herody Free Essays Homer's Odyssey: Odysseus as Heroic Archetype
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Odysseus as Archetype of a Hero in The Odyssey Odysseus, of Homer's Odyssey, is an appropriate hero and ruler of Ithaca. He does not act irrationally but contemplates his actions and their implications. Odysseus is an appropriate hero because he embodies the values of bravery, intelligence, astuteness, and competency. Odysseus is an appropriate ruler for Ithaca by virtue of his hereditary right to kingship as well as his diplomatic skills, familiarity with his male subjects, discipline, and his impartiality and compassion. However, he is a character that does make a foolish decision. There is a rare instance when his pride supersedes his intellectual ability. Odysseus is an appropriate hero for he embodies the values of bravery, intelligence, astuteness, and competency. While he trying to return home from Ilium, numerous suitors attempt to seduce his wife, Penelope. However, when he returns Odysseus cleverly plans and carries out the demise of the evil and wasteful suitors with the help of Athena, goddess of wisdom: "Come on [Athena] weave me a plan to punish them [the suitors]." Odysseus' wisdom is admired by Athena, the goddess of that aptness. Athena is also impressed by his battle heroics and so she endeavors to provide him with succor: "And you didn't know Pallas Athenaia the daughter of Zeus himself, your faithful stand-by and guardian in all your labours!" With Athena's assistance Odysseus becomes a true hero. Odysseus is the epitome of honor and virtue for his Ithacan subjects. Odysseus' kind and stalwart leadership is revealed by Eumaios, his faithful swineherd, and Philoitios, his loyal cowherd, who have both remained loyal to him for twenty years. Eumaios praises Odysseus as "A rare fine master." "Indeed I do not mourn so much for them as for him [Odysseus], though I long to see 'em again and my native land, but I do miss Odysseus since he went away. I don't like to speak his name, man, although he is absent, but I call him 'his honour,' even when he is far away." Odysseus is a befitting king because it is his ancestral right, for he is familiar with his male subjects and understands their desires. Odysseus' equity and mercy is displayed after his triumph over the suitors, whom he executed because of their lawless behavior. However, Odysseus shows compassion by allowing Phemius, the minstrel suitor, and Medon, a herald suitor to live. "Cheer up, my son has saved your life.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that odysseus is an appropriate hero and ruler of ithaca because he embodies the values of bravery, intelligence, astuteness, and competency.
- Analyzes how odysseus is an appropriate hero for he embodies the values of bravery, intelligence, astuteness, and competency.
- Analyzes how odysseus is the epitome of honor and virtue for his ithacan subjects. he is a befitting king because it is his ancestral right.
- Analyzes how odysseus displays his shrewdness as he overcomes the challenges that beset his crew.
- Analyzes how odysseus' wisdom and courage enable him to be a brave hero and strong ruler, both traits of superiority in his society.
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- herody Odysseus as Epic Hero of Homer's Odysseyanalytical essayOdysseus as Epic Hero of Homer's Odyssey Homer's epic poem The Odyssey is about Odysseus' ten-year journey home from the Trojan War and what Odysseus has to do when he returns. The journey itself is quite a story. Odysseus and his men come in contact with many obstacles that they must overcome and there are more hurdles to jump when Odysseus reaches his destination. Odysseus is an epic hero who, besides showing superhuman characteristics in strength, bravery and cleverness, also proves himself through his emotions, leadership, and the corrections in his faults.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how homer's epic poem, the odyssey, is about odysseus' ten-year journey home from the trojan war and what he has to do.
- Analyzes how odysseus' emotions are rare, but profound enough to enhance the way he is viewed as an epic hero.
- Analyzes how odysseus takes on the role of the leader in the odyssey by always knowing what needs to be done and carrying out whatever that may be.
- Analyzes how odysseus' arrogance is his number one flaw at the beginning of the odyssey.
- Opines that odysseus was the epic hero in homer's the odyssey. his emotion, ability to lead his crew through difficult situations, and recognizing and changing his faults are everyday characteristics of the present.
952 wordsRead More - The Heroic Acts Of Odysseus In Homer's Odysseyanalytical essayThe heroic acts of Odysseus In this essay I hope to prove and show you how Odysseus should be looked at as a hero based on a series of events that has happened in the Odyssey. In the Odyssey Odysseus is shown more as a hero than a villain because even though he is hated by most gods he does posses some good qualities which include bravery, cunning, confidence, and sharp thinking. He has done and committed heroic acts, such as outsmarting the cyclops by telling them his name was nobody which confused the cyclops.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how odysseus should be viewed as a hero based on events that have happened in the odyssey.
