Similes are, in the broadest sense of the word, a way for writers to express a certain idea by comparing and connecting two elements in order to give the reader a better understanding of the situation. One can argue that no author uses this literary device better and with such artistry than the Greek poet Homer. The epic similes found in Homer’s Odyssey are so complex, that they introduce a level of sophistication to his poetry that still has us studying his work centuries later. More specifically, there are two pairs of similes that, when examined, have a close relationship with one another. These pairs can be found on pages 240 and 246, and on pages 122 and 360. Both of these pairs of similes can be bridged together by the messages they …show more content…
The first simile represents the nostos that Odysseus should have had were it not for the wrath of Poseidon. It signifies the joy in homecoming, rejoicing in long-awaited union. However, in the moment that Odysseus laid eyes on his son, his plans and disguise prevented him from expressing such joy without improperly exposing himself. Yet Homer does not let these emotions to get lost, but transfers them to the swineherd, a man who closely resembles Odysseus. Being both a cunning man and Telemachus’ closest father figure, Eumaeus acts as the perfect surrogate to adopt these strong emotions from Odysseus, showing the loving and brotherly connection between the king and the swineherd. The second simile then serves to fill the gap of the negative side of the nostos, the pain that comes from knowing how long two people have been apart, as there cannot be a homecoming without an initial separation. Telemachus has journeyed from boy to man without his father, learning to mature and take care of himself and his mother alone. Odysseus has survived the most painful trials of his life without ever seeing his only son. It is only when these two similes are put together that we can truly understand the range of emotions felt from the reunion of father and son. The second pair found on page 122 and 360, while different in structure, also shows the …show more content…
The first is a sad, painful cry – the cry dealing with intense trauma. The second is a joyous cry. The first, experienced by Odysseus, represents the fate of all of the women whose husbands died in Troy. This shows the connection to Penelope, who felt the same sense of grief after being certain that Odysseus had been lost at sea and would never return. The second, experienced by Penelope, shows the connection to Odysseus, who after ten years of being held away by Poseidon should have felt this sense of overwhelming joy when arriving home. However, both Penelope’s and Odysseus’s cunning and self-control prevented them from expressing such emotions. Penelope, although at times losing her composure in the presence of her son, never did so in front of the suitors. Odysseus was much too cautious of possible dangers when he returned to Ithaca to feel such joy. As neither of them could allow themselves to be compromised by such intense feelings, their loving connection allows them to experience each other’s emotions. This perfectly reflects the unbreakable bond between husband and wife that will eventually bring the lovers together again. Homeric similes give us a much better understanding of the psyche of the Odyssey’s characters than what we would have through dialogue and narration alone. All of these similes show Homer’s way of connecting the characters in such an interpersonal level, that their emotions transcend
Homer. The Odyssey: Fitzgerald Translation. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print.
Again drawing from the scene where Penelope tells Odysseus of her trail a rhetorical question is presented to her. The question follows Penelope’s dream about a eagle (Odysseus) coming and killing all of her geese (the suitors). Beggar Odysseus is trying to make Penelope believe that the dream is a way of Odysseus showing her that he is coming to kill the suitors. He says “ Has not Odysseus himself shown you what is to come?”(XIX. 371). This rhetorical question is crucial to the plot of the epic poem because when Odysseus actually comes and kills the suitors Penelope cannot believe that it is him. Her ingenuity is once again revealed because she is not trustworthy of men anymore and to test any man who claims to be Odysseus she makes him tell her a secret only the real Odysseus would know. On the other hand the gods have the ability to tell and predict the future so they would have had no trouble identifying Odysseus. Once Penelope has revealed the trial to the suitors and one man Leodes has tried and failed, he asks the other suitors a question “ Resolute, are you still, to win Odysseus’ lady Penelope?”(XXI. 396). He has realized that this chase after a lady who is unwanting of them is futile. Throughout the whole book Penelope has denied the suitors any satisfaction because she has been loyal to Odysseus. Her loyalty is noteworthy because of the lack of loyalty elsewhere in the book. Agamemnon’s wife Klytemnestra killed him like “an ox felled at a trough” (XI. 198) . Agamemnon absolutely abhorred the entire women population and all to come, except for Penelope because he knew that she was faithful and “ too wise, and clear-eyed,” (XI. 199). Not to mention Zeus and many other gods were known to cheat on their significant others. After Odysseus defeated all of the suitors, Eurykleia goes to get Penelope, when Penelope hears the news she is in disbelief and is
In this paper, I have considered the above simile in Book 22 of The Odyssey by Homer, and I have argued that although the surface meaning of this passage is the slaughter of the suitors by Odysseus and his men, the deeper meaning of the passage is the revelation of Odysseus ' true nature, similar to that of a vulture, they are both opportunistic and self-serving, even on the most basic
The first part of the simile is when Odysseus is talking about the wonders on his home. He seems to love his home. He is also very found of his home. During the second part of the simile he is comparing his love for his home to a when a swimmer is swimming and how they want to be back on the ground. He is saying that even when a swimmer is swimming he wants to be back on land, where he thinks he belongs. This part was at line 1616, “sun warmed earth is longed for by a swimmer” (Homer 824). In this part of the simile the reader can see how much he truly loves his homeland. With this simile the reader can see how much Odysseys truly loves his
The comparative study of The Odyssey and The Penelopiad is enhanced by the fact that Atwood's novella is a direct interpretation of Homer's text. The transformation of character across the shifting 2000+ years is a strong point of friction between the two texts. Lessons 3 and 4 have focused on the characterisation of major (and some minor) characters in each text. Now it is your chance to examine the similarities and differences between the texts.
