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Compare and contrast the iliad and the odyssey
Love in odyssey
Compare and contrast the iliad and the odyssey
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The Importance of Love in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
Homer’s Iliad was a tragedy illustrating the despair and useless suffering associated with war. Homer's Odyssey was an epic tale of long suffering resolving in triumph. Though there were a great many differences between the two works, there was an underlying theme of love which ran through both. Not just the physical manifestation of infatuation, but the kind of love that makes one willing to die for another
The events portrayed in the Iliad were set in motion by love. Paris' love for Helen and her love for Paris, resulting in Helen deserting Menelaus and leaving with Paris for Troy. Helen, consumed by her love, leaves for Troy with "no thought for her child or husband." Menelaus' love for Helen drives him to raise an army of thousands and lay siege to Troy to recover her. Thousands of young men from both sides of the struggle, Troy and Argos, died. The result was a ten year siege of Troy finally resulting in the plunder of the city, the women of troy being enslaved, and all of the men being slaughtered. Patroclus, Achilles, and Hector, all dead for the sake of Helen. Achilles withdraws from battle because he loves Briseis, the favorite of all the women captured in battle, and refuses to return until she is recovered. Achilles returns to battle in order to revenge Patroclus, but not until after Briseis is returned to him in the same condition in which she was taken. It is apparent, I grant, that after the death of Patroclus, the motivations in the Iliad quickly turned to revenge as is demonstrated by Achilles proclamation to Hector - "Would to god my rage, my fury would drive me now to hack your flesh away and eat you raw...!" These are the words of a man driven by revenge, but isn't revenge, in this case, motivated by love - Achilles love of Patroclus?
While the events of the Odyssey were different from those of the Iliad, they were, none the less, driven by love. The suitors love for Penelope, Odysseus' love for Penelope, and Odysseus' love for his home, are all examples of the motivations in the Odyssey. Odysseus' love for his wife, his home, and his son were so deep that he gave up becoming immortal to continue his quest for them.
In conclusion, it was evident that this great work of literature provides many allusions that provide reference to more familiar work and help us understand a clearer understanding to the meaning of the work. Even though the allusions do not all pertain to the entire meaning of the work, but they do illuminate a broader perspective of the characters, setting, and tone. Yet, there were a lot of allusions that did illuminate the entire meaning of the novella, and even though the true meaning remains ambiguous they still reflected what most readers consider the meaning. The meaning of Herman Melville’s well known masterpiece is that one who had suffered was not really the one suffering, but the one who caused the suffer is really the one who is suffering.
One of the literary elements that Melville uses that convey the narrator's attitude towards Bartleby is diction. The author's diction in this short story is very descriptive and is also slightly comical. One of the ways this is used is when the author gently mocks the narrator by having him expose his flaws through his own words. For example, when the narrator talks of John Jacob Astor, a well respected man who complemented him, we find out how full of himself he is and how highly he thinks of himself. "The late John Jacob Astor, a parsonage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point…I will freely add, that I was not insensible to the late John Jacob Astor's good opinion." (Page 122, Paragraph2) Another example of the author's use of diction appears on page 127 in paragraph 2; "At first, Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing. As if long famished for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my documents. There was no pause for digestion. He ran a day and night line, copying by sunlight and by candle-light. I should have been quite delighted with his application, had he been cheerfully industrious. But he wrote on silently, palely, mechanically." Here the narrator's description of Bartleby's writing habits in the office, at first, tell us that he is very pleased with his progress and the work he has done but then it tells us that he is not very enthusiastic but...
In conclusion, this essay analyzes the similarities and differences of the two stories written by Herman Melville, Billy Budd and Bartleby. The settings, characters, and endings in the two stories reveal very interesting comparisons and contrasts. The comparison and contrast also includes the interpretation of the symbolism that Melville used in his two stories. The characters, Billy and Bartleby, could even be considered autobiographical representatives of Herman Melville.
Through Bartleby’s flat and static character type, it is amazing how many different types of conflict he causes. From the first order to examine the law copies, to the last request to dine in the prison, Bartleby’s conflictive reply of “I would prefer not to” stays the same (Melville 150). In this way, he is a very simple character, yet he is still very hard to truly understand. Even ...
In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, the protagonist Odysseus is traveling home from the war in Troy. Odysseus has been traveling home for twenty years and throughout his journey longs for his son Telemachos and his wife Penelope as well as his estate in Ithaca. Odysseus is a man with a penetrating mind as well as outstanding valor; however, a weakness of Odysseus is his sensualness. Odysseus always encounters women throughout his journey home. These women adore Odysseus because of his attractive looks and brave spirit and wish for Odysseus to remain with them. Although Odysseus is vulnerable to the rich and beautiful women he encounters, he rejects their kind offerings with the determination to be reunited with his wife Penelope.