- Analyzes how odysseus seems like a villain because he left his family behind and wasn't loyal to his wife. he travels back to ithaca to rescue penelope and telemachus and proves that
340 wordsRead More - Odysseus As A Hero In Homer's The Odysseyanalytical essayIn Homer’s The Odyssey, the main protagonist, Odysseus, is trying to make his way home to Ithaca, ten years later, after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus is portrayed as a hero throughout the epic; however, the events surrounding his heroism is with considerable help from the gods and goddess. Being a hero is defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Based on the play, there is evidence to suggest that Odysseus is not a hero as defined but that he relied on the help of the gods and goddess.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how odysseus is portrayed as a hero in homer's the odyssey, but he relied on the help of the gods and goddess.
- Analyzes how poseidon, the god of the sea, is angered by the death of his son the cyclops.
- Analyzes how athena, the goddess of wisdom, protects odysseus from revealing to the phaeacians that he fought in the trojan wars.
- Analyzes how athena helps to conceal odysseus' identity when he finally lands in ithaca. she transforms him into an old man so no one can recognize him.
- Analyzes how hermes was a messenger of zeus and athena to keep odysseus from danger. he is being held captive on ogygia with the nymph calypso, who has fallen in love with him.
- Analyzes how odysseus, the protagonist of homer's the odyssey, is not worthy of the title hero because the gods and goddesses intervene in his journey.
835 wordsRead More - Essay On The Character Of Odysseus In Homer's Odysseyanalytical essayThroughout the Odyssey, Odysseus exemplified the key traits needed to be an epic hero. The poem depicts Odysseus as an extremely strong man; at one point, he even defeats the towering cyclops Polyphemus. His ingenuity in creating the trojan horse unearths his slightly latent intelligence. Along with strength and cunning, Odysseus a strong sense of selflessness. He bared a trepid ten year journey and longed for his child and wife. Unfortunately, all of Odysseus’s traits are tarnished by his infidelity, ruthless behavior, and the massacre of men. Though he was, without a doubt, heroic, his lovely wife is the true, unsung heroine of the Odyssey.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how odysseus exemplified the key traits needed to be an epic hero. his ingenuity in creating the trojan horse unearths his slightly latent intelligence.
- Analyzes how penelope, the wife of odysseus and mother of telemachus, exemplified the key heroic trait of strength in a new and unique way.
- Explains that penelope was mentally strong, intensely brilliant, and a true heroine without the fatal moral flaws that odysseus had.
- Analyzes how penelope was a selfless heroine who put herself in burdensome situations for the sake of others. she was more ethically minded than odysseus who cheated and killed.
- Analyzes how odysseus was the pinnacle epic hero of greece, but his wife, penelope, was just as valiant. she was mentally robust, brighter, and clever than her husband.
590 wordsRead More - 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.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the role of immortal and mortal women in both the odyssey and the epic of gilgamesh.
- Analyzes how the harlot in gilgamesh and helen in the odyssey highlight the concept of destiny. they humanize enkidu by transforming him into a civilized man and bring him to uruk.
- Analyzes how athena, aruru, and ninsun serve as helpers and protectors of gilgamesh and odysseus in the odyssey.
- Explains that athena, goddess of strength, courage, strategic war, inspiration, law, and many others, is the start and end of all the events that occur.
- Analyzes how circe, calypso, and ishtar play exemplary roles in facilitating the journey of the epic heroes.
- Argues that the similarities between ishtar and circe and calypso cannot be explained by coincidence. prefiguration is similar to foreshadowing.
- Analyzes how siduri, the divine tavern keeper, directs gilgamesh to find the boatman, urshanabi, who will lead him to utnapishtim.
- Analyzes how the wife of the scorpion man persuades her husband to admit gilgamesh through the mountain pass and utnapishtim’s wife to disclose the magic plant to gil
- Compares the roles of siduri and utnapishtim's wife in gilgamesh to those of nausicaa and arête in the odyssey.
- Analyzes how odysseus's nurse and maidservant, eurycleia, is the first woman in ithaca to know that he is back after she recognizes the scar on his leg while she is washing him.
- Analyzes how both the epic of gilgamesh and the odyssey are a balance of male and feminine principles.
1574 wordsRead More - The Odysseyanalytical essayThe Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how odysseus is a soldier from the battle of troy trying to get home to his island of ithaca. his son telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house
- Describes how odysseus and his men are trapped and eaten as food by a giant with only one eye.
- Explains that odysseus was a new type of hero that didn't win by overpowering his opponents, but by using his mind to outwit them. manners also played an important role to him, as he was learned to be polite and generous to strangers.
- Analyzes how odysseus, like most of his fellow soldiers, is a rather arrogant greedy person at the beginning of the poem, and brings much sorrow on himself by his actions.
