If you look at art representing Ancient Greece – Contemporary or otherwise, you see large muscular men deep at though or speaking with skill to a crowd. In the eyes of the Greeks men needed to aspire to the wit of Odysseus, the skills of Achilles and, fulfill the duties of their station. The array of skills, traits, and actions that make for an ideal man in the Homeric epics vary from our own values in some ways, but there are similar to modern universal desires for men from women and can be observed in the ancient text. Not only could this collection serve as guidance for a time travelling Bachelor, it is useful in understanding what qualities men were told to strive toward in their own endeavors. They ideas put forth are proven as valuable …show more content…
Odysseus is known for his romantic encounters and his strength, but among the Mycenaean troops at Troy his most admirable asset seems to be his wily wit and skills as an orator. Whether he is motivating a war torn band to,” hear the words of men better than them, [for] they are weak and lack courage, [they are] worthless in war or counsel,” or lashing at the insufferable Thersites,” None are baser than you,” he says, “[who] followed the Atreidae to Troy, so you least of all should sound a king’s name with your tongue,” The men around Odysseus in this moment rally with Odysseus – am man of high arête, whom they respect. Odysseus not only shows the value of his guile through his speech, he demonstrates intellects importance to Greek culture as he chastises Thersite’s demeaning challenge to his superiors. In Greek culture public speaking, and intellect are very important, a man without these babbles, a man like Odysseus who demonstrates,” cleverness in counsel, and strategy,” has great value in Greek society. Not only by observation, but direct quotation from contemporary sources. The men around Odysseus applaud him for taking down the obnoxious Thersites, speaking well of his character and standing in Greek …show more content…
Kings are expected to rule over their people, their home and kin absolutely and bring them great time. The standing of the family’s reputation last longer than any mans life, so Kings invest in what they will leave behind to their son, and what will be said of them when they die. Kings have great things expected of them, think to Agamemnon, who in his dreams conquers the great city of Troy, snatching it from its ruler King Priam, a dream of King so moved the Acheans, they followed his greatness to war.” Common folk are also held to very high standards of work,” both gods and men are angry with a man who lives idle,” a crime for laziness that earns the wrath of the gods (a clear moral dictation) is no small matter, Greek men must work hard through this they will earn Arête and great riches. Just as a common man must find individual wealth, a king must obtain the same for his Oikos, poverty is shameful
As seen throughout The Odyssey, a hero is perceived as a person who achieves great success never before seen and whose legacy lives beyond their years. Since The Odyssey was written around the eighth century BCE, the people that we view as heros in present day tend to embody different traits than the heroes of that time. Even though the word, “hero” does not have one specific definition, a hero is generally categorized as someone who is idolized for their bravery and does anything necessary to defend their people. Although Odysseus embodies the Homeric ideals of heroism in that he accomplishes triumphs that others have not, his successes are the product of divine intervention and his actions were primarily selfish; therefore, he is not a true
In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus must face many obstacles on his journey. He is only able to conquer them because of his wonderful qualities. He meets, a Cyclopes, Sirens, a six-headed monster, a regurgitating whirlpool, and a group of greedy, lovesick men. Some Odysseus's more important qualities are, determination, cunning, and protecting.
The majority of those who read The Odyssey consider the protagonist of the story, Odysseus, a hero. On many occasions, however, Odysseus makes decisions beneficial to himself alone. For example, when Odysseus and his men find themselves on Polyphemus's island, Odysseus's actions are self-centered and at the expense of his men. This can be said for most of Odysseus's actions in the story, as his main objective is to reach his home. Having his men by his side when he returns seems a trivial thing to him. Odysseus could be considered a hero, but many of his actions say otherwise. Due to the many unfaithful and self-centered decisions he makes in the story, Odysseus is not a hero.
The introduction to this tale reveals a great deal of the importance of eloquence in speech, in this culture. Within moments of speaking Odysseus makes clear how important it is to speak well by comparing his ability to speak to the same abilities possessed by gods. Throughout this tale gods are used as a benchmark of the greatness of an individual, therefore for Odysseus to claim that his eloquence is the same as that of the gods is a bold claim and one he is certain he can back up. In the same introduction, Odysseus declares he is known for “all manner of wiles” (303).
