By Book XI, Homer has firmly established Odysseus as a hero for all time, but one whose failings made him distinctly human. Heroes such as Achilles, who had previously been accorded godlike status, are also brought to this level. In particular, the point in the interaction between Odysseus and Achilles where the latter declares "I'd rather live working as a wage-laborer for hire by some other man...than lord it over all the wasted dead." (480-500) reveals much about this concept of human nature. Achilles, having previously chosen to die a hero, now as a shade regrets that choice.
Book XXII illustrates the slaughter of the suitors. This chapter reveals not only the superiority of Odysseus in the ease with which he and his men conduct the slaughter, but other nuances about his character as well. His sense of justice, for example, is revealed. In lines 330-380, he spares the lives of Medon and Phemius. He does so on the basis of testimony from his Telemachus. This exemplifies that Odysseus, as a great leader, inherently understands who is right and wrong. He also implicitly trusts his son, who he left as an infant when we embarked for Troy. Odysseus further demonstrates his strong sense of right and wrong by killing Leodes, the priest who had begged for mercy similarly to Phemius. Lastly, Homer shows the strength of Odysseus' wisdom and justice when he illustrates how these traits passed down to Telemachus. In line 460-470 the son eschews his father's advice to kill the women servants who'd betrayed the house with his sword. Instead Telemachus, showing the same strong sense of justice as his father, has them hanged, a less noble death.
Book XXII illustrates much about human nature. Justice is meted out gleefully against those who are disloyal. The suitors' fates in large part match their actions. Eurymachus, for example, had previously insulted Telemachus and now dies at the son's hand.
The...
For the most part women in the Odyssey are essentially one of three things: sexualized monsters, in the form of Circe, Calypso, the Sirens, and even Scylla; asexual helpers and servants, in the form of Athena and Eurycleia; and finally, seemingly helpless damsels, in the form of Penelope. To this one may add what is essentially the lowest of the low class within the poem, those women who are sexually
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 Throughout the text of the Odyssey, Odysseus finds recourse to rely on his inner resource to surmount incredible odds in order to finish his journey home. Indeed, often we think of epic heroes using their enormous physical strength to solve a problem, and certainly, Odysseus does have recourse to physical means on more than one occasion. Nonetheless, it is more often that he uses his cleverness and mental agility to
"The Odyssey" also demands that guests show similar kindness in return to their hosts. While Odysseus is not blameless and morally upright in his actions towards others and he has an occasionally violent temper, he usually only strikes back at a host when he is threatened, as in the case of the Cyclops. For this demonstration of his need for kindness when he is wandering, he is rewarded, finally,
There it is called the underworld and truly reminds one of the subconscious in many ways. For the Greeks, this is just one aspects of life after death.. In some sense it seems more closely associated with the Christian idea of limbo. Heaven has its counterpart in the Elysian fields. In the Inferno hell is again representing the subconscious, but in it's more visceral and active and judgmental aspect.
Odyssey Much of Homer's epic poem The Odyssey deals with the trouble the titular character finds himself in, and the suffering he and men must endure as he makes his way home over the course of ten years. Upon cursory examination, one might think that suffering in the Odyssey has some actual value, in that Odysseus is ultimately rewarded for his long-suffering efforts by being able to go home and murder
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