First similarity we can discuss between Pericles and Odyssey is, at some point in their stories, they were both a castaway, meaning, they both found themselves in a place where they had no power nor shelter. Pericles, who ran away from king Antiochus, lost his pride and status when he found himself surrounded by people from lower classes. He was wet, angry and had no where to go: “Wash 'd me from shore to shore, and left me breath nothing to think on but ensuing death”. What we can analyze from this quote is that Pericles feels kind of betrayed by how bad his life turned out at the moment. We as a reader can think that this might be indeed the worst thing that could happen to Pericles, a prince. We can sympathize with him. It is a state of …show more content…
One of the major difference that we notice between Pericles and Odysseus in their stories is that Pericles’s, whether it was before he found himself a castaway or after when he found his way back, fate was decided by a king, a mortal. This humanly relation between the characters help the reader to relate easily to the story. No one also intervened in his relationship with Thaisa, he is the one that worked hard to get her attention and he succeeded. I think this plays on the emotional appeal. The reader can relate to Pericles’s feelings and can understand how hard this might have …show more content…
Being able to compare such characters can lie in the fact that they were both a castaway at some point in their glorious lives and both were saved by a love that appeared as a result of such disdain. Contrasting them, on the other hand, is explained by a godly versus humanly intervention. For Pericles, there were no Gods that banished him or saved him. For Odysseus, however, in both situations it was an involvement of the Gods. This dissimilarity between the two characters can help ex plain why some readers, in my opinion, will fell that Pericles is more relatable than
In Odyssey, Homer creates a parallel between Odysseus and Telemachos, father and son. The two are compared in the poem from every aspect. One parallel was the quest of Telemachos, in correlation with the journey of his father. In this, Odysseus is developed from a childish, passive, and untested boy, to a young man preparing to stand by his father's side. This is directly connected to the voyage of Odysseus, in that they both lead to the same finale, and are both stepping-stones towards wisdom, manhood, and scholarship.
In a world ruled by kings and gods, there isn’t much room for emotions or showing weakness. At some point every human-being will show some moments of weakness in difficult times. Odysseus, a man that is held to such high regard seems to go against the norms of the time by
Odysseus is an epic hero but at the same time he is also human. For example, he is cunning and heroic but he gives into temptation and is overly curious which gets him into trouble. Odysseus remained emotionally to Penelope so he needs a partner that is also faithful. Odysseus gives into the temptation of revenge when he rids of the suitors that were in his home.
Both Odysseus’s are calculating and sneaky and both commit acts of self-interest but the similarities end there and eventually head down two completely different paths. In The Odyssey, Homer shows that, despite all of his drawbacks (i.e. getting his shipmates killed by a sea monster without their knowledge), he is ultimately a heroic character due to his courage, bravery, sharp intellect and the rescue of his men from Circes home. In Euripides Hecuba, Odysseus is portrayed as a corrupt human being, without sentiment or empathy. He is a self-interested, cruel, and insensitive individual. There are no redeeming qualities about Odysseus and he never redeems himself throughout the play, replacing the thought of the great hero with a dark stain of misery and
Half of the room had their faces painted orange and brown. Half of the room had their faces painted black and yellow. I sat and looked at the other side of the room with total disgust. How could they call themselves Clevelanders as they sat and cheered on the enemy?
After his near decade captivity and escape from Calypso, Odysseus faces many challenges in his attempt to return to Ithaca. Arguably, being held captive so long may have been a shameful period, although being a sex slave for a beautiful goddess wasn’t the worst thing imaginable. With the lack of help from and trust in the gods, Odysseus had heavy weight on his shoulders that would decide whether his fate would be shameful or honorable. A quote from Zeus emphasized this, “Odysseus shall come back by the convoy neither of the gods nor of mortal people, but he shall sail on a jointed raft and, suffering hardships, on the twentieth day make his landfall on fertile Scheria at the country of the Phaiakians who are near the gods in origin, and they will honor him in their hearts as a god, and send him back, by ship, to the beloved land of his fathers, bestowing bronze and hold in abundance upon him, and clothing, more than Odysseus could ever have taken away from Troy, even if he had escaped unharmed with his fair share of the plunder” (Odyssey 5, 30-40). The gods here place trust in the abilities of Odysseus, even though he would very much appreciate some help. Although Odysseus is mortal, he is comparable to immortal heroes due to his strength and leadership. A quality of his that is notable for a great leader was that he wouldn’t ask of his men something he wouldn’t do himself. At times though, he
In the tale The Odyssey, Odysseus, the epic hero, is trying to return to Ithaca from the Trojan War. Odysseus, the son of Laertes and Anticlea, is the King of Ithaca (Hionides). Throughout his journey, Poseidon, the God of the Sea, is trying to make it impossible for him to return home. He finally reaches Ithaca by the help of the goddess Athena. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus, the son of Laius and Jocasta, is the King of Thebes. Oedipus was destined for failure even before his birth (Hionides). He receives an oracle t...
