Exile in Mythology

1440 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ancient history of punishment

Exile in Mythology “If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all” (Journey Quotations). Exile presents itself in many forms throughout Greek and Roman mythology. Regardless of their purpose, however, all Greek and Roman mythological characters realize the above quote by American journalist Dan Rather to be frighteningly accurate. As they step off to begin their ordeal of exile, for some reason, they fail to stay focused on their present, thinking only of their cloudy, uncertain future. These prize-seeking journeyers remain ignorant of what is immediately before them, causing them either great trouble or great accomplishment. Though the dubious reasons why exile is placed (and occasionally forced) upon the benighted characters, they must all undergo this grave and glorious task. In Greek and Roman mythology, many characters of many myths must undergo a period of exile, in order to serve a punishment for a wrong they have committed, to accomplish a task that was appointed to them, or to earn an invaluable prize that is of great significance to them and the world around them. One of the most common reasons a character must endure their share of exile is to serve a stringent punishment that is orchestrated specifically for their crime or mistake. In ancient Greece, exile was used as the harshest punishment for a crime. “Many crimes involved monetary penalties. The punishment for murder was exile. The fine for rape was 100 monies, and the penalty for theft depended on what was stolen” (Early Laws). Obviously the idea of “exile” was looked upon as being a great dishonor and embarrassment within early Greek communities. A more tragic use of this unforgivi... ... middle of paper ... ...mythology, many characters of many myths must embark on a journey of exile, in order to serve a punishment for a wrong they have committed, to accomplish a task that was appointed to them, or to earn an invaluable prize that is of great significance to them and the world around them. It has been explained in the words above that exile is a necessary component of the lessons of Greek and Roman mythology, in that exile must be served as a brutal punishment, that it is an honor to be entrusted with a task of great importance, and that winning an invaluable prize and having your name be remembered forever is as valuable as achieving immortality. To avoid the uncertainty of exile, in the inspiring words of musician Greg Anderson we must all “focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity, but in doing it” (Journey Quotations).

Show More
Related

  • Exile

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poem “Exile” by Julia Alvarez dramatizes the conflicts of a young girl’s family’s escape from an oppressive dictatorship in the Dominican Republic to the freedom of the United States. The setting of this poem starts in the city of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, which was renamed for the brutal dictator Rafael Trujillo; however, it eventually changes to New York when the family succeeds to escape. The speaker is a young girl who is unsophisticated to the world; therefore, she does not know what is happening to her family, even though she surmises that something is wrong. The author uses an extended metaphor throughout the poem to compare “swimming” and escaping the Dominican Republic. Through the line “A hurried bag, allowing one toy a piece,” (13) it feels as if the family were exiled or forced to leave its country. The title of the poem “Exile,” informs the reader that there was no choice for the family but to leave the Dominican Republic, but certain words and phrases reiterate the title. In this poem, the speaker expresser her feeling about fleeing her home and how isolated she feels in the United States.

    Read More

  • Odysseus: The Flawed Hero

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Oh for shame, how the mortals put the blame on us gods, for they say evils come from us, but it is they, rather, who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given,” (1.32-34) is a simple quote reminding us the entities in charge of all characters in the poem The Odyssey – the gods. Hubris, or excessive human pride, is most detested by the gods and likewise is most punishable by them. The Odyssey is a story about Odysseus and Telemachus, two heroes who throughout their adventures meet new people and face death many times. Telemachus goes to find his father after he learns from Athena that he is still alive. The two meet, and Odysseus attempts to go back to Ithaca after he was lost at sea, and on his way there becomes one of the most heroic characters in literature as we know it. Like all heroic characters, Odysseus began to display hubris as he learned how true of a hero he was. James Wyatt Cook, a historian and an expert on The Odyssey, wrote about how hubris can affect the characters that display it. He says, “Because Homer’s Odyssey is essentially comic, that episode [opened wind bag destroys ship] is only one of a series of setbacks Odysseus experiences before reaching his home in Ithaca and recovering his former kingdom and his family. Such, however, is not the case for those who display hubris with tragic outcomes.” (Cook 1) Initially, Odysseus learns about Aias who died as a cause of the excessive pride he portrays. Proteus warns Odysseus when he says, “…and Aias would have escaped doom, though Athena hated him, had he not gone widely mad and tossed outa word of defiance; for he said that in despite of the gods he escaped the great gulf of the sea, and Poseidon heard him…...

