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Achilles and Odysseus comparison
Character traits for odysseus in the beginning of the book
Character traits for odysseus in the beginning of the book
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Odysseus was a very robust individual who was obligated to leave his kingdom of Ithaca to embark on a journey to fight the battles of Greek and win over Troy. To do this, he was required to leave behind his newborn son Telemachus, and his wife Penelope the Queen. The war lasted 10 years, and once the battle was over Odysseus and his fleet split and attempted to sail back to Ithaca. There, he was favored by Athena, goddess of handicrafts, learning, and the arts, and despised by Poseidon, god of the sea. His journey back home went off track and Odysseus eventually returned home after 20 years. Throughout the journey, Odysseus encountered many different situations in which he made some respectable choices, but the poorer ones landed him in a pit of trouble.
Odysseus made a remarkable realization when he rejected Calypso’s proposal to become immortal. She wanted to lay with him and keep Odysseus on her island for herself. Odysseus declined Calypso's offer without even the slightest hesitation, comparing his wife Penelope to Calypso, “I am quite aware that my wife Penelope is nothing like so tall or so beautiful as yourself. She is only a woman, whereas you are an immortal.” (Homer 62) Calypso’s desire for Odysseus forced her to speak words to frighten him. "Ulysses, noble son of Laertes…but if you could only know how much suffering is in store for you before get back to your own country” (Homer 62) Odysseus held to his realization to remain determined drove forward making a boat like raft from the washed up materials on the back of the Island.
Odysseus’ determination pushed him past the limits of normal men while crossing the seas. His journey led him through many challenges that most men would not bear to complete. His mindset...
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... a minimal appearance of Odysseus. The Iliad focuses on the necessary qualities to be a champion, and most of the plot is based on a love triangle that manifested into a war, which eventually caused Hector’s death. The Odyssey illustrates the death of Achilles and is based around Odysseus trying to get home after the 10 years of battle at Troy. The Odyssey constantly stressed the concept of what it takes to be a true hero. Being physically strong is not everything; a man needs intelligence, gallantry, and perseverance to be considered as a true hero. Both pieces of literature exposed battles and challenges that the characters fought to overcome.
Works Cited
Homer, Samuel Butler, Andrew Lang, and Homer. The Iliad & the Odyssey. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1999. Print.
Homer, Robert Fagles, and Bernard Knox. The Iliad. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Viking, 1990. Print.
One of Odysseus's many qualities is determination. He remains determined throughout the entire saga to get back to his family. During Odysseus's Odyssey he encounters many obstacles, beast, god, and nature. Odysseus must get through all of these hardships before he can make it back to his family and home. On his way back Odysseus is next to Charybdis and she swallows his boat. He must holds on to the branches of a fig tree to survive, "But I clung grimly, thinking my mast and keel would come back to the surface when she spouted. And ah! How long, with what desiree, I waited! Till, at the twilight hour...the long poles at last reared from the sea"(12.560-64). Odysseus shows his determination to get home, because it would be easy for him to just let go and drown, but no Odysseus hangs on so he can see his wife again. Once he is at home he finds suitors at his house. Odysseus kills one of them and the others beg for mercy, ??Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold put up by others, would I hold my hand??(22.65-67). Odysseus is determined to get revenge on all of the suitors and he will not be satisfied until they are all dead. Without his strong will and determination Odysseus would not have made it through his trials. Although determination is a must for a journey such as Odysseus?s cunning is also just as essential.
Homer, The Odyssey, The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, ed. Maynard Mack, Expanded Edition, (New York: W. W. Norton, 1995), pp. 219-503.
Heubeck, Alfred, Stephanie West, and J.B. Hainsworth. A Commentary on Homer's Odyssey. New York: Oxford UP, 1988.
In conclusion, Odysseus conveys the qualities of a true hero, He shows fortitude, bravery and he portrays qualities of management. Odysseus shows these qualities throughout the journey in which he faced many challenging people and places. However, Odysseus overcomes each and every one by having only one set goal: to get home. As long as he reached that goal, nothing could stop him. Like a true hero, Odysseus never lost these traits, no matter how bad of a mess he was in.
Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. The Odyssey of Homer. New York: Harper & Row, 1967. Print.
Odysseus was an epic hero depicted in the Homer's The Odyssey. He responded to the call to travel to Troy to help Agamemnon get Helen. He encountered great confrontation along the way. He fought the Cicones, the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, the witch goddess Circe, the lonely Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the Sun, and Calypso. He and his men traveled great distances under severe circumstances. Odysseus answers a second call to return home to his family. He returns a more mature warrior and a wiser man. Because of this he is able to conquer the suitors and reclaim his palace and his family. As in all Greek literature, the epic hero Odysseus answers a call to action, suffers through great confrontation, and returns with a better understanding of life.
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus’ heroic deeds are recounted through a narrative, written by Homer, that describes his arduous journey of his return from the Trojan war to his homeland of Ithaca. Loyalty, patience, and determination, are necessary traits to survive the perilous, painstaking journey that Odysseus embarks upon to return to his native land. Loyalty is exhibited when Odysseus goes to rescue his crewmen on Kirke’s Island despite the probability of jeopardizing his own life. Odysseus presents patience throughout the entirety of his journey, but most specifically when his crew opens the bag of wind, which causes much regression on the embark homeward. Determination is displayed when Odysseus is on Calypso’s island.
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
Homer. The Illiad. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces: Expanded Edition?Volume I. ed. by Maynard Mack. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995.
After his near decade captivity and escape from Calypso, Odysseus faces many challenges in his attempt to return to Ithaca. Arguably, being held captive so long may have been a shameful period, although being a sex slave for a beautiful goddess wasn’t the worst thing imaginable. With the lack of help from and trust in the gods, Odysseus had heavy weight on his shoulders that would decide whether his fate would be shameful or honorable. A quote from Zeus emphasized this, “Odysseus shall come back by the convoy neither of the gods nor of mortal people, but he shall sail on a jointed raft and, suffering hardships, on the twentieth day make his landfall on fertile Scheria at the country of the Phaiakians who are near the gods in origin, and they will honor him in their hearts as a god, and send him back, by ship, to the beloved land of his fathers, bestowing bronze and hold in abundance upon him, and clothing, more than Odysseus could ever have taken away from Troy, even if he had escaped unharmed with his fair share of the plunder” (Odyssey 5, 30-40). The gods here place trust in the abilities of Odysseus, even though he would very much appreciate some help. Although Odysseus is mortal, he is comparable to immortal heroes due to his strength and leadership. A quality of his that is notable for a great leader was that he wouldn’t ask of his men something he wouldn’t do himself. At times though, he
Homer. ?The Odyssey,? World Masterpieces: Expanded Edition. Maynard Mack ed. Ed. Coptic St.: Prentice, 1995.
Homer. The Odyssey: Fitzgerald Translation. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print.
Homer. "The Odyssey." The Norton Anthology: World Literature. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W.
The relationship between Odysseus and his wife Penelope is one of loyalty, love, and faith. Both characters are driven by these characteristics. Odysseus displays his loyalty in his constant battle to get home to his wife. This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. Odysseus spent 20 years trying to return to his home in Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. Along the way he manages to offend both gods and mortals, but through his intelligence, and the guidance of Athena, he manages to finally return home. There he discovers that his home has been overrun by suitors attempting to win Penelope’s hand in marriage. The suitors believed that Odysseus was dead. Odysseus and his son, Telemachus,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984. Segal, Charles.