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Female gods in the Odyssey
Roles of gods and goddesses in the Odyssey
Odyssey literary analysis
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Book 9-12 of The Odyssey are series of Odysseus’s flashbacks on his rough and tortuous journey after the Trojan War. Odysseus and his men escaped through giants, get helped by goddess and visited the souls of death, along the way many men died, in the end the Odysseus is the only man left alive. A major theme that was noticed in Book 9-12 is the loyalty that Odysseus has had inside him. In book 9, he showed loyalty toward Penelope and his home. Although goddess seduced Odysseus numerous times, he still remained loyal as he stated: “But they never won the heart inside me, never.” “So nothing is as sweet as a man’s own country…” (9. 37-38) Later on in the story, Odysseus demonstrates loyalty with generosity towards his men when his men thought
In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus showed many traits. I believe the most important trait he showed was loyalty. He showed it in multiple situations. Odysseus showed loyalty when dealing with the sirens, the louts eaters, and the cyclops.
In The Odyssey, Homer conveys a mixed message about Odysseus’s crew. At times, they seem loyal, whereas other scenes reveal them as disloyal. Homer does this to help center the attention on how Odysseus can fall victim to temptation and stand up to take control of his crew. The critical moments where Odysseus and his crew are in disagreement are significant because they demonstrate how Odysseus is epic, yet still human and flawed.
“Oh for shame, how the mortals put the blame on us gods, for they say evils come from us, but it is they, rather, who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given,” (1.32-34) is a simple quote reminding us the entities in charge of all characters in the poem The Odyssey – the gods. Hubris, or excessive human pride, is most detested by the gods and likewise is most punishable by them. The Odyssey is a story about Odysseus and Telemachus, two heroes who throughout their adventures meet new people and face death many times. Telemachus goes to find his father after he learns from Athena that he is still alive. The two meet, and Odysseus attempts to go back to Ithaca after he was lost at sea, and on his way there becomes one of the most heroic characters in literature as we know it. Like all heroic characters, Odysseus began to display hubris as he learned how true of a hero he was. James Wyatt Cook, a historian and an expert on The Odyssey, wrote about how hubris can affect the characters that display it. He says, “Because Homer’s Odyssey is essentially comic, that episode [opened wind bag destroys ship] is only one of a series of setbacks Odysseus experiences before reaching his home in Ithaca and recovering his former kingdom and his family. Such, however, is not the case for those who display hubris with tragic outcomes.” (Cook 1) Initially, Odysseus learns about Aias who died as a cause of the excessive pride he portrays. Proteus warns Odysseus when he says, “…and Aias would have escaped doom, though Athena hated him, had he not gone widely mad and tossed outa word of defiance; for he said that in despite of the gods he escaped the great gulf of the sea, and Poseidon heard him…...
"Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it was first composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so is because of the hero, Odysseus.
One important characteristic that Penelope and Odysseus share is their loyalty to each other. Odysseus failed to return home seven years after the Trojan war. Because he is assumed dead, 108 wealthy noblemen and princes invade his palace and refuse to leave until Penelope has married one of them. By marrying her, the suitors hope to gain control over Odysseus’s wealth and power. However, Penelope remains faithful to Odysseus. But, as a woman, she is powerless to remove the suitors from the palace. And without a man in the household, she is subject to her father’s decisions. However, despite his wish for her to remarry, Penelope clings to the hope of Odysseus’s return and remains faithful to him. She waits and gathers information by asking strangers who arrive in Ithaca about Odysseus. She goes through the stories of their encounter point by point, and asks about every detail while tears stream down her eyes. Although the suitors promise her a secure future, Penelope continues to wait for Odysseus. Without Odysseus, she does not believe that she will ever be happy again.
...nd deceit, he respected and honored the gods, and he respected his crew as well. Odysseus proved himself a great man by becoming humble but still retaining the amazing qualities that he already had. Overall, Odysseus was a great man capable of many things. He would put his own life on the line to save someone else’s. Putting one’s life on the line to save someone else’s the ultimate sacrifice. It is one that not many people are willing to make. People in this world are selfish and do not want to give of themselves for others. Though Odysseus starts out this way, he certainly did not end up this way. By the end of the epic poem, Odysseus is the picture perfect person. Everyone hopes to achieve this status; by some it has already been done. As a result, the world becomes a better place, and with progressions such as these, it is becoming better every second.
