In Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Lotos-Eaters,” the speaker—whom we can assume to be Tennyson himself, since the poem’s diction does not indicate his presence in the story—relates his version of an episode of Homer’s Odyssey. After many days or months of being cast about by the sea, Odysseus’ crew reaches an enchanted island, “a land where all things always [seem] the same” (l. 24). And although they are used to lives of adventure, conquest and action, brave Odysseus’ men fall into a state of inaction, a brooding melancholy, and resolve to roam the earth no more—not even long enough to return home. Instead, once they eat the lotos, the Greek warriors of legend immediately prefer a life of idleness to the life of toil that they have previously experienced. This poem, then, despite being written in the nineteenth century, an age characterized by an almost universal sense of devotion to duty, suggests that the trouble that one must inevitably endure in life far outweighs any satisfaction industriousness can provide.
The poem begins at sea, presumably after Odysseus’ men have been sailing for some length of time; their leader, spying land in the distance, attempts to console the weary sailors: “Courage! This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon” (ll.1-2). Here the sailors are presented in a state natural to their lifestyles—that is, one of heroic, masculine action—but that is all about to change; for “[i]n the afternoon they [come] unto a land/In which it [always seems to be] afternoon” (ll. 3-4), a sleepy land that never changes. Tennyson’s description of the island highlights the unnaturally torpid aura of the land itself—by attributing adjectives such as “languid” (l. 5) and “slumbrous” (l. 13) to the air and water of the...
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...ctators of the world around them, to separate themselves entirely from the rest of the world; and they are perfectly content living life this way because they possess the satisfaction of not having to cope with the struggles of everyday life, while they yet retain memories of the noble lives of action that they once lived. Indeed, it is the “[living] again in memory” (l. 110), characterized by a “mild-eyed melancholy” (l. 109), that affords them this apparent satisfaction with lives of inaction. In other words, sweet memories from their pasts, along with assurance of not having to face the future, yield the bitter-sweet feeling that is the effect of eating the lotos. It is no wonder, then, that when presented with the choice of either re-entering a world of uncertainty or sitting upon a beach, enjoying a life of rest from woe, that they ultimately choose the latter.
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 ...
Of all the heroic traits such as honor and glory, given to the reader through Homer’s epic poems loyalty seems to be the strongest, as with Patroclus in the Iliad, so it is with Penelope, Telemachus, and Eumaeus in the Odyssey. Through the use of these characters loyalty is demonstrated to Odysseus, the hero if the poem. Their undying loyalty and devotion to the warring hero gives perfect examples of how humans should act to those they claim to be faithful too.
In The Odyssey written by Homer and translated by Richard Lattimore, several themes are made evident, conceived by the nature of the time period, and customs of the Greek people. These molded and shaped the actual flow of events and outcomes of the poem. Beliefs of this characteristic were represented by the sheer reverence towards the gods and the humanities the Greek society exhibited, and are both deeply rooted within the story.
Odysseus faced a hard battle in Troy and in Book IX, he narrates how he and his men travelled back home to Ithaca. When Odysseus and his men land in the Cyclopes’ land, they witness how fertile the giants’ untilled lands are, and how they have plentiful of sheep and goats. Odysseus knows the giants are “for they may be wild savages, and lawless, or hospitable and god fearing men” (Homer 150). However, the abundance of food and livestock was enough motivation for them to risk their lives. Edith Hamilton’s book—Mythology, analyzes the characters and themes of the mysticism of Greek epics. She explains that the Cyclopes were the only survivors of the initial “monstrous forms of life” (Hamilton 79). On the other hand, she describes that the Cyclopes lived plentifully because they were hard workers and manufactured Zeus’ thunderbolts, which pleased Zeus to the extent of providing them with a “fortunate country” (Hamilton 105).
...happens, it all happens for the best. That everything that is done is a given test that you must achieve in order to reach your destiny. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture, which is shown throughout the entire story and in our everyday lives. Through this story, one can see that all of this is true, whether you believe it or not. These tests can be shown through an epic simile by Homer saying, "As a man hides a brand in a dark bed of ashes, at some outlying farm where neighbors are not near, hoarding a seed of fire to save his seeking elsewhere, even so did Odysseus hide himself in leaves"(54). This shows the symbolism that the ocean is Odysseus’ tests and he hides under the leaves in order to hide from the tests. But in the end, the tests help him and make everything well.
In Tennyson's poem, a man who fought in the battle of Troy is on his way home, but the journey is not easy. He faces many obstacles, and his home is being destroyed. Nevertheless, he makes it back in time to restore order for his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. Beth Gaboury describes this in her writing: “The poem ‘Ulysses’ by Alfred Tennyson is a narrative of the Greek mythology hero Ulysses, also known as Odysseus. In this poem, Ulysses describes his deep urge to go out into the wild unknown and seek out one last adventure - one last hurrah.