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Odyssey the people of Ithaca are accustomed to hospitality. In Odysseus’s lengthy journey home he learns to maintain modesty. Odysseus’s family never give up on him throughout his entire 20 year journey, and they kept Ithaca for him when he came back. The Greek values of hospitality, humility, and loyalty are conveyed in The Odyssey.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Han Dynasty And The Roman Empire

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...nt. An individual guilty of a misdemeanor could be put in jail, forced labor, pay fines or even death by beheading. For some reason if a case could not be resolved, higher officials and even the emperor were involved.

    Read More

  • Contrasting Perspectives on Horse’s Representation in Various Media Venues

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Greek Myths in Order of Publication. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1 1, 2010, from Storynory LTD: http://storynory.com/category/greek-myths/

    Read More

  • The Relationship between Gods and Mortals in Mythology

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    The relationship between gods and mortals in mythology has long been a complicated topic. The gods can be generous and supportive, and also devastating and destructive to any group of humans. Mortals must respect the powers above them that cannot be controlled. The gods rule over destiny, nature, and justice, and need to be recognized and worshipped for the powerful beings as they are. Regardless of one's actions, intentions, and thoughts, the gods in Greek myth have ultimate power and the final decision of justice over nature, mortals, and even each other.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    Socrates, a Greek philosopher stated, "Look death in the face with joyful hope, and consider this a lasting truth: the righteous man has nothing to fear, neither in life, nor in death, and the Gods will not forsake him” (Socrates). This explains the basis for Greek beliefs that can be carried over to values and qualities of them. As in this, Homer, the author of The Odyssey, portrays many Greek values that make up a righteous man or as, Homer’s character Odysseus, an epic hero. The Odyssey is the story of King Odysseus' return from the Trojan War to his kingdom of Ithaca. Stories, like The Odyssey, are told with the intent of delivering a message that was important to their culture. Through characters and situations, The Odyssey promotes and emphasizes many important ancient Greek values such as hospitality, pride, and fate.

    Read More

  • Overview: Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grene, David., and Richmond Alexander Lattimore. Greek Tragedies. 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.

    Read More

  • Theme of Revenge in Homer's Odyssey

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Homer’s The Odyssey is not just a tale of a man’s struggle on his journey home from the Trojan War, but of his struggle from the consequences of revenge. The Odyssey weaves in different characters’ tales of revenge from the gods and what impact revenge actually had on those characters. Revenge is an important underlying theme in The Odyssey because, in essence, it explains why Odysseus’ journey was so prolonged and treacherous. A few examples of revenge in the poem include Orestes’ revenge on Aegisthus, Zeus’ revenge on Odysseus and his men, and Poseidon’s revenge on Odysseus. These different examples of revenge in The Odyssey show the importance of the gods’ revenge in the epic journey of Odysseus.

    Read More

  • Achilles Vs Odysseus

    3801 Words  | 8 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty in Canada

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most severe of all sentences: death. Also known as capital punishment, this is the

    Read More

  • Homer’s Epic The Odyssey

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    A hero isn’t shaped by his strengths but by the values he possesses. Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, reveals the moral and ethical constitution of the ancient Greeks. Over time, certain cultures have grown to value a number of human characteristics. Those who acquire such values become respected heroes. After the fall of Troy, the protagonist of the epic, Odysseus, set sail for his home, Ithaca, where his faithful wife and son were waiting for him. Over the course of his journey, Odysseus faced some of the most ferocious opponents known to the Greeks. Even through this formidable journey, Odysseus and his family have stayed true to the diverse aspects of the ancient Greeks. The Odyssey exemplifies the human ideals of hospitality, loyalty and perseverance.

    Read More

  • Greek Hospitality in the Odyssey

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    When it comes to hospitality, Greeks stand atop the list of all cultures for their generosity and politeness towards strangers. “Philoxenia” is the Greek word for “the love of strangers”. Philoxenia is demonstrated in several different cases in Homer’s The Odyssey. According to Greek customs, hospitality is respected by the immortal gods. If the Greek code of hospitality is not performed correctly, or not performed at all, the consequences may be very severe, gods may unleash their wrath to whoever does not follow this tradition of thoughtfulness. Homer suggests both positive and negative commentary on his own world through the examples of hospitalities that provide The Odyssey.

    Read More

  • The Three Types Of Punishment In Ancient China

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first type of punishment is imprisonment. The definition of imprisonment is a punishment which deprives the offenders’ liberty and stays in a limited place for a period of

    Read More

  • Criminology Definition

    337 Words  | 1 Pages

    person knew that a particularly painful punishment was in-store for them, they would not commit the crime. This led to the creation of such punishments as beatings, torture, banishment, death, fines, and public humiliation.

    Read More

More about Exile in Mythology

Open Document