Archetypes In The Odyssey Archetypes are repeating patterns in all types of literature throughout all of human history. The time and place does not matter, archetypes show up everywhere. They can be characters or situations, and are still found in our modern everyday life. Archetypes often reflect a culture or society's values and how they view the world. The Odyssey, composed by Homer, is an epic filled with thrilling, gruesome, bloody, chilling, heart-touching, and tear-jerking scenes. It is one of the oldest pieces of literature from Ancient Greece that we still have today, dating back to somewhere between 850 and 750 b.c. Even being this old, relatable archetypes still show up everywhere in the Odyssey.
A temptress is usually a woman who uses her beauty to seduce men, whether it be to harm them or simply become an obstacle setting the character off their track. The first example of this archetype is the lovely goddess Calypso, who held Odysseus on her island to be her “heart's delight”. Odysseus says that in his heart he never gave consent, meaning that she seduced him and that he wanted to be at home with his wife instead. He stayed with her for awhile, which definitely threw his journey off course, making her an obstacle that he had to overcome. Another example is the sirens because they lure sailors to their death with their beautiful voices. When Odysseus gets back to Ithaca and is talking to Telemachus he mentions that they “must learn how far the woman are corrupted.” He’s essentially saying that he needs to figure out which women are seductresses or also known as temptresses. The use of this archetype tells readers that the Ancient Greeks valued beauty and loyalty in
The time and place does not matter, archetypes show up everywhere. They can be characters or situations, and are still found in our modern everyday life. Archetypes often reflect a culture or society's values and how they view the world. The Odyssey, composed by Homer, is an epic filled with thrilling, gruesome, bloody, chilling, heart-touching, and tear-jerking scenes. It is one of the oldest pieces of literature from Ancient Greece that we still have today, dating back to somewhere between 850 and 750 b.c. Even being this old, relatable archetypes still show up everywhere in the Odyssey. However, there are three specific archetypes used that stand out and give interesting insight about the Ancient Greek culture to today's
this, for once the suitors are gone Odysseus is free to reclaim is post in
The Odyssey was also very popular in it’s time. It was set in ancient Greece where in its culture; mythology was the heart of everyday life. The Greek Culture turned to mythology to explain different phenomena for which they had no scientific explanation and this was prominent in the epic the Odyssey.
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).
Although the heroic journey of Odysseus and Luke Skywalker resemble one another with similar heroic steps, the difference in Odysseus’s journey distinguish him as the exemplary epic hero.
Every story uses archetypes, including the Odyssey. Since the movie Oh Brother! was based on the Odyssey, they both share and have differences in archetypes. They use the same archetypes in the form of the hero, the temptress, and the fall. These archetypes are used the same and differently in these stories as seen in these examples.
Something written over twenty-five hundred years ago shows many similarities to stories written today. These similarities are called archetypes and the y can be found in stories dating back to the earliest forms of literature. I will be talking about some of these archetypes found in The Odyssey.As you read, you will notice that these archetypes can be found in other stories and even in real life. The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus and his journey home from the Trojan War. It tells of many challenges and difficulties Odysseus faced on his way home. The topic of this essay is about three main archetypes found in the Odyssey. These archetypes are those of the Hero, the Monster, and the idea that your authority
The epic The Odyssey is about a hero named Odysseus that must go through many life threatening situations in order to return to his loving family. Odysseus undergoes many trials and obstacles in the form of mythological beasts that stand in the way of arriving home. All of the archetypes that show up in Ancient Greek culture are very similar to the ones that appear in modern times. The Odyssey takes place in the twelfth century B.C where its plot setting stretches from the Aegean and surrounding seas to his birthplace of Ithaca. This epic is an example in which its main story is covered by what writers base their characters off of today:archetypes. Homer wrote The Odyssey to get readers excited to learn about the archetypes that relate to the
An archetype is a human experience or symbol that is universally known and accepted. Archetypes can be images or stories passed on through history. Carl Jung, a prominent psychiatrist in the early 1900’s, used archetypes in his theory about the human psyche and how humans can recognize these symbols because they reside in the collective human subconscious. Some common examples of archetypes are The Hero, The Mentor, The Mother, The Villain and many more. Archetypes like these can be seen in everyday things like books, tv or movies. In The Complete Stories by Zora Neale Hurston there are many different archetypes in each story but three prominent ones are The Trickster, The Devil or Evil, and The Hero. In the novel The Trickster archetype
In literature, Archetypal Criticism is a critical approach where the reader interprets the meaning of a story by looking at the archetypal characters, events, and symbols that it contains. In general, an archetype is a universal, primordial representation of an event or character that is seen as a general blueprint for stories and myths, such as the Hero or Death and Rebirth (Meyer 1587). Archetypes can be very important in identifying and supporting a theme by giving us background and references for aspects throughout the story. Carol Joyce Oates uses a couple vital archetypes in her short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” a tale about Connie, a teenage girl, who goes through an innocence to experience situation, signifying a transition from childhood to adulthood.