While mortals do not unjustly complain about their fates, they fail to acknowledge that they are also responsible for their ill fate, as mortals themselves, possess a sizable degree of control. There is little doubt that Odysseus and his crew are unlucky, but had it not been for their brash decisions they would have reached Ithaca much sooner. After Od...
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.
Have you ever been away from home for a long period of time? The main character Odysseus from Homer’s The Odyssey has been away from his kingdom fighting in Troy and sailing from island to island for twenty years. While at sea, Odysseus deals with both alienating and enriching experiences as he is surrounded by monsters who want to eat him and his men, and women who want him to love them. Odysseus survives the troubling situations and finally realizes how much he misses the love of his wife who is caring loving, and patient. She gave birth to his son who he has not yet met, which makes him anxious to return to his kingdom. Sometimes being away from what you think are the little things can give you a better perspective of what is around you.
In Homer’s Odyssey Odysseus shows his yearning for adventure and that challenging himself brings him happiness through his actions not his thoughts. Even in the clutches of a raging cyclopes Odysseus’ accepts the challenge at hand and persevere through the loss of some of his men. “My name is Nohbdy,” he tells Polyphemus who is drunk from the liquor Odysseus had given him before. The giant “reeled and tumbled backward,”. He son fell asleep and the next stages of his plan fell into place. When the sharpened log was hot enough for his liking he and a few other men “bored that great eye socket,”(380). Instead of letting his men die while he cracked under the pressure Odysseus remained calm and allowed himself to think. Having achieved his goal of defeating the mighty cyclopes he rejoiced in his valiancy. Odysseus exuded happiness when most of his men got out alive. Odysseus’ habits of getting his men into seemingly inescapable predicaments continues on the island of Cersei. At the gate of the witch’s island his need for adventure takes the best of his judgement. Against the advice of Eurylochus Odysseus “rushes to save his men from the enchantress,” (387). Odysseus’ need for thrill and excitement draws him onto the island. He knows that he will suffer the same fate but makes a decision in the heat of the moment that could've made him unable to return home, but he wasn’t thinking of home, he purely wanted to get his men back. Throughout his journey Odysseus perfectly represents the bond between a man’s adventures and the challenges they bring to
Being a work of importance in the western tradition of philosophy, The Odyssey is much more than some play written by Homer ages ago. Though The Odyssey certainly is a dramatic work and partially intended for entertainment, it also provides insight into the ways of thinking of the time it has been written in. Aside from illustrating the perspective of early Greek philosophy The Odyssey also raises certain questions pertaining to virtues and the morality of actions undertaken therein. Such questions and the pursuit of their answers may also lead to a better understanding of the actions taken in present-day society and the human condition in general. One of the virtues that is present throughout The Odyssey is temperance, or the lack thereof. In the course of Odysseus' journey, numerous events take place which are determined by the actions of Odysseus' himself, as well as those of his shipmates. In fact, the endeavor here is to portray how the delays and troubles encountered by Odysseus and his crew are due to their inability to exhibit proper self-restraint in conduct, expression, and indulgence of the appetites. This is undertaken in the proceeding text by an examination of two specific episodes from Homer's The Odyssey. The first episode being Book X of The Odyssey, entitled "The Grace of the Witch", containing Odysseus' encounter with the goddess Kirke. The second being Book V under the title of "Sweet Nymph and Open Sea," of how Odysseus departs the island of the nymph Kalypso. Both episodes are intended to demonstrate the importance of temperance in the journeys of Odysseus.
Second of all, in the poem “Lake Isle of Innisfree”, the reader sometimes fails to understand what is really happening. “I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water...
Upon the isle of Circe, the crew had been tasked under Eurylochos to discover the circumstances of the witch at the center of the island. But only Eurylochos returned to tell the tale of their capture, how Circe, “asked them to come in; they all followed her, in their innocence … but she put deadly drugs in the mess, to make them wholly forget their native land” (117). The rest of the crew gave into the temptation of the beautiful Circe, drawn into her house despite warned caution in their scouting. It also stands as a bit of irony that the man who would lead the crew into their eventual demise was the only one to stand strong and suspect that not everything was as they appeared with Circe. Among the lotus eaters, the crew was tasked with learning more about the island’s native people. But upon finding them the men, “tasted that honey-sweet fruit, they thought no more of coming back to us with news, but chose rather to stay … and chew their lotus, and [say] good-bye to home” (102). The lack of caution among Odysseus’s sailors leads to their loss of individualism as they attain a death of a sorts, unable to live as men and incapable of attaining kleos. These reckless and unwise actions taken by each of the sailors was done in their greed for an immortality through remembrance but ultimately provided nothing but their
“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.
It may be difficult to understand how the Odyssey, a 2,700 year old epic poem about gods and monsters, could ever symbolize life today. The Odyssey does, however, parallel to a journey of life because of the decisions made by Odysseus and decisions I will make as well as the trials he endured and the challenges I will face. Some of the obstacles I will endure in the future, including high school and college, may not be as serious as the monsters Odysseus had to face, nevertheless, they are still everyday situations that I must learn from.