Imagine leaving your wealth, home, family, and even country behind for twenty years. While away, people will inevitably attempt to steal your possessions, seduce your spouse, and act as though you will never return. Most likely, more people will try to harm your estate than those who will continue working and behaving in an honest manner. This notion holds true in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. While Odysseus wages war and struggles to return to Ithaka , a multitude of suitors court his wife and live at the cost of his possessions. On the other hand, a few people like Eumaios remain steadfast to the truth and work to maintain Odysseus’ estate and possessions. Eumaios, Odysseus’ swineherd, embodies compassion, love, and loyalty. Throughout the poem, Homer portrays Eumaios as a compassionate character. Compassion, derived from the Greek word sympatheia and Latin term compassio, means feeling the suffering of another person. Essentially, Eumaios puts himself in the place of the misfortunate characters he encounters. To begin, when the Odysseus beggar arrives at the swineherd’s home, Eumaios tells him, “Come to the cabin. You’re a wanderer too. / You must eat something, drink some wine” (14.53-4). At this point, Eumaios does not know the true identity of the “wanderer.” He thinks the person merely needs his assistance. Not even knowing the person’s background, Eumaios benevolently invites the stranger into his home to give him food and shelter. In this same book, when the Odysseus beggar goes to sleep, “His own host threw over him / a heavy blanket cloak, his own reserve / against the winter wind” (616-8). Eumaios simply regards the needs and comfort of his guest over that of his own, as he thoughtfully places his cloak on the Ody... ... middle of paper ... ...uring this critical time. Lloyd Banks once remarked, “I take things like honor and loyalty seriously. It’s more important to me than any materialistic thing or any fame I could have.” Eumaios truly lives his life by these words. During the two decades of Odysseus’ absence, Eumaios chooses to be one of the only people to remain loyal to Odysseus. When all the other men are pursuing Penelope and worrying about obtaining wealth, Eumaios behaves as though Odysseus is still in Ithaka. He openly despises the suitors and eventually helps destroy them when Odysseus returns. Eumaios does not concern himself with wealth and possession. Instead, he follows his heart, which includes continuing the job entrusted to him, helping those in need, and standing up for what he believes in. Works Cited Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York, NY: Anchor, 1963. Print.
The circulation of treasure is a common element that is important to both Beowulf and the Odyssey’s plots. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is a revered and admired citizen of Greece. A great deal of his renown is due to ...
Identity is a theme that runs strongly throughout The Odyssey. While much of Homer's work is devoted to Odysseus' journey, an examination of his son Telemakhos provides an excellent example of character development. From the anxious and unconfident young man to which Book I opens to the courageous exactor of his father's estate, Telemakhos undergoes notable emotional maturation. The spiritual journey illustrated by Telemakhos, through his own personal odyssey, provides strong evidence that the epic is, indeed, about identity.
In book 9 of The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus was forced to make many critically important decisions. Although he made some wise decisions that portrayed his leader-like characteristics, many of his choices were poor ones that led to more difficulty along the journey. When Odysseus and his men entered the cave, his men wanted to raid Polyphemus’ cheese stores, and then return for the flocks. However, Odysseus was irrational and greedy, and told the Phaeacians this: “But I would not give way...not until I saw him, saw what gift’s he’d give” (9.256-58). By waiting for the lawless Cyclops to come back and grant the soldiers gifts, he and his men were put in danger, since Polyphemus was not friendly, nor was he willing to give them anything, and
Homer is a well-known author who is recognized for shaping Greek culture. While Homer wrote, he would call upon the muse which would help him spread knowledge throughout his works. These muses were known for their source of inspiration which would guide writers such as, Homer into writing great works. Two of his famous pieces are poems called The Iliad and The Odyssey that in respect are referred to as some of the greatest ancient Greek epics ever written. These literary works have influenced Greek culture greatly and have presented themes that people can relate to today. In The Odyssey, a Greek hero, Odysseus, journeys back home after the Trojan War. Throughout this long voyage, Odysseus meets many people who take him in out of their own courtesy and hospitality. Within this text, the re-occurring theme of hospitality has had much significance and has also made a presence in today’s society. Xenia was common in the Greek culture; however, changes throughout society have made this form of hospitality a smaller occurrence today.
In the intricate and complex epic poem, “The Odyssey”, Odysseus’s main goal was to reach his home, Ithaca. Even though all of his thoughts were turned towards his family and home, he learns many lessons along the way. Odysseus's greatest learning experiences were in his journey, not his destination. The quote “the experiences of the voyage itself were more meaningful for Odysseus than his arrival home,” truly depicts that Odysseus’s experiences and confrontations with others throughout the journey contributes to his moral values and life lessons.
