Archetypes in The Odyssey and Greek culture
Homer’s epic poem is one of the most prolific, intriguing adventure stories ever written. His exceptional use of archetypes adds anticipation and excitement throughout the entire poem. This story has a mix of adventure, suspense, love, and loss. All of these features are archetypes that are shown in Homer’s epic poem. Greek culture is also a big part of the archetypes in this poem as well. The 3 archetypes that I chose are some of the most frequently seen archetypes in adventurous stories or poems. This epic poem was written approximately around 800 B.C. Additionally, the time period took place in 1230 B.C. ~ during the Trojan War. One archetype shown in The Odyssey is the hero archetype. For instance, when Odysseus and his men saw Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus tried comforting them saying “Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave? What power he had! Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits to find a way out for us?” This can be
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I chose these 3 archetypes for my essay because I felt as they were the most strongly-used archetypes in the complete epic poem. All 3 of the archetypes that I chose were all apart of this journey, or adventure of Odysseus returning from the Trojan war. This connection is one big archetype; Odysseus’ main task, to get home alas. Throughout this long journey, Odysseus faced many unsettling things such as the Cyclops or the Sirens. He also witnessed his own men dying while he could do nothing about it. Eventually, everything turned out okay. He reunites with his son, and his wife that he hasn’t seen in about twenty years. The main reason why I wrote this essay was to enlighten you on how archetypes are shown across the entirety of this epic poem and how these archetypes are references towards Greek
Similar to an elaborate dish, a literary genre consists of multiple necessary “ingredients,” called epic conventions, which classify a text into a particular category. Homer follows an impeccable recipe in his magnificent work. Labeled as an epic, The Odyssey by Homer portrays the Greek hero Odysseus years after his victory in the Trojan War and his awaited journey back to Ithaca. As the plot develops it is evident it is no effortless feat for our hero to return home. The godly Odysseus encounters adversities in the forms of Cyclops, sea monsters, alluring flowers and formidable Greek gods with varying conceptions of him. These characteristics distinguish the Odyssey and its episodes as an epic and bestow Odysseus with the title of an epic
Throughout the Odyssey there are many themes that Homer uses to portray different people and events. To name a few, there are the themes of Betrayal and Revenge,Greed and Glutony, Hospitality, Role of the Gods and Wealth (the amount of money one had determined the status he held in the greek society, and this explains Odysseus's love for plunder).
Oedipus as the Hero Archetype. The character Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King follows a literary pattern known as the hero archetype. The hero archetype is a pattern involved in transformation and redemption. Manifested in three stages called the quest, the initiation, and the sacrifice, Oedipus is transformed from the redeemer of the city to the cause of its downfall.
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.
Although the stories take place in different time periods and have different cultural influences, there are many similarities/parallels between them.The temptress in O Brother, Where Art Thou is the three girls sitting by the river singing and washing their clothes. These women, being the tempters that they are, lured Everett and his two friends over to them. The Temptress in The Odyssey was the Sirens. The Sirens were women in the ocean who lured the men in with their feminine charm and beautiful singing. Also, in The Odyssey the Lotus Eaters are another form of temptation, and in O Brother, Where Art Thou the people who are baptising in the river are seen as tempters. This Archetype is a trap to danger. The Giant Monster Archetype is portrayed in The Odyssey as the one-eyed monster, Cyclops. In O Brother, Where Art Thou the piano player at the restaurant, Big Dan, with the eye-patch is parallel to the Cyclops. In both stories these characters represent an incident where their journey back home was set back because of another trial they had to face. The Wise Old Mentor Archetype is the blind prophet Tiresias, and in O Brother, Where Art Thou the old blind man on the railroad. The last Archetype is the Unfaithful Wife. In both stories the wives, Penelope and Penny are unfaithful to their husbands and are attracted to a more desirable man. The Temptress, with sensuous beauty, message is clear to
In every story involving good versus evil there is always a hero and a villain, a quest to accomplish, and people that need to be saved. Moreover, the archetype, “The Journey”, describes the main character, who takes a journey that may be physical or emotional, to understand their personality and the nature of the world. Consequently, a journey is a key component to a hero’s development, as it represents a change and growth within the hero. Usually this new growth affects the hero positively and makes them mentally stronger. The situational archetype “The Journey”, is present in both “Theseus” and Hercules.
The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald, is about the war hero Odysseus' ten year adventure to return home after the Trojan War. At one point in the epic poem, Odysseus is retelling his adventure at the land of the Kyklopês, in which he and his crew go to an island filled with these creatures. Through Odysseus, Homer uses contrasting connotation when speaking of the crew and the Kyklopês to convey that mankind is better than the Kyklopês using two different domains domains of society.
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.
Homer. “The Odyssey”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puncher. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 475. Print.
Myths recur across cultures and times because they are narrative and iconic manifestations of psychological archetypes which are themselves universal across times and cultures. An archetype is a universal symbolic pattern that is a motif, theme or character or image that repeats itself in many different cultures. It can be compared to a blueprint or a prototype that gets re-visited many different times. Some of the most popular examples are stories of great floods, initiation, creation, the underworld and motherhood. Archetypal characters and stories appear consistently in myths across many various cultures. Archetype myths explain the nature and creation of the world how life came about. Humans are very curious when it comes to the topic
“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.
Picture this: a hero of great legends who travels to the underworld and back to get directions to his home from a blind prophet. It sounds like quite an impossible journey, but that is exactly what makes Odysseus all the more fascinating. The Odyssey, an epic poem orally transmitted by Homer, a Greek poet who wrote The Iliad, had to contain some variety of attributes that Greeks valued in a person. That one embodiment of what the Greeks found intriguing in a character is Odysseus. Odysseus is known as what is called an epic hero. An epic hero is a protagonist of a story that represents the most important attributes of a civilization. Odysseus, being based in ancient Greece, is the embodiment of intelligence, loyalty, and strength.
Homer is credited for writing epics that generate source materials for the modern world. The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer are captivating stories with fascinating heroic characters. The Homer stories share with classical mythology typical recurrent motifs. The two Homer epic poems focus on the Trojan War, and its result. The epic poems contain the Greek mythology featuring the Greek gods, goddesses, mythological creatures, and the Greek heroes, and heroines. In addition, the principal motifs typical of classical mythological hero stories are; the dominance of fate, evil fighting against the gods, and death. In both the classic mythology, and he modern fiction hero stories, the heroes always have a helper in their expedition, but ultimately, they have to stand alone, face the darkness, and conquer it in order to become victorious.
One archetypal element in the story is the daughter. The daughter defies the typical damsel in distress story by being her story’s heroine. This element is incredibly interesting in the story. Women were not seen as strong, capable creatures during the time the story took place. Another archetypal
Many diverse cultures are found in every corner of the world. Every culture is defined by its traditions and values. The film “The Odyssey,” depicts the culture of the ancient Greeks where it illustrates the life of a man, Odysseus, who has gone on a journey just to get back to his kingdom. Many values and traditions could be identified through the path of the journey. Some elements that are found important to the Greeks are the music, the religion, and the duty to the kingdom.