An epic poem is a long narrative poem, normally having to do with a serious subject while covering heroic deeds and events important for a culture or nation. Homer, the author of Iliad and the Odyssey, is perhaps the most famous and notable writer of epics. Inspired directly from the stories that had been passed down orally over the centuries, Homer wrote these epic poems retelling the stories of the last year of the Trojan War and Odysseus’s journey home after the Trojan War. These epics are filled with supernatural events such as gods lending their power to a hero, allowing him to slay row after row of troops and gods going directly onto the battlefield to help turn the tide in a battle. The grandeur of these events are indicative of fictional superhero stories rather than fact. However, if you compare the events depicted in the Iliad to historical facts known from Ancient Greece and current scientific evidence, Homer’s Iliad may have a basis in actual history. Homer’s description of the geography of Ancient Greece, his depiction of godly interference, his depiction of war, and the use of technology can be supported and show that the Trojan War and many of the events that take place in the Iliad were actual historical events or can be justified.
Throughout the Odyssey, there are many relationships that represent love between two people. These relationships show loyalty, compassion, and the wanting to be near one another. Two of these kinds of relationships are between Odysseus and Telemakhos, and Odysseus and Penelope.
In the Iliad, revenge is the cause of many problems. There are main concepts that lead to having revenge in which it is pride, rage and emotional charged. Pride can lead to revenge by disbelieving in someone’s own dignity. Rage can also result into having revenge by making a person become full of anger to the point that they can not hold it back any more. Emotional charged can result to revenge by someone who is very emotional and starts to have a negative aspect to what has happened. In the Iliad, revenge causes problems where justice is the solution to those problems, as seen through Achilles and Hector.
“Then the screaming and shouts of triumph rose up together, of men killing and men killed, and the ground ran blood.” From first examination the Iliad seems to be an epic founded on an idealized form of glory, the kind that young boys think about when they want to join the army. A place full of heroism and manliness where glory can be achieved with a few strokes of a sword and then you go home and everything is just lovely. Many people view the Iliad this way, based on it’s many vivid battle descriptions and apparent lack of remorse for the deaths that occur. This, however, is not how war is presented in the Iliad. Homer presents a very practical outlook on war countering the attainment of the glory with the reality of its price and the destruction it causes. He successfully does this by showing the value of the lives of each person that dies and, in a sense, mourning their passing, describing the terror and ugliness of war, and, through the characters of Achilleus and Hector, displaying the high price of glory.
Women play an outstanding large role in "The Odyssey" by the Greek poet Homer, although it is much of a tale of a man's heroic quest."The Odyssey" by homer is majority move around Odysseus's quest to return back to his home and wife, Penelope, so that he may be reunited with her someday and take control over his place, which was overrun by suitors. In the presence of the many suitors, Odysseus's son, Telemachos attempts to regain authority but he finds this difficult and he started his own journey under the guidance of Athena. The most parts of the story of "The Odyssey" focus upon the adventures of Odysseus as he endeavors to get back home, which he finally does in the end.
Often times in life we search for a companion, someone to share our love and life with. Odysseus and Penelope's lasting relationship is an obvious representation of love in the Odyssey. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca. This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. Penelope also exemplifies this same kind of love for Odysseus. At home in Ithaca, she stays loyal to Odysseus by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors that are courting her. She always keeps the hope that her love, Odysseus, will return. Odysseus and Penelope's marriage clearly illustrates the theme of love.
Victoria agreed with the theme of the Odyssey having to do with loving one another and being loyal too. “The Odyssey takes itself less seriously than other epics; it is a great deal more fun, but also has a great deal more heart. It is a moral poem; it teaches us about civilization and human nature, how to live together in respect and harmony, how important are the virtues of love, home and family, and ultimately how happiness is a greater goal than any amount of fame and fortune; lessons that have not lost their relevance today”(BookDrum, victoriahooper). This quote shows that the odyssey is more than just a journey and Odysseus taking an adventure and trying to make his way home; it’s about during this adventure what his loved ...
Revenge in The Iliad it the main theme and drives men to do things that they would not normally do. The main example of this is Achilles wanting revenge on Agamemnon. The first book of the Iliad explains that Achilles wants revenge because Agamemnon is forced to return Chryseis, his war bride, to her father, and he decides to take Achilles war bride from him. According to “Some Thoughts about the Origins of ‘Greek Ethics’”, by Nicholas D. Smith, “Agamemnon’s unjust affront to Achilles leads to and extraordinarily deadly retaliation, the ultimate outcome of which is that multitudes of these men’s innocent allies are killed unnecessarily”(smith 10). This is out of character for Achilles, who would normally be the first man into battle, not sitting one out. By “rejecting even the most earnest and impressive entreaties Agamemnon offers, and increasingly making decisions which are rationally indefensible”, he shows how much his wanting of revenge has turned him into a madman (smith 10). His only desire is to get revenge for his loss. It takes the death of Patroclus, his dear friend, to bring him back to the war, which he has left.
In the book the Iliad, The Odyssey, and Works and days, there are many things that can be similar when talking about Greek heroes and the world of Greek poetry. The stories and topics are describing similar events during this time of the eighth and seventh century B.C. In the end, however, they do have some differences in some parts when describing or explaining certain situations and ideas. The world of Greek heroes is written like a story; or Epic Poetry. That is what The Iliad and The Odyssey are; Epic Poetries. They are telling a story of a great hero and their adventures. On the other hand, the more realistic Greek World that is being described in Works and days is a Didactic poem, which tells more of a moral or message to the reader.