Verified Document

Iliad Or Odyssey Homer's Work Thesis

The two lovers are trapped by Hephaestus' chains and the gods are debating their fates. They contemplate the issue of whether being trapped in the chains is sufficient punishment, to which Hermes quips "...although I might be held by chains that are three times more numerous, more tight, than these then - even if the gods should watch the sight and all the goddesses - I'd find delight in lying with the golden Aphrodite." This tale illustrates a few things about the ancient Greeks. The first is that humor was indeed a part of their lives. The bards brought them song and laughter during their feasts. Additionally, such humor speaks to the Greek relationship with the gods. The gods may have held sway over much of the lives of the ancient Greeks, but they were not above being the source of humor, even for mortals. The absurdity of the gods' lives was a mirror for the absurdity of the lives of mortals, and was thus fair game for a laugh.

The Odyssey was intended as a swashbuckling...

Homer shows us the ancient Greek sense of humor throughout. He uses it to keep the tone much lighter in the Odyssey. Humor is therefore an important storytelling device, used to help carry the tale through its darker moments. It is also used with the intent of bringing more emotional lift to the story. The heroes are more relatable to the audience because the audience can derive greater joy from their exploits on account of the humorous elements. This same sense of humor can be seen in modern action movies as well, where heroes enjoy dispatching the villains. The task is not grim in the Odyssey. This illustrates a shift in context from the Iliad. Whereas that poem is a dark, brooding, moral study, the Odyssey is populist entertainment. In such entertainment, laughter is an effective tool, and one that Homer wields effectively.
Works Cited

Mandelbaum, Allen. (1990). The Odyssey of Homer. University of California Press.

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Mandelbaum, Allen. (1990). The Odyssey of Homer. University of California Press.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Odyssey Homer's Odyssey Is a Classic Epic
Words: 1031 Length: 3 Document Type: Thesis

Odyssey Homer's Odyssey is a classic epic poem, demonstrating all the hallmarks of epic poem structure and the epic journey cycle. The narrative of the Odyssey follows the return on Odysseus from Troy, a journey that takes ten years and spans many locations and setbacks, until he finally reaches his home in Ithaca. Even then, Homer must deal with one final setback before being successfully reunited with his family. This paper

Homers Odyssey Homer's Odyssey Continues
Words: 1371 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Comparing the divine world in the Iliad and the Odyssey, Wolfgang Kullmann emphasizes that unlike in the Iliad, in the latter, "men themselves, not the gods, are responsible for their sufferings beyond their destined share. Gods, on the contrary, guarantee "poetic justice" when they warn men against doing evil." As Kullmann points out, the mortals in the Odyssey are less likely to act as mere objects of higher powers that manipulate

Odyssey Homer's Odyssey and the
Words: 1437 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

For Aristotle, true freedom and liberty consists in ruling and being ruled in turn and not always insisting on fulfilling one's own personal desires at the cost of others. Thus, for Odysseus, true freedom can only come about when one is allowed to contribute to society for the betterment of everyone involved, a sure sign of moral correctness and rational thinking. In addition, Aristotle stressed the importance of justice and goodness,

Homer and Caliban
Words: 2014 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Homer and Caliban The development of the theories of art education by various theories has been influenced by the various artistic works, especially poetry. In the past few centuries, poetry has become an important element in the development of English literature and various theories on the art of education. Notably, these poetry and theories are developed by various philosophers who have contributed in the growth of the field of education and

Homer and Virgil
Words: 597 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Virgil and Homer -- World Literature The Trojan Legacy: Textual Similarities in the Epics Iliad by Homer and Aeneid by Virgil In the study of world literature, it is essential that one must know about the earliest forms of literature, especially the works of Homer and Virgil. Homer, considered one of the greatest literary writers of Greek literature, was said to have composed his great epic poems, Iliad and Odyssey, during 8

Homer's Life and Epics and Their Effect and Contribution to Western...
Words: 2309 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

Homer was a legendary Greek poet who is traditionally credited as the author of the major Greek epics the "Iliad and the Odyssey," as well as the comic mini-epic "Batracholmyomachia" (The Frog-Mouse War), the corpus of Homeric Hymns, and various other lost or fragmentary workd such as "Margites" (Homer pp). Some ancient authors credited him with the entire Epic Cycle, which included other poems about the Trojan War as well

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now