Thor and the Odyssey

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In the movie Thor the title character is cast out of Asgaurd by his father and returns by proving himself worthy of his power and his father’s thrown. Similarly, the Odyssey is about Odysseus’ long journey back to his kingdom after the Trojan War. Thor and the Odyssey are very alike; but great hardship and historical literature reveals a contrast. Both narratives compare as timeless tales of reputable heroes. They both include similar plots of long journeys back home. The main characters’ flaws are arrogance which is the source of many of their troubles. Thor and Odysseus’ biggest character flaw is arrogance. Their arrogance leads them into even worst situations that could have easily been prevented. In the Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew were captured by the Cyclops Polyphemus. They escaped by blinding the Cyclops and sneaking out under sheep but Odysseus wanted to make sure Polyphemus knew who blinded him, so he shouted his real name as he was leaving. Polyphemus then asked his father Poisedon to send a curse. All of this could have been avoided if he just left. Thor does the same, during a ceremony to make Thor king, Asgaurd was attacked. His father Odin told him not to respond but Thor’s arrogance and immaturity lead him to do otherwise. Thor starts a fight in the Bifrost and almost gets himself killed, so, Odin relinquishes his power and sends him to earth as punishment. Thor could have easily avoided this predicament but his arrogance lead him to an even worst situation. Thor and the Odyssey are famous today because they are examples of some of the most heroic warriors of their time. In Norse mythology and in the movie he is born to fight; their whole culture is based around fighting as well as drink... ... middle of paper ... ... from Asgaurd due to his arrogance and immaturity. He has realizations; he changes from arrogant, capricious, and boastful to a mature leader which leads to him returning home to Asgaurd. Works Cited “http://www.answers.com/topic/sindbad-the-sailor” 30 Nov. 2011 “http://potcoplayers.wikia.com/wiki/Captain_Long_John_Sinbad” 30 Nov. 2011 “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights” 30 Nov. 2011 “http://www.helium.com/items/1861390-references-to-the-odyssey-by-homer-in-popular-culture-and-film” 30 Nov. 2011 “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey” 30 Nov. 2011 “http://www.helium.com/items/1852955-cultural-references-to-the-odyssey-by-homer” 30 Nov. 2011 “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology_in_popular_culture” 30 Nov. 2011 “http://thistooismeaningless.com/2011/08/thor/”30 Nov. 2011 “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes” 30 Nov. 2011

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