This loyal love is evident in the first book when the muse says, “Much as you long to see your wife, the one you pine for all your days”. Others, like Eurykleia’s loyalty to Odysseus’s household are seen in her love for Telemachos, whom she treats like her own son. When Odysseus is on his long journey the submission to temptation or recklessness neither angers the gods nor distracts Odysseus and the members of his crew from their journey home. The crew always remains loyal to their leader.
In The Odyssey, book nine and ten written by Homer, Odysseus constantly embodies the principal characteristics of a hero which are : cleverness, leadership, and selflessness. Thus, this character is regarded as an idol among the other characters and greatly captures the reader’s sympathy for his choices and the fruit to his actions in life. First, Odysseus displays cleverness in Book Nine when he tricks the Cyclops Poluphemus that his name is “nobody” in order to escape the horrors of the cyclop’s cave. He states: “Nobody--so my mother and father call me, all my friends” (Homer, 18). Second, Odysseus is a brave leader of his army especially in book ten when he displays leadership by motivating his comrades in keep trying to sail despite the
The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a boy to becoming a man, while out in the sea Odysseus is battling Poseidon to return to the home that wife that he loves and the home he has left behind.
The relationship between Odysseus and his wife Penelope is one of loyalty, love, and faith. Both characters are driven by these characteristics. Odysseus displays his loyalty in his constant battle to get home to his wife. This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. Odysseus spent 20 years trying to return to his home in Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. Along the way he manages to offend both gods and mortals, but through his intelligence, and the guidance of Athena, he manages to finally return home. There he discovers that his home has been overrun by suitors attempting to win Penelope’s hand in marriage. The suitors believed that Odysseus was dead. Odysseus and his son, Telemachus,
{Imagine seeing horrific tragedies and unspeakable things happen to close friends while traveling across seas, trying to get home to family whom have been absent for close to 20 years.}This is exactly what happens to a war hero named Odysseus, from the epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles. In the poem, Odysseus goes off to war in Troy, which lasts a decade. He gets lost on his way home with his crew and goes through a list full of crazy adventures. Odysseus witnesses some very gruesome things, some very pleasant things, and some very strange things. He eventually makes it home another ten years later after he loses ✔his entire crew, and brings revenge to the suitors whom have invaded his house and courted his wife,
The opening scene of book 5 brings us to Mount Olympus, where the Gods are holding a meeting when Athene, Zeus’ daughter brings up Odysseus’ plight. We learn that he is kind, generous and law abiding, although Athene states he “might just as well devote his days to tyranny and lawless deeds” as everyone in Ithaca (as well as the Gods) seem to have forgotten all of the good he has done in his absence. He is also described as a “captive” prisoner on Calypso’s island of Ogygia, “left to languish in misery”. This makes the reader immediately empathise with Odysseus, as most can relate to their good deeds going unrecognised as well as the feeling of being trapped. Although the scene on Mount Olympus is relatively short, it almost puts Odysseus on a pedestal by showing him in this light and evoking this feeling in the reader before we have even arrived in Ogygia.
Homer’s The Odyssey is a Greek story that follows the journey of its primary character, Odysseus, back to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many challenges in his journey home, from encounters with Polyphemus the Cyclops, the witch Circe and even the ghosts of dead Greeks. Meanwhile, his household in Ithaca is being threatened by suitors of his wife, Penelope, all wanting to inherit Odysseus’ possessions in the belief that he was already dead. Like many epic heroes, Odysseus possesses many admirable qualities. Three good characteristics of Odysseus are—cleverness, bravery and strength—here are some supporting instances from the epic that demonstrates Odysseus possession of such characteristics.
Most are familiar with the great and perilous journey the clever Odysseus undertook after conquering the Trojans in the Trojan War. Although his legacy was passed down orally by many generations, the Greek poet Homer eventually gathered all the stories and compiled them into a single epic poem of Odysseus' adventures; this poem is known today as The Odyssey. The story begins after the Greeks ingeniously fool the Trojans into taking them into their city and as a result, emerge victorious from the prolonged war. Odysseus begins the road back to his family and home in Ithaca, expecting it to only take a few years. However, he comes across various obstacles such as monsters and temptations that hinder and extend his absence from Ithaca to two
The Odyssey is a story of the struggles of one Greek hero, Odysseus, who had to battle many gravital obstacles, whether created by the Gods or natural issues in order to return home. He is on his way back to Ithaca after being gone for 20 years, without his gilded kingdom. The first ten years he spent fighting in the Trojan War and the last ten years trying to travel home after encountering many difficulties along the way. Odysseus was the king of Ithaca who was married to a beautiful, smart wife Penelopeia and had teenage son Telemachus.