An archetype in literature is defined as a typical example of a certain type of person. A character in a poem or play can be placed into many different archetype categories. Archetypes help a reader to gain a better understanding of who a character in the work is on the inside. This deeper insight into the character allows the reader to follow the flow of the story easier and more effectively. There are many different archetypes that can help to advance the story. One of the most useful in advancing this story is the typical powerful character. Whether it be supernatural or cunningness this character always comes out on top in the situation and holds the most control over others and their actions. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”,
...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.
In The Odyssey, Homer brings one back to Ancient Greek society through his writings about the lifestyles, perspectives, and values of the people. Trapped within a cruel, patriarchal social order society, women hold very low statuses in comparison to men. In fact, they are considered objects of male power. Homer uses female characters such as Penelope, Calypso, and Circe to show views of women and how their portrayals represent the patriarchal perspective of their male-centric society.
Women play an outstanding large role in "The Odyssey" by the Greek poet Homer, although it is much of a tale of a man's heroic quest."The Odyssey" by homer is majority move around Odysseus's quest to return back to his home and wife, Penelope, so that he may be reunited with her someday and take control over his place, which was overrun by suitors. In the presence of the many suitors, Odysseus's son, Telemachos attempts to regain authority but he finds this difficult and he started his own journey under the guidance of Athena. The most parts of the story of "The Odyssey" focus upon the adventures of Odysseus as he endeavors to get back home, which he finally does in the end.
Of all the many similarities of The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey, the sharing of the main character’s archetype can be considered to be the most significant similarity of the two epics. Odysseus, the main character of The Odyssey, and Gilgamesh, the main character of The Epic of Gilgamesh, both fall under the character archetype of a hero, the man in charge of saving the day. This sameness implies that the two characters had similar fates and characteristics; both had the distinct traits of a hero. Both Odysseus and Gilgamesh were kings, strong, brave, and blessed by the gods. In addition, they both angered a god and suffered from the consequences. In The Odyssey, Odysseus had to change his route to avoid Poseidon’s wrath. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh angered Ishtar which consequently led to Enkidu’s death as a punishment ( “The Epic of Gilgamesh” 29). Both Gilgamesh and Odysseus had elements of arrogance in their personalities, and it was their arrogance that backlashed and caused...
Homer in his time painted a picture of male kings, soldiers, and heroes objectifying and owning women as their due spoils of leadership and/or conquests in games or war. In the Iliad the glory of the men in battle and games and individual fame were the main topics. There was an idea that a code of men existed which must be followed and if it were, that even immortality itself might be won. Contrastingly, in the Odyssey, women remained lovely and feminine yet were cast in to powerful roles both as goddesses and mortals. These goddesses held the life of Odysseus in their hands and his mortal wife Penelope held his future in her hands as she protected their home (Ahrensdorf 589). Penelope is cast in a “to the manner born” depiction in that Homer tells us she is the wife of a king, mother of a prince, and daughter of a king (Fagles 256/ book XIX). The king that was Penelope’s father was King of Sparta, Icarius the fastest runner of his time and only let Odysseus marry her because of losing a footrace to him.