It is important to note that the Iliad is originally a poem told by many bards and storytellers; by using similes, Homer compliments the spoken word of the Iliad with a visual component. In certain scenes, Homer utilizes similes in the Greeks’ favor, elevating their battle prowess in comparison to the Trojans. Presented to a primarily Greek audience, Homer’s particularity in bolstering the Greek army plays to the bias of the audience––augmenting the atmosphere of the crowd. The implementation of similes throughout the epic is vital to the poem as it provides the Greek audience with a brief respite from the practically nonstop gore of
... in his heart pitied his sobbing wife; but his eyes stood fixed as horn or iron. Through craft he checked his tears" (187). Homer's use of epic simile in describing the tears Penelope shed enhances the reader's understanding of her sorrow. Odysseus longs to be embraced by his wife after twenty years of roaming. However, he knows that if he would reveal his true identity, he might jeopardize his carefully plotted revenge. One can see that even Odysseus' perseverance wavers when he encounters temptation to obtain what he longs for.
Homer’s work, adopted epic conventions and captivates the audience by presenting majestic characters. All points considered an epic cannot solely be labeled as a poem. The omission of epic conventions does not allow for a plot such as The Odyssey’s to develop. Therefore, the existence of distinguishing elements is classified as indispensable. An epic calls for the reader to focus and appreciate the manner in which it is presented. The style is ideally formatted to expose heroism to the audience, whether it’s teenagers today or the ancient Greeks. The Odyssey defines heroism through Odysseus and the concept although modified is relevant and valuable to our society. Ultimately, the events of the series of cantos strengthen the regard in which we hold heroic
In The Odyssey, an epic simile is used in order to describe the joy Penelope feels after being reunited with her husband, Odysseus, after being separated from him for twenty years. The first few lines of the epic simile - describing the joy as being as “warm as the joy that shipwrecked sailors feel/when they catch sight of land.” - taken on their own could be just a mere simile; however, Homer’s further
Homer compares the crying Odysseus to a woman who weeps for her husband who died in battle. The weeping woman is described in a very dramatic scene in order to reflect the intensity of the sorrow that Odysseus is experiencing. The “woman weeps, flinging herself across the fallen body of her dear husband.” As she is “clinging to him, [she] wails,” and then “the enemies behind her strike her back and shoulders, then they carry her away to slavery and trials and misery.” The woman goes through a great deal of hardship, which explains why “her cheeks are wasted with pain.” Not only does her husband die, but the enemies strike her with their spears and take her away to suffer more. By comparing Odysseus’s crying to the woman weeping in this intense scene of misery, Homer is able to show the reader the degree of sorrow that Odysseus is feeling.
The relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love. That is because they never really got to know each other because Odysseus has been gone for most of Telemakhos’ life. One example of this blind love is when Odysseus hears about how the suitors are mistreating and stealing from Telemakhos. Odysseus gets so irate that he was then even more determined than ever, to return to his family. Telemakhos also exhibits the same kind of blind love towards his father. Even though people have told him that his father was dead, he never believed it. He felt that his father was alive and was willing to sacrifice his life to prove it. Telemakhos was inexperienced at directing a boat, but he was willing to try because he felt something inside of him that gave him the strength to go on. Thus, this relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos gave both of them the courage to overcome the hardships ahead of them.
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.
...journey is less cyclical than Achilles' but similarly ends with his regret for the ravages of war. Odysseus is a flawed character, much like man himself, and his actions can only be fully accounted for by attributing them to the gradual progression of his soul. He is gifted, yet possesses shortcomings; insightful, yet blind; driven, yet lost. Achilles is divine, yet mortal; rational, yet contradictory; kind, yet vicious. Still, together they represent the ideals of Greek mythology and the weaknesses of mankind. They are in control of their own actions, but subject to fate. Through both heroes, Homer manages to convey some of the most fundamental features of human existence.
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.
The tone in the story is very different in the 2 parts. In part 1, it could be said that the tone is one of excitement and danger, because it is following Odysseus on his endeavors against the ocean and the gods. In part 2, the tone could be one of sadness because Odysseus must disguise himself as a beggar, and he cannot reveal his identity to his family and they cannot be reunited. They tone was also kind of mysterious, because the readers wonder what will happen when he converses with his family in disguise, because the reader knows about the disguise but his family has no idea who it is.