Comparing Odysseus And The Bard In Homer's The Odyssey

What would you do for entertainment in a time before television? The Ancient Greeks solved this dilemma with Bards. Humans have always enjoyed great stories and storytellers; the ancient Greeks were no different. However, oral tradition can encompass and convey much more than stories. It can reveal an identity, motivation or persuade an audience. For the Ancient Greeks, stories take on the additional role as the sharing and spreading of information. So, while it is enjoyable to hear tales of adventure, oral tradition has practical uses too. Storytelling is rampant in The Odyssey. The primary sources of these stories are the Bards and Odysseus. The Bards are representatives of the oral tradition valued by the Ancient Greeks. They were, in

This is the main difference between the songs of the Bards and Odysseus telling his story: the emotional component. Odysseus can add depth, as well as breadth to the tale of "The Great Odysseus", through his own firsthand account of events. Odysseus is sharing his thoughts, emotions, and fallacies with the Phaeacians. While Odysseus does compound upon his story further than the Bards can, they do share one similarity: persuasion and account of the audience. There is certainly some tweaking of the misfortunes that Odysseus suffers. Not denying the difficulties of the voyage, the emphasis on the hardships works in Odysseus's favor as it draws sympathy from the Phaeacians, thus compelling them further to aide him on a swift return to Ithaca. Odysseus probably plays "the sympathy card" because he knows that once the Phaeacians learn of Poseidon's dislike of him, the Phaeacians may be less inclined to lend him their aid. This understanding of his audience's higher loyalties, and the art of persuasion influences Odysseus in portraying himself in a sympathetic manner. Odysseus purposefully casts himself as the unfortunate victim of the wrath of a God, and as a devoted, suffering husband who yearns to return