How Did Greek Culture Influence The Odyssey

301 Words1 Page

This essay is trying to expose the ways Greek culture influenced the Odyssey. Religion, A household run by a male, and the idea of a true hero led to the creation of The Odyssey. For this paragraph I will talk about religion. The greeks were polytheistic. Polytheistic means that you worship many gods. Some of the gods that they worshiped were Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, ect. They were worshipped on Mount Olympus. Poseidon and Athena play a big role in The Odyssey. One of Homer's ideas was dues ex machina, which means that a god swoops down and solves your problems and makes peace. I know one led to the other because the events in real life led to the creation of the event in The Odyssey. For the second paragraph I will talk about the

Show More
Related

  • Mind Over Matter: An Epic Struggle

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Ancient Greeks knew that to survive in their ever-evolving society, a person would needed to live more practically, putting more of an emphasis on learning and knowledge than of strength and power. If looked at in this light, The Odyssey can be viewed as an example of Ancient Greek society communicating to it's people the evolution of society itself.

    Read More

  • Important Role of Women in Homer's Odyssey

    1720 Words  | 4 Pages

    For the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as a cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined. This book, much more so than its counterpart The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Achean's peacetime civilization. Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and—importantly—man and woman. Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative. Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men.

    Read More

  • Ancient Greek Theater In The Curmudgeon By Meander

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    One thing Ancient Greece was known for was its religion. In Greece the religion was based mostly on myths (“Religion”). There was a god or goddess that represented a different role in the everyday life of a Greek citizen (“Religion”). Each deity was believed to provide and protect for the people of Greece (“Religion”). “To receive benefits from the gods, they had to offer prayers, sacrifices, and gifts” (“Religion”). Each citizen had to respect the areas where the gods and goddesses were believed to have lived (“Religion”). “Each city had their own patron god or goddess” (“Religion”). Also, each city had temples and altars for their patron god or goddess (“Religion”). “Religious festivals were an important part of the social life of ancient Greek cities” (“Religion”). To worship their deity people held public and private ceremonies for them (“Religion”). They’re 12 major gods and goddesses: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus, Hermes, and Hestia (“Religion”). Even though they are the most worshipped deities, the Greeks worshipped Prometheus, the god of civilization and technology (“Technology”).

    Read More

  • Themes of the Odyssey

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the Odyssey there are many themes that Homer uses to portray different people and events. To name a few, there are the themes of Betrayal and Revenge,Greed and Glutony, Hospitality, Role of the Gods and Wealth (the amount of money one had determined the status he held in the greek society, and this explains Odysseus's love for plunder).

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ancient Greeks have brought upon numerous ideas, inventions, and stories to the world. Greek mythology influences modern day literature and life. The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer, which tells the story of Odysseus's journey home after the Trojan War. Odysseus does not achieve his goal of reaching home so easily; monsters and gods come in his way and hinder him. The Odyssey expresses Greek values of hospitality from the customs of Ithaca, humility from Odysseus’s reform, and loyalty from Odysseus’s family.

    Read More

  • How the Greek Revered Their Gods

    3757 Words  | 8 Pages

    These aspects of their culture have made a significant contribution to their quality of life. Moreover, these topics will be examined in relation to the twelve Olympian gods and their associates. The ancient Greeks practiced a religion that was, in effect, a building block to many ensuing pagan religions. This religion revolved around their reverence for the gods. Essentially, the Greeks worshipped numerous gods, making their religion polytheistic.

    Read More

  • Comparing Homer's Odyssey and Everyday Life

    1382 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for certain characteristics everyday of their lives, whether they realize it or not; and The Odyssey is just one of those many miraculous tests.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey by Homer

    1327 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer’s The Odyssey reflects the time period of the 8th Century, BC in Greece. The Greek society and its culture’s predominant values were athleticism, hospitality, ingenuity, intuition, justice, loyalty, respect and teamwork. These values are reflected throughout the Odyssey and its characters. The text communicates to the responder, that within this society it was very much expected of the men to prove themselves, most often through a task or completing a quest. The completion of their trial, signified their transition into true manhood. Much like the elements of the archetypal quest, a man living in the Homeric society would go through many trials and experiences...

