The Odyssey: Archetypes In Homer's Odyssey

Archetypes in The Odyssey Something written over twenty-five hundred years ago shows many similarities to stories written today. These similarities are called archetypes and the y can be found in stories dating back to the earliest forms of literature. I will be talking about some of these archetypes found in The Odyssey.As you read, you will notice that these archetypes can be found in other stories and even in real life. The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus and his journey home from the Trojan War. It tells of many challenges and difficulties Odysseus faced on his way home. The topic of this essay is about three main archetypes found in the Odyssey. These archetypes are those of the Hero, the Monster, and the idea that your authority

According to “The Hero’s Journey”, societies throughout history have lifted up exemplary individuals. There is almost always one individual who is a perfect example. He is the guy that leads others and is looked up to. The greeks valued a character that they could aspire to be. Also from “The Hero’s Journey”, the hero seems to be invincible and incorruptible. The hero is tested, but he always seems to prevail. In real life, this can be seen as a world leader or a famous warrior. As quoted from The Odyssey, “ He fought only to save his life and to bring his shipmates home.”(561). The hero always fights for good causes and for others. You never hear about a hero being selfish or foolish. They are always pure and just, so they are often well known and popular among the

The Odyssey states,”My men were mutinous...so doom appeared to us. Six benches were left empty on every ship.”(563). Odysseus’ men did not listen to him, and as a result many good men died. If they had all listened to him, they would have survived the experience. In The Odyssey, the prophet Tiresias says,”...all of this shall be just as I foretold.”(579). This prophet gave Odysseus warnings because he knew what would happen if Odysseus and his men did not follow his instructions. He also knew Odysseus’ men would disobey him, and he made this known to Odysseus. Also in the Odyssey, Odysseus says,”I told them nothing because they could do nothing.”(584). Odysseus knew he was sending some of his men to die, but he also knew that if he told his men this, nobody would ever get home. The men would panic and not be able to proceed. He knew that he had to choose the lesser of two evils, even if it meant death for some of the men. Odysseus was their authority, and he knew better than his