The Appeal of Home
In the Greek camp at the end of the Iliad, we see Achilleus arrive at the conclusion that is the theme of the entire poem—that to be mortal is to suffer. However, Homer leaves unanswered the logical question regarding this conclusion: If to live is to suffer, then why live at all? This then becomes the central question of the Odyssey, in which we are given an entirely different kind of character who rejects two distinct possibilities—an immortal relationship and a utopian community—for his own “wife and his homecoming” (I, 13). The question we are then compelled to ask is, what could Penelope and his Ithakan household possibly offer that is worth more than utopia and immortality? To illustrate what Odysseus could’ve had, Homer shows us a contrast for each aspect of Odysseus’s longing—a couple and a community. Through these contrasts, we are shown just why these options don’t measure up for Odysseus.
The immortal couple is embodied in the marriage of Helen and Menelaos, who have been promised the equivalent of eternal bliss in the Elysian Fields. While Menelaos had his homecoming delayed, he never had to resist temptation along the way. The Trojan War and the journey back are nostalgic stories for him, to be recounted for guests as a means of recapturing the past glory of fighting. And Helen, unlike Penelope, certainly has never been one to spurn attractive men and remain loyal to her husband, or to anything at all for that matter. She could not even choose a side in a war fought ostensibly for her sake (IV, 250-284). It is meaningful that, rather than have to deal with the guests’ weeping, she slips something in their drinks to prevent their show of emotion (IV, 219-227). Helen avoids connection with men while her husband wants only to connect with the past. Once guaranteed immortality, there is no pressing need for either of them to attempt the extraordinarily difficult task of truly understanding one another because there is always time for that later. This is the marriage that Odysseus could’ve had had he stayed with Kalypso, but he understands its emptiness and refuses it, instead choosing a woman whom he knows has spent the interceding years resisting men whom Helen would’ve jumped right into bed with.
But Odysseus returns for more than just the single meaningful relationship between himself and Penelope.
Firstly, Penelope who plays Odysseus’s wife is alone tending to her city Ithica until her husband returns. Meanwhile Odysseus is out fighting in the Trojan War and against many of the Greek God’s who are trying to make his trip back home as eventful and hard as possible; “…work out his journey home so Odysseus can return” (Homer 276). While King Odysseus is away Penelope is to deal with a bunch of suitors who are eating and trashing out Ithica, “…if those suitors have truly paid in blood for all their reckless outrage” (559). In order for Penelope to keep peace until Odysseus returns she has to come up with a clever plan to keep the suitors from completely taking over. For almost 2 years Penelope was able to keep the suitors from getting out of hand by saying she will find someone to marry and replace Odysseus after she is d...
Although Homer’s The Odyssey is a tale of Odysseus’s heroic quest to return to Ithaca, the women in it play an equal, if not more important role. The saying “behind every great man is an even greater woman” rings true throughout The Odyssey. In Ancient Greek culture, one’s glory is based off of the geras they acquire; for men that glory included women. In Penelope, Odysseus found the perfect match, both intellectually and hospitably; she is clever, cunning and faithful. Penelope, along with other mortal and immortal women such as Athena, challenge the view of women during this time because Homer presented Penelope as a strong woman rather than the submissive character she is expected to be.
She is loyal, having waited for Odysseus for twenty years, not remarrying, though she thought he was gone for good. She also plays a much more active role in the marriage she has with Odysseus. Perhaps the most defining characteristics attributed to Penelope involve her role as a woman, in marriage and as a presumed “widow”. First, there seems to be a double standard, like described in Calypso’s case, between the loyalty of Penelope and the loyalty of Odysseus. Penelope is physically and emotionally loyal to Odysseus, while Odysseus is only emotionally loyal, meaning he has had sexual relations with other women within the twenty years he has been gone. During this time period in Greek culture, this was not frowned upon and was quite normal, suggesting that women were held to a different standard than men. In addition, as Penelope is presumed to be a widow, at least by the suitors, she is prized solely for her beauty. The suitors speak only of her beauty and none of her intelligence or of her personality or soul. This suggests that marriage was not always about love, and that women were judged and valued merely for their beauty. This idea further proves the act of sexualizing women during this
However, his journey isn’t over yet. This last leg of Odysseus’s journey is perhaps the most important and crucial. Odysseus’s nurse and maidservant, Eurycleia is the first woman in Ithaca to know that Odysseus is back after she recognizes the scar on his leg while she is washing him. Eurycleia vows to keep his identity a secret. Odysseus’s wife, Penelope has stayed faithful to Odysseus for all the years that he was gone. Penelope was consistently unweaving her web to the delay the suitors. The reader even grows sympathetic for Penelope as “we see her struggle to make the virtuous choice about her marriage, despite pressures from her suitors, her son’s endangered situation, and her own uncertainty about Odysseus’s survival” (Foley ). Finally, Odysseus reveals his identity and Penelope is bewildered, but quickly embraces her husband after he tells her the secret of their immovable bed. It is the faithfulness of Penelope and nurse Eurycleia that insures Odysseus’s survival to the very end.
