus, the mastermind of the Trojan War turned lost sailor. However, the epic poem is sprinkled with the actions of gods and goddesses pushing Odysseus towards his path home to Ithaka, giving the mortal war hero little exposure to the limelight. So when does all the high and mighty talk of Odysseus' power prove true? Only in the absence of godly intervention can the title character live up to his name. In Homer's The Odyssey, excessive reliance on the gods' assistance weakens the overall effect of Odysseus as the hero; while, as a break from the norm, Odysseus' single-handed defeat of the Kyklops Polyphêmos adds true suspense to the story as well as merit to Odysseus' character.
Stories like The Odyssey remind readers that even the toughest people have weak spots. It is easy to be blinded by the strength and valor these heroes display and forget that everyone has pitfalls. It can prove refreshing to be reminded that even the most thick-skinned people are just humans too. Seeing a hero make questionable decisions or act on their emotions can be reassuring, especially to be reminded that hero is not a synonym for perfect. This effect is why these stories have been popular for
What ancient religion contains infidelity, incest, and life-time long punishments of which were almost, if not, are unbearable? Welcome to Greek Mythology! The Ancient Greeks envisioned higher powers, such as titans, gods and many other mystical wonders to account for every unexplainable thing they saw. As a result, a series of tales of betrayal, humiliation and entrancements sprouted from the imagination of the Ancient Greeks. The international bestseller, Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, by Bernard Evslin, engages it’s readers, while telling the narratives of the Greek Gods.
Many people consider him the father of history; others prefer to call him the father of lies. Whatever may be your perception of Herodotus’ work, the truth is that Herodotus began a new manner of writing history in which human psychology takes a fundamental place. He was the first historian who really considered the reasons why things happen and did not limit his narrative to just facts. His book The Histories evidences all the distinctive features that he employs through his description of facts as well as the intrinsic analysis that he includes to his storyline about controversial topics like the definition of what heroes really are. Indeed, The Histories’ book 7 reveals Herodotus’ astonishing and unique view of heroism. During his description of the facts that took place during the war between Persians and Greeks, Herodotus presents the qualities and attributes which, for his understanding, make a real hero. In his book, Herodotus talks about Xerxes, the king of the Persians who led the offense against the Greeks, and Leonidas, the king of the Spartans who fought with honor and bravery against the Persians. According to Herodotus, although Xerxes won the war with big advantage, Leonidas was the real hero of the story because he confronted the enemy with great passion, humility, strength, and bravery.
The hero stands as an archetype of who we should be and who we wish to be. However, the hero has inherent flaws which we do not wish to strive towards. In literature, these flaws are not used as examples of what we should be but rather as examples of what not to be. This is especially dominant in the Greek hero. While the Greek hero follows his fate, making serious mistakes and having a fairly simple life, the Anglo-Saxon "super" hero tries, and may succeed, to change his fate, while dealing with a fairly complex life. The Greek hero is strong and mighty while his wit and intelligence are highly valued. In the Greek tragedy, the hero struggles to avoid many flaws. Among these flaws are ambition, foolishness, stubbornness, and hubris-the excessive component of pride. He must overcome his predestined fate-a task which is impossible. From the beginning of the tale, it is already clear that the hero will ultimately fail with the only way out being death. In Oedipus, the hero is already confronted with a load of information about his family and gouges his eyes out. At this point, when he tries to outwit his fate he has already lost and is sentenced to death.
Definition: “An epic hero is the larger-than-life character in an epic--a long narrative poem about important events in the history or folklore of a culture. The epic hero demonstrates traits that are valued by society. The character’s traits can be communicated in narration as well as through dialogue.”
...teristics and literary devices. The general archetypical description of a hero follows an outline of a muscular figure and super abilities. Yet on the contrary, in myths, heroes may not possess any of those traits. Whether the so-called hero is learning their lesson, overcoming struggle or even descending into darkness, all heroes share some similar and almost identical characteristics. A vast majority of all mythological heroes share the same basic idea which, helps audiences identify whether or not the character is indeed a hero or not. From story to myth or fairytale to drama, the hero is one character who changes the plot entirely. Whether that hero may be saving a burning building, or discovering who they are themselves, our heroes all give us hopes and dreams that one day even our worth will be recognized by ourselves and others as our admirable hero’s are.
Over time, history has given society many to whom we call true heroes. There are many reasons these heroes have been looked up to such as: bravery, dedication, confidence, and inspiration. However, a tragic hero requires a few different qualities. Aristotle describes a tragic hero as a “member of royalty,” someone who “must fall from tremendous good fortune,” and someone who creates pity for him or herself (“Connections: A Theory” 2000). In Greek drama, Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea both contain several possible tragic heroes including Medea, Jason, and Creon. More specifically, in Antigone Creon exemplifies the qualities of a tragic hero best due to his prominent power as king of Thebes, the way he holds strong to his stubborn pride, and the sympathy felt for him in his tragic downfall.
Everyone has a hero, a person who is looked up to and admired. A hero can be described many ways and is defined differently by different cultures. One culture may see someone as a hero when another sees them as a villain. This is true for different time periods, as well. The ancient Greeks had many different characteristics for a hero compared to the Romans. Most of the Greek’s qualifications contradicted the Roman’s qualifications. Odysseus is the perfect Greek hero by displaying cunningness and deception; whereas, Aeneas represented the Roman hero by focusing on the community instead of his own individual gains and by being self – disciplined.
no avail. Hearing of a reward offered by Apollo for the recovery of the herd,
Even though the heroes of the ancient past were facing fantastical odds, the morals of their stories were, in many ways, much more human. Granted that fairy tales are nice and wonderful, they distract us from the realism that is our world. Allowing us to face this authenticity, people like ancient hero’s would lead us to a well adjusted
Everyone has his own definition of a hero. Some imagine the classic comic book character: a figure dressed in brightly colored tights and a flapping cape, always engaged in an adventure of some sort. Others think up images of big, burly men and women who save lives every day serving as firefighters, policemen, and the like. Even intellectuals and inventors, from Voltaire to Edison, are viewed as some of society’s “greats”. These descriptions may seem very different when grouped together, but in reality they have plenty in common. Each individual noted is clever, dedicated, courageous, and respected. These qualities they possess truly identify them as heroes. But where did we get this universal definition? Looking back through thousands of years of the history, it is surprisingly easy to pinpoint a documented source. Odysseus Laertiadês, one of the first protagonists in literature, has been without a doubt inspiring readers to become the best they can be ever since his story was recorded. This is why throughout Homer’s “Odyssey”, the main character’s cleverness, dedication, courage, and respect other characters have for him not only help to define him as a heroic figure in literature but also remind us of the real heroes of today, making what seems an outdated tale all the more relevant in both present and future societies.