    Read More

  • Women in The Odyssey

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ow Greek civilization was founded by women; they were the ones who gave birth to the heroes. Similarly, The Odyssey is a story created by women. The plot revolves around the actions of women. Athena orchestrates all the events. The seductresses, such as Circe, the sirens, and Calypso, attempt to stop Odysseus from reaching home. The helpmeets, such as Nausicaa, Arete, and Athena, aid Odysseus in his homecoming. The wise and virtuous Penelope is the object of Odysseus’ quest. Unlike Helen who forsakes her husband, Penelope remains faithful. Unlike Clytemnestra who assassinates her husband, Penelope patiently waits for Odysseus. She becomes a model of female patience and of female intelligence. Her craftiness is the only one which can match up to Odysseus’. The Odyssey presents a wide array of women and demonstrates the influence that women have in the life of a hero.

    Read More

  • Identity In The Odyssey

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    I chose to write my essay on the topic of the theme of identity in Homer’s the Odyssey. The theme of identity is presented quite frequently throughout the Odyssey, and is a key component of the story. By reading the Odyssey, we learn that identity was a huge part of social dynamics in Ancient Greece. This is why I chose this theme for the thesis of my essay.

    Read More

  • Treatment Of Women In The Odyssey Essay

    1329 Words  | 3 Pages

    The theme of women in the Odyssey is essential in establishing one of the if not the main message in the poem. The paradoxical messages give insights into the lives of the characters and generalizations into the reader's lives. Although this theme would have a noticeable affect on the poem in its absence, it is odd that in a story about war and adventure that they hold such dominating roles. In the setting of the Odyssey, women did not have a status that measured up to that of a man. However, whether seen as demonic or angelic they still hold in the example of Odysseus a significant role in the determination of the final fate of a man.

    Read More

  • Varying Cultural Structures in Homer's The Illiad and The Odyssey

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    Greek mythology deals significantly with culture and its factors, as they describe the societies and the people inhabiting it by depicting their everyday life and the state of their land. Both Hephaestus, in Homer’s Iliad, and Odysseus, in Homer’s The Odyssey, set out to portray the cultures that they saw, yet the cultures and societies varied greatly, from Hephaestus illustrating the highly developed societies of the Greek and their culture; while on the other hand, Odysseus seems baffled by how underdeveloped the Cyclopes land and culture is. Hephaestus and Odysseus seem to have the same understanding what is normal of a culture, society, and their factors; however, there are noteworthy variations between their accounts.

    Read More

  • Greek Culture as Exhibited in "The Odyssey"

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many diverse cultures are found in every corner of the world. Every culture is defined by its traditions and values. The film “The Odyssey,” depicts the culture of the ancient Greeks where it illustrates the life of a man, Odysseus, who has gone on a journey just to get back to his kingdom. Many values and traditions could be identified through the path of the journey. Some elements that are found important to the Greeks are the music, the religion, and the duty to the kingdom.

    Read More

  • The Contributions and Achievements of the Ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans

    396 Words  | 1 Pages

    The ancient Greeks did not contribute in religion so much as the Hebrews did, their contributions were more towards writings and art, great epic poems, and democracy. Some of the greatest philosophers came from Greece, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Homer, also Greek, wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, two of the greatest works of all time, and also some of the more accurate records we have of life in that period of time. The government of Athens became the basis for many of the governments of society today. Their idea of a government run by the people was revolutionary and quite effective; their democracy was unique in its time. The Greeks also gave us the Phoenician writing system; they also had a polytheistic religion, sacrificing things to different Gods to gain the favor, respect or merely to please that particular God. The main contribution of the Greeks was their writings, and their philosophy to modern times. The Greeks also were responsible for building a library to hold some of their greatest works in Egypt, one of the first of its kind.

    Read More

  • The Iliad and the Odyssey

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    In these two classic, epic poems told by Homer, the roles of the gods are very important to the characters and their journey throughout the books. It is always a positive or negative effect but the gods’ interference on mortals’ lives makes this an epic journey that has been remembered for thousands of years. The Iliad and the Odyssey are very different from each other in that the Iliad has more gods that effect the war and its outcome whereas the Odyssey only has two major gods that effect two characters.

    Read More

More about How Did Greek Culture Influence The Odyssey

Open Document