Winthrop stood tall among his peers and the community as he was acquitted. Upon his acquittal he felt is necessary to explain to the community how he was justified in what he had done. More specifically, how he was justified in exiling two residents of Hingham. Winthrop chose to speak of liberty. He speaks of not one, but two liberties; natural and moral. These two liberties contrast in both origin and in guidance.
...jumps between Willy's daydreams and reality and how totally plausible it all is. In an average day, distractions do appear in my thoughts, and Arthur Miller really did a good job of showing these random transitions. The story is also real in that the family frequently explodes on each other. I am not too enthralled by the play, only because it is not the kind of story I really adhere to, but I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested. I am more for action and adventure than this tale of a "housewife." Otherwise, I would honestly rate this book a five, so there is nothing I severely disliked. Along the same course, there is nothing for me to change if there is nothing outstandingly wrong or misplaced. Finally, I do not think this book or the story inside is similar to many other books I have read. I also doubt this kind of story is too common in book at all.
Consequently, the actions of Adam and Eve have opened the doors for the two types of evil we see today, moral and natural. “Natural evil is the consequence of moral evil” (Elwell,...
When people realize that good and evil are just points of view that are placed on other people and actions, it is possible to transcend these superficial roles. Since it is people who create the meaning of evil, it cannot be said that people are evil, or are born evil, because not only is that a perspective that is assumed onto others, which will change with different cultures, societies, and eras, but the very same acts may appear to be both good and evil, depending on the perspective in which the acts are seen. Ultimately, it is the individual’s responsibility to decide for himself the effects of his actions on himself and others.
While the relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love, the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope is a love between two people who just want to be together. Odysseus shows his love towards Penelope throughout the Odyssey. In spite of the fact that Odysseus has been gone for twenty years, he never forgets his wife back in Ithaca. One example of how much he wanted to go home was when he went to the island of the Lotus-Eaters. He could have stayed on the island of the Lotus-Eaters where everything he ever wanted was there, but the thing he wanted the most was to be with his wife. Penelope likewise displays this kind of love towards Odysseus.
Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity is revealed in both Odysseus and Achilles: man is a combination of his will, his actions, and his relationship to the divine. This blend allows Homer to divulge all that is human in his characters, and all that is a vehicle for the idyllic aspects of ancient Greek society. Accordingly, the apparent inconsistencies in the characterization of Odysseus can be accounted for by his spiritual distance from the god-like Achilles; Achilles is more coherent because he is the son of a god. This is not to say that Achilles is not at times petty or unimaginative, but that his standards of action are merely more continuous through time. Nevertheless, both of Homer's heroes embody important and admirable facets of ancient Greek culture, though they fracture in the ways they are represented.
In Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, the main theme is the reunification of the family, as Odysseus struggles to return home and rejoin his wife and son. Throughout the Odyssey, we are shown examples of families: good ones that prosper and bad ones that do not. As Telemakhos struggles to become a man and Odysseus struggles homeward, the concept of healthy family life is stressed. At the end, when all conflicts are resolved and Odysseus is reunited with wife and son, the lesson that a united family can overcome any obstacles is shown and is one that today's families should heed.
“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.
The character of Penelope is portrayed as the archetype of the proper Homeric woman. She is faithful, passionate, and has her heart set on waiting for Odysseus’ return. Despite the constant pressures from her suitors, she puts them off by telling them that she will pick a new husband after she completes a burial shroud for Odysseus. The delaying tactics Penelope uses reveal her sly and cunning side. Although Penelope is intelligent, beautiful, and essentially has all the characteristics of the proper Homeric woman, because of her gender, she is forced to submit ...
Often times in life we search for a companion, someone to share our love and life with. Odysseus and Penelope's lasting relationship is an obvious representation of love in the Odyssey. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca. This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. Penelope also exemplifies this same kind of love for Odysseus. At home in Ithaca, she stays loyal to Odysseus by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors that are courting her. She always keeps the hope that her love, Odysseus, will return. Odysseus and Penelope's marriage clearly illustrates the theme of love.
The character of Penelope in Homer's Odyssey reflects the faithful wife who waits twenty years for the arrival of her husband. Only a strong woman could sustain the stress, anxiety and confusion resulting from the chaos of a palace with a missing king whose fate is unknown. Her responsibilities and commitments toward the man she loves are particularly difficult to keep, under the strain of the situation. Although she does not actively pursue an effort to find him, her participation in the success of Odysseus' homecoming can be seen in her efforts to defend and protect the heritage, reputation and the House of Odysseus in his absence. As Odysseus withstands his trial, Penelope withstands her trials against temptations to give in to the many anxious suitors, to give up on her faith and respect for her religion, her husband and even her self. Penelope's strength in keeping the highest standards in her function as a wife, woman and mother contributes to the success of Odysseus' homecoming by keeping the home and family for him to come back to.