The Odyssey, written by Homer, is an epic of the great adventures of Odysseus. It tells of the challenging travels form leaving his home to serve in the Trojan War, to his well-deserved return to Ithaca. Odysseus known as “the man of many wiles” endured many challenging tasks as he traveled in search of his once home. Leaving behind his wife Penelope and son Telemachus, he was forced to leave. Around the sixteenth year Odysseus was gone, many believed that their once great leader was left for dead on an unknown country or was never to return to the land of Ithaca once again. Soon the suitors of over a hundred filled the halls of Odysseus’s palace, trying to marry his beautiful wife Penelope. When the suitors arrived in Odysseus’s home, hectic times became twice or even triple times worse. The suitors walked over everyone as if they had now ruled the town of Ithaca. They did not care who they hurt, as long as they got what they wanted when they wanted it. They broke almost every law of the gods; soon they realized they would have to may for dearly. As Odysseus desperately tried to fight his way back to his homeland. However, every time he got close it seems that the power of the gods was holding him back. The gods affected almost every aspect of Odysseus return and travels. They pushed him away, gave him heartache, destroyed his crew, and demolished his ship, they almost got him killed on several occasions and saved him from death. The actions that Odysseus once faced shaped his return home, because of his own choices he was able to return home but it is also what caused him to remain lost for ten years.
Eumaeus, the loyal swineherd, introduces himself to a disguised Odysseus through a short speech on pages 303-304, lines 63 – 110. It is important to note that throughout the speech Eumaeus believes the identity of the disguised Odysseus is that of an old man wearing rags resembling that of a beggar. This speech exemplifies that the Greek culture during this time highly regards spirituality, hospitality, justice, vengeance, and the treatment of servants. Eumaeus’s personal values regarding loyalty, perseverance, and his ambitions are also revealed throughout his speech to Odysseus. The information provided throughout this speech is influential to the rest of the texts plot and impacts Odysseus’s decisions regarding how to deal with his estate.
He ultimately turns down his offer because he craves a deeper connection from Penelope’s love. Odysseus expresses his sorrow by saying, “My heart aches for the day I return home...” (Homer 235). His loyalty fueled by this love pushes him to take chances against gods, goddesses, and monsters. Calypso tries to sway him from leaving by suggesting that her beauty is greater than any wife he could have. Odysseus honorably replies with, “She’s only human, and you are a goddess, Eternally young. Still, I want to go back” (Homer 235). We have all been pushed to our limits in the hopes of reconnecting with something lost, and at times, it truly feels that we are invincible. Love runs deep through our veins, which gives us an unspeakable
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...
“A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true”; this Socratic idea demonstrates a very distinct concept of morality. It shows that morality is not to be based on emotion, but on logic. If a person chooses to use their emotions to fuel a system of morality, things could go downhill quickly. Just like Socrates had to choose between emotions and logic, in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, the protagonist Odysseus struggles between emotions and logic as he tries to get his crew back safely after the Trojan War has ended. As he embarks on his journey home, he is faced with many obstacles and options that question his ethical beliefs. As time goes by and more and more of his crew eventually die off, he successfully moves on past his setbacks and finds himself back in his kingdom of Ithaca, only to discover it crawling with suitors attempting to woo his wife, Penelope. Odysseus is mostly construed as a tragic war hero with many flaws. He finds himself in many life-threatening situations as a direct result of his actions, he is characterized by having too much pride, and he is unfaithful to his wife. However, Odysseus is very much so still a hero because he perseveres and has an internal drive that gets him home no matter what, despite the fact his hubris is one of his biggest hindrances, his pride gets his men out of many dangerous situations, and even though he is physically adulterous to his wife, he emotionally longs for her then entire time he tries to reach home.
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The
Being separated from someone for long periods of time is quite depressing, but imagine being away from your special someone for 20 years. The 10 years it took to fight the Trojan War were anything but easy for Odysseus, the hero of The Odyssey written by the poet Homer. The venture home was much worse due to encounters with monsters such as the Cyclops Polyphemus, raging storms, challenges from forceful gods and goddesses, and setbacks due to foolishness and pride. Odysseus displays many qualities through-out his journey home, some negative and others positive. In “The Homecoming,” Odysseus reveals his great courage, intelligence, and strength.
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.
Intro: There are a wide variety of themes present throughout the Odyssey, written by Homer. Be it hospitality, perseverance, vengeance or power of the Gods, loyalty is truly the theme that brings the whole book together. Being 10 years after the Trojan War, many have forgotten about Odysseus and his men as they constantly brave what the gods throw their way. This essay will be talking about Odysseus and Penelope’s mutual loyalty to one another, the loyal relationships between Gods and men and finally, the loyalty Odysseus’ men show for him until death. This essay with prove to us that without loyalty, Odysseus’ legendary journey would have been put to an end near where they started. The general theme of loyalty is what kept Odysseus motivated and determined.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.