Odysseus’ character is challenged in many ways throughout books 5 through 12. In some instances he holds strong, and in others he fails. His sense of adventure sometimes overwhelms him. The length of time Odysseus spends away from Ithaka also dilutes his desire to return, and possibly dilutes his desire to live. Under certain circumstances, any man can succumb to the evils to which he despises. A perfect example is Akhilleus in the Iliad. He started out an honorable man. With the death of his friend, he turns into a maniac who wants nothing but death for the enemy. Odysseus starts out wanting nothing but to return to his family and his homeland. Over the course of the many years away, this feeling dwindles and he is left with nothing but adventure to prolong his reason for living.
Odysseus’ and Telemachus’ journeys or nostos were both very similar and different. They parallel each other in some ways but they are also completely different at other times. Telemachus starts as a younger, less mature boy, and without the presence of his father during his childhood, he becomes a timid, shy and spineless boy who is greatly pampered by his mother. He has even more to achieve, being the son of a world-famous father, and this is a very difficult reputation to live up to. His journey, and after that the killing of the suitors who took advantage of him really show how his journeys and problems throughout the book mature him from being a shy, timid boy into a mature man. Odysseus’ journey also taught him about many things which he had never really experienced before, including suffering, poverty, and other things of that nature. Telemachus and Odysseus have parallel, but different journeys, which drastically change them throughout the epic and they are influenced by many different forces, both human and supernatural. Telemachus matures into a man while Odysseus becomes more wise, and both journey through Greece in search of one another.
Homer compares the crying Odysseus to a woman who weeps for her husband who died in battle. The weeping woman is described in a very dramatic scene in order to reflect the intensity of the sorrow that Odysseus is experiencing. The “woman weeps, flinging herself across the fallen body of her dear husband.” As she is “clinging to him, [she] wails,” and then “the enemies behind her strike her back and shoulders, then they carry her away to slavery and trials and misery.” The woman goes through a great deal of hardship, which explains why “her cheeks are wasted with pain.” Not only does her husband die, but the enemies strike her with their spears and take her away to suffer more. By comparing Odysseus’s crying to the woman weeping in this intense scene of misery, Homer is able to show the reader the degree of sorrow that Odysseus is feeling.
Odysseus’ reaction to Tiresias is quite different from the other two. Tiresias makes Odysseas feel hopeful and that everything will turn out fine in the end. A special out of the ordinary sacrifice was made to Tiresias from Odysseus. “. . .as for Tiresias, I swore to sacrifice a black lamb, handsomest of all our flock.” Textbook 2 pg. 1065. Not only does Odysseus offer that sacrifice, but he listens and believes what Tiresias foretells. Tiresias brings out good qualities in Odysseus. Odysseus shows that he is caring, hopeful, intelligent, and a couple other things that he only
In Homer’s account, Odysseus is coming home to Ithaca from the Trojan War but along the way he faces many challenges and obstacles from the sea and land. Odysseus and his crews were held captive in a Cyclops cave, angered Poseidon, the god of the sea, trapped in island of sorceress Circe and had a few bad lucks and ended up seven more years as prisoners on Kalypso’s island. Penelope, on the other hand, is a faithful wife who waits for Odysseus to return home for 20 years despite having her house invaded by more than 100 suitors with one she has to marry. However on Ovid’s account, Penelope does not appear to be the heroine of epic but instead as the mournful lover. Both Homer and Ovid’s accounts have similarities on how Odysseus and Penelope are alike in their way of defending themselves against the enemy and that they refused to give up and their determination kept them focused on achieving their goal.
An analysis of The Iliad and The Odyssey show us that Achilles and Odysseus do have several qualities in common, but that they also have numerous makings that show the differences between the two epic heroes. Both of these men are very violent and kill in very vicious was, they are also very emotionally immature, and finally both Achilles and Odysseus are favored by Athena. With all those features in common they also have several things that make themselves stand out from each other. First off, their mindset is very different. Achilles is very linear minded; he doesn’t beat around the bush and gets straight to the point of why he wants to fight. On the other hand, Odysseus is much more deceptive and cunning; he is very strategic and is almost more powerful with how he makes you think and act towards him. Next, their reasons for fighting are very different. Achilles is fighting because it’s his destiny and it’s what he has to do, Odysseus is fighting to get home to his family whom he hasn’t seen in several years. Finally, their homecomings make these two characters very different. Achilles never does get a homecoming, he dies at the walls of Troy as he is fighting. Odysseus, in contrast does end up coming home to his wife and son, that is, after he fights off the suitors that
Pericles, whose name means “surrounded by gloryâ€, was a statesmen of Athens, Greece during the Golden Age between 495 – 429 BC. He rose to become one of the greatest leaders of Athens as a statesman, orator, and a general. The period during which he led Athens, from 461 to 429 BC, is sometimes known as the "Age of Pericles" because of his contributions to the arts, architecture, and to Athens as a military power. Pericles was so influential that the historian Thucydides called him "the first citizen of Athens".
Some of the major relationships in the story are the relationship between Odysseus and his men, because they view as a hero and are willing to do anything for him. Odysseus also has a very close bond with Telemachus, his son, and his loyalty to his father can be seen when he travels to Sparta to look for his father when he has been absent for so long and near the end when he helps his father defeat the suitors. An important negative relationship that Odysseus has is his relationship with the suitor Antinous. When Odysseus returns, Antinous and his men are trying to take over his house, ...