537 wordsRead More - Odysseus' Selfishnessanalytical essayOdysseus portrays himself as anything but a hero throughout Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus goes through his life believing he is the best. He has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own, and he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods. Odysseus feels he is always the leader and no one can tell him otherwise. Odysseus should not be considered a hero because he portrays himself as a selfish man that failed his crew, and is controlled by his hubris.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how odysseus portrays himself as nothing but a hero in homer's the odyssey. he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods.
- Analyzes how odysseus portrays his selfishness right as the book begins and shows how truly incompetent he is.
- Analyzes how odysseus shows inadequate leadership qualities throughout the story. the crew relies on their leader to make decisions for the well-being of the crew.
- Analyzes how odysseus' hubris always seems to overthrow him, no matter how hard he tries to overcome it.
- Opines that odysseus is an unappreciative, self-centered, lazy, and selfish man that does not deserve the title of hero. he acts this way solely because of his hubris.
914 wordsRead More - The Heroic Hero: Odysseus As An Epic Heroanalytical essayEveryone has that one character, whether they are fictional or real, that they admire and adore because of their accomplishments throughout their life. The few men that are able to ascend past decades and become known for centuries as a hero are categorized as epic heroes. Epic heroes are able to truly transcend through time and are often times studied by the highest scholars in the world. The most notable hero who is often referred to is one of the world’s first ever heroes known ad Odysseus of Ithaca. His tale involved three main sequential parts. His first challenge was the war at Troy which pulled him away from home for ten years. Next was his ten year journey to get back home as he battled the gods and monsters of all kinds. His third wave was when he had returned home. Odysseus had to fight against the suitors that were plaguing his home to regain his crown. In
In this essay, the author
- Explains that epic heroes transcend through time and are often studied by the highest scholars in the world. odysseus of ithaca is a brave, smart, and lucky man.
- Analyzes how the character of odysseus began as a war hero in the ten-year battle at troy. the final wave of his journey was when he returned home to take the crown from his hostile suitors.
- Analyzes how odysseus is well known for his wit and cunning mind to get him out of danger.
- Concludes that odysseus' luck played into his story well throughout all three waves of his journey. he was a notable soldier, but not in the spotlight during the war.
- Analyzes how odysseus is the perfect mold for a hero in the sense that he is brave and courageous, cunning and smart, and lucky beyond imagination.
1061 wordsRead More - herody Free Essays on Homer's Odyssey - Odysseus Is Not A Heroopinionated essayOdysseus Is Not A Hero A hero is "a man noted for his special achievements" according to the dictionary, but if you ask most people what a hero is, you will get the same general response. They will probably say "someone who does something for other people out of the goodness of his heart." Odysseus, who is the main character of the book "The Odyssey" written by Homer, would fit the dictionary's definition of a hero; but if you go deeper, looking at what people feel a hero is, he doesn't even come close. In the book, Odysseus does nothing out of the goodness of his heart.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that if you ask most people what a hero is, you will get the same answer.
- Opines that odysseus didn't send men to see what was on circe's island and because he sent men.
- Narrates how people's lives were changed when he took action, such as after trying to fight scylla.
- Explains that he sacrificed men when waited at the altar.
- Opines that he killed all of the maids who were raped by the suitors as if they had a rape.
- Explains that he didn't try to defend his crew members who ended up being killed and eaten.
- Narrates how odysseus had affairs with other women while on his journey.
- Opines that odysseus is not a war hero in other respects.
- Analyzes how odysseus does nothing out of the goodness of his heart, even if he fought in the trojan war.
- Explains that odysseus tried to fight scylla even when she takes six of his men, but he lost three more men.
- Analyzes how he lacks the loyalty of a true hero as shown by his affairs with other women even though his wife.
827 wordsRead More - The Traits of Odysseusanalytical essayIn Homer’s The Odyssey, there are a lot of traits displayed that are considered important in ancient Greek culture. These are shown by many different characters, but mostly by Odysseus (he is, after all, the main character in the epic poem). Odysseus is the epitome of a Greek ruler: he has a lot of admirable traits. His only fault is his hubris, but that is overcome and taken care of. Throughout Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus displays wisdom combined with strong loyalty and inspiring leadership through the evident trust of his men and the ability to conquer any challenges that he may face along his journey back to Ithaka.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how odysseus is the epitome of a greek ruler in homer's the odyssey. he displays wisdom combined with strong loyalty and inspiring leadership.
- Analyzes how odysseus is very resourceful, using the things that are available to him. he devises a plan to easily slaughter the suitors.
- Analyzes how odysseus' loyalty to the gods earns him their respect throughout his journey back to ithaka.
- Analyzes how odysseus shows he is a good leader through his actions towards his crew. he takes the men back from the lotos eaters and brings them back to the ship.
- Concludes that odysseus was a great man capable of many things. he was educated in the art of war and deceit, respected the gods, and respected his crew.
1051 wordsRead More