Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
essay on ozymandias by percy bysshe shelley
comparison between ulysses and odysseus
ozymandias by percy bysshe shelley in essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: essay on ozymandias by percy bysshe shelley
Great Men
Ozymandias and Ulysses were distinguished men in the eyes of the authors that wrote the poems about these two characters. The personas in the poems are "great" men who share similar qualities. However, there are slight differences that are encountered in their experiences and events in their lifetime. Ozymandias was a great king in his time and had lots of power over land and people. Ulysses, on the other hand, was a traveler who had been too many places in the world. He became famous and created a name for himself from the traveling he did in his lifetime.
The omnipotence of Ozymandias compelled him to become arrogant and a pompous person. His quote on the statue states "Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!" This presents the evidence of his egotistical character. Whereas, Ulysses was a `great" man through his humbleness to gain knowledge of different cultures and as Ulysses stated, "Honored of them all." Ozymandias, as a king, had many riches and was an extremely wealthy man. Ulysses, however, was not a man of abundant fortune but he "suffered greatly" in his lifetime alone and with loved ones. He was rich in living life and traveling all over the world interested in meeting people from various communities.
Ozymandias is thoughtless because he praises no one other than himself in the poem. Everything that occurs revolves around him and no one else. He does not mention leaving his authority to a son or any other relative. Ulysses, however, describes leaving his son the land and his "scepter" in the most loving way. An entire paragraph is dedicated to his son, "mine own Telemachus." He simply states how his son will take up after him and what he will do with the authority he leaves him. Although it is the same duty, "He works his work, and I mine." Ulysses has created a name for himself through his own undertaking and his son will create his name and leave a legend that only he himself can choose.
Of all the differences they encompass, the future of Ozymandias and Ulysses remain the same. The two men had entirely distinct lives that carried an identical fate when there lives ended in old age. The men will both die and their legacies left behind will soon fade over time. Although they have created a name for themselves, as generations pass, there names will become mentioned less and less.
The main characters of each work are automatically associated with each other by their names, but they also share similar personalities and characteristics. Odysseus is a wily hero of the Trojan War who uses his deceptive...
From the analysis above, although he never fully matches Odysseus either in wisdom or courage, we cannot deny their highly resemblance in initiative, sensitivity and socialization. Influenced by his father not only by hearing the great deeds spread by people but also fight with him for vengeance, he follows his father’s step and comes to his manhood.
Odysseus’ has hubris and excessive pride in himself, the gods he believes in, and his accomplishments, which hold him back and do not allow him to reach hero potential. The pride that Odysseus has in his name is visible throughout his entire tale he is telling to the Phaiakians and King Alkinoos. Starting the story of his journey, Odysseus already begins to display his hubris when he explains to his hosts who he is and where he hails from. After stating that he is the son of King Laertes of Ithaka, Odysseus shares that, “Men hold me formidable for guile in peace and war: this fame has gone abroad to the sky’s rim” (IX, 21-23). He believes that he is so well known that the Phaiakians should know him from t...
When comparing the two tales, it is very clear that both heroic characters are men with similarities and differences. One important trait that is common between the two characters is that they both possess superhuman strength which makes them dangerous and this remains useful for them when protecting their people. For instance, they encounter near
Ulysses, in The Odyssey, is the hero who has been trying to get home to his love, Penelope, and also his beloved country. He has found himself at war with many different gods and people, including Neptune, who is not yet ...
Another way that Ulysses fits the model of an archetype is that he has flaws.In other words he is not perfect.If he was perfect he would be boring and it wouldn"t be interesting if he does the amazingest thing.It wouldn"t be interesting because you would already expect that from someone who is perfect.One of Ulysses flaw is that he is greedy. In the beginning of the story when Ulysses won the war between Troy he had taken all the treasures. He had taken so many there ship barely had room for food. Then when they went to more places he got greedy and took more treasures now leaving no room for food.That is why Ulysses and his men went hungry. He is also a little stubborn because when he saw his men eating the cattle that was forbidden to eat he had gotten all mad but, when his men convinced him he ate.
Gilgamesh and Odysseus are two heroes from two different time periods that were both in search of the meaning of life. The epics that the two characters are featured in Gilgamesh, was developed from early Mesopotamia and the Odyssey in early Greece. Gilgamesh was a very popular and it was very valuable to the historian of Mesopotamian culture because it reveals much about the religious world, such as their attitudes toward the gods, how a hero was defined and regarded, views about death and friendship.
In The Odyssey, Homer, or more so, the characters, often referred to Odysseus as the ‘Great Odysseus’. In the text, it is obvious to see that Odysseus demonstrates arrogance, charisma, over-confidence, and pride. Odysseus and his m...
Amir and Ulysses both ultimately attempt to return to their home and reach a goal. In Amir’s case he had to return to his childhood country to retrieve his half brother’s son and in Ulysses’s case he needed to return home after being out at sea for twenty years. The two held family values and had people at home who loved them greatly. Amir owed it to Hassan and Ulysses needed to return to his faithful wife and son in Ithaca. In a sense they both took on these dangerous journeys and endured them for their family—“For you, a thousand times over” (Hosseini
...of gentle and kindness shows that Odysseus is not a hero. His way of supporting ideas that favor him most portrays him as non-heroic and his true picture is also revealed by his selfishness and mercilessness.
In this essay I will compare and contrast the qualities and plights of both Aeneas and Gilgamesh. These two epic heroes share similar fates, yet are very different in personality.
Stanford, W. B. The Ulysses Theme: A Study in the Adaptability of a Traditional Hero. Dallas, TX: Spring Publications, 1992.
In Virgil’s The Aeneid, there are many parallels found in Homer’s The Odyssey. In each epic, the heroes, Aeneas and Odysseus, are on a journey “home.” Aeneas is on the search of a new home for he and his companions to settle since Troy has been destroyed, Odysseus on the other hand is attempting to return to his home he left years earlier to fight the Trojan War. They both have Gods against them and helping them, both Aeneas and Odysseus are both held back by women, both voluntary and involuntarily, and they both have experiences visiting the Underworld. Despite these similarities, there are differences between the two characters and it reflects their values and the society they live in. Aeneas relies on his strength as a warrior, where as Odysseus uses his deception to survive which reflects how Aeneas is truly Roman is versus Greek.
...old age or barriers, he will always strive to fulfill his goals. The experiences of Odysseus and Ulysses are tributes to the power of the human spirit; one can achieve much if they are determined.
'Ulysses' is both a lament and an inspiring poem. Even modern readers who are not so familiar with the classics, can visualize the heroic legend of Ulysses, and so is not prepared for what he finds in the poem— not Ulysses the hero but Ulysses the man.