This shows that Odysseus’ self-serving nature extends beyond material greed into the equally sinful realm of pride. In a classic display of hubris, Odysseus taunts the Cyclopes fulfilling the sole purpose of stroking Odysseus’s ego. At first it appears that our hero is lacking foresight, but Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name in hopes that tales of his cunning will spread throughout Greece: a very selfish goal, directly resulting in the endangerment of the lives of both him and his men throughout the remainder of their travels.
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.
The Character Odysseus in Odyssey "Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it was first composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so is because of the hero, Odysseus. Odysseus was one of the first Greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as his muscles. Indeed he is a man with an inquiring mind, and he is also a man with outstanding prowess and bravery" (123helpme.com/assets/3603.html). "We also must not forget that he is a top-notch athlete which only adds more to this seemingly insuperable character.
This tale coincides with the times in Greece. This was a time that art and Philosophy were extremely important and respected by the people. Odysseus was a new type of hero that didn’t win by overpowering his opponents, but by using his mind to outwit them. Manners also seemed to play an important role to Odysseus, as he was learned to be polite and generous to strangers and in the end punished those who weren’t.
When Odysseus and his men reach the island, Aiolos is hesitant at first to seek out Kirke and he wants to turn back. However, some of Odysseus’ men decide to seek her out anyways. When they go to her place, she greets them with a feast and wine. However, even though it looked like she was being nice, she was actually drugging them and she turned them into pigs. “bodies, voices, heads, and bristles, all swinish now, though minds were still unchanged” (264-265). So, even though their bodies appeared as swine, their minds were still as they were before. This could be more creul because they still felt that they were human, and they still had all of their memories, but they were still pigs. After she turns them into pigs, she then violates xenia even more by feeding them pig food, rather than human food.
Odysseus is one of the very many prominent characters in Homer’s Epic poems, The Illiad, and The Odyssey. Odysseus has been famed one of the more relatable characters from Homer’s writing, as well as one of the Greatest Greek Mythology Heroes. Homer’s Epic poems highlight many periods of shame and honor for Odysseus. The character analysis of Odysseus through the poem’s timeline shows vast developments and heroic features appear to take form in him. The Illiad portrayed Odysseus as more of a secondary figure behind Agamemnon and Achilles. In contrast, The Odyssey portrayed Odysseus as a hero in the form of an average human.
However, Pericles, the Athenian politician who started the Golden Age of Athens, set out to give a less destructive option. Pericles devoted his life to make Athens great, and his passion for the city shows in his funeral oration given after the first battles of the Peloponnesian war. He showed that he deeply cared about Athens and its citizens: “When a man is gone, all are wont to praise him, and should your merit be ever so transcendent, you will still find it difficult not merely to overtake, but even to approach their renown. The living have envy to contend with, while those who are no longer in our path are honoured with a goodwill into which rivalry does not enter. On the other hand, if I must say anything on the subject of female excellence to those of you who will now be in widowhood, it will be all comprised in this brief exhortation. Great will be your glory in not falling short of your natural character; and greatest will be hers who is least talked of among the men, whether for good or for bad (Thucydides, page 117)”. Pericles restated the ideas of self-sacrifice for arête, but instead of focusing on that aspect, instead he chose to make sure that the Greek peoples did not deviate from who they were; they would not change themselves for anyone, they would remain Greek and proud until the day they die. In Pericles’ mind,
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...
When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.
the works are depicting an ideal Greek person performing a noble act not just a mundane
Homer’s The Odyssey is a Greek story that follows the journey of its primary character, Odysseus, back to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many challenges in his journey home, from encounters with Polyphemus the Cyclops, the witch Circe and even the ghosts of dead Greeks. Meanwhile, his household in Ithaca is being threatened by suitors of his wife, Penelope, all wanting to inherit Odysseus’ possessions in the belief that he was already dead. Like many epic heroes, Odysseus possesses many admirable qualities. Three good characteristics of Odysseus are—cleverness, bravery and strength—here are some supporting instances from the epic that demonstrates Odysseus possession of such characteristics.