Achilles Vs Odysseus Essay example

When the Greeks lose the tempered Achilles, the war starts to lean toward the Trojans. When he had been in his mellow state, Agamemnon realises that victory without Achilles is virtually impossible. With that in mind, Agamemnon is willing to forgive Achilles by offering him a major ransom and the bond of friendship. Agamemnon had not been in that right state of mind, his rage had him feeling controlled and causing him to act irrational.

During that entire time, Achilles’ justification for wallowing in self-pity is that he has been “dishonored”. This argument becomes null and void when Agamemnon offers lavish compensation for the affront. In addition to returning Briseis, Agamemnon offers Achilles seven unfired tripods, ten gold bars, twenty burnished cauldrons, a dozen horses, seven beautiful women from Lesbos, twenty Trojan women, his daughters’ hand in marriage along with a rich dowry, and the ownership of seven populous cities. Any reasonable person would have taken the offer but not prideful, bitter Achilles. Instead he continues on with the same old rhetoric and refuses to fight. As if standing idly by while his countrymen were being killed was not enough, Achilles has his mother call in a favor to Zeus asking him to help the Trojans so that even more Greeks would die during his absence. Not only did he abandon his comrades, he actually prayed for them to die because his pride had been hurt.

One of Odysseus biggest virtues is that he is cunning. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew are always in trouble and Odysseus is able to show that not only can he can trick even the smartest of persons but, he is a brilliant strategist, proof of his cunning nature is the Trojan Horse from The Iliad. In The Odyssey the audience gets a lot of examples of Odysseus cunning nature. In the events of Book Nine of The Odyssey, Odysseus shows the reader his cunning nature. During book nine Odysseus and his crew are strangled in the island of the Cyclops.

Odysseus’s pride and sensualness, prolongs his voyage back to Ithaca. Because of these rather unfavorable qualities Odysseus must suffer the consequences, but through his trials and tribulations he somewhat overcomes his negative qualities and develops into more of a heroic figure. For example, the one downfall to Odysseus character in this section is when he taunts Polyphemus.   He gets carried away, and he boasts about what he has done and how he has tricked him and got away with it.   Odysseus wants prominence, so he makes sure that Polyphemus knows his name and where he's from so that he can tell all who defeated him.

Throughout time, views and ideals change drastically—what was seen as crucial or even sacred in one generation can come to be disregarded or abandoned in the next. These shifts reflect what the people of that particular time period decided was important, as seen when comparing and contrasting Homer’s epics The Iliad and The Odyssey. In The Iliad, might is right, and physical strength—and sometimes even mindless brutality—is viewed as the most important and noble trait a person can possess. In The Odyssey, however, cunning, wits, and contemplation become what the people value most. Odysseus’s ability to think rationally and use a well thought-out plan to escape trouble elevates him to a mythic and almost godlike stature. However, this ability for deep thought can also cause him to overthink, especially in regards to his own abilities and sense of pride. While Odysseus’s cunning makes him closer to the gods, his prideful need for recognition and revenge keeps him flawed and human, holds him back from achieving his full potential, and greatly prolongs his journey home.

An epic is defined as a long narrative poem describing the noble and courageous deeds of a hero. Similarly, a hero is denoted as an individual who can be seen as a role model, maintaining qualities and characteristics worth looking up to and hoping to achieve. Odysseus, being the main character of Homer’s epic The Odyssey, is given the title of a hero by these definitions. He is the center of attention throughout the poem and the people of Ithaka speak of him as if he has god-like qualities. However, when his decisions and intents are examined deeper, it is clearly discernible that Odysseus is acting out of his own hubris and self-centered nature, taking unnecessary risks as he travels home due to his elite status among mortal men.

In “The Odyssey” Written by legendary poet Homer is set in the Trojan War time and is about the story of Odysseus a captain in the war his only job left to get himself home safely. IN his travels he encountered many conflicts where he had to show his leadership and his intelligence to get him home. In “The Odyssey” Homer uses violent fight scenes and heroism to show Odysseus’ clever ways to defeat monsters, while simultaneously showing how his intelligence, coupled with hubris, can endanger himself and others through his recklessness.

A traditional Greek hero possesses qualities including bravery, confidence and a desire for glory. The character Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey additionally displays a characteristic guile in his depictions. While presented largely similar in the passages from books IX and X, small changes are observed through his interactions with Eurylochus, Polyphemus and Hermes.

After these two classic heroes, a template was constructed using the strengths and similarities that Odysseus and Achilles share. The first and foremost most visible similarity between these two is how their tales start. In both The Odyssey and The Iliad Homer (whoever Homer might be) calls out to the goddess Muse and requests that she permit Homer with the knowledge in which to tell

Both Achilles and Odysseus maintained hero traits; by maintaining their reputation as warriors who possessed qualities that were remarkable and required for their separate expeditions. Both of these men valued the people that came along with them on their voyage; but they are commanders in their own heroic journeys. They demonstrated leadership, strength, and godlike qualities. Achilles and Odysseus were confronted with external conflicts as well as confrontation with the world. These infamous men represented the ideal culture; they wished to uphold their reputation. Both heroes are not characterized as by their appearances, nor the influence they leave around the folks around them, but the actions that

A Brazilian soccer player known as Pele once said, ”Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance…” (Brainyquote) Many books showcase what Pele says like Troy: the Movie and The Odysseus. Troy is about a war between a prosperous city-state and a quickly expanding kingdom. The Odyssey is about a man journey back home and his revenge against the men who tried to marry his wife. Odysseus ignores his mother’s ghost so he could speak to Tiresias. While Achilles decides to go on his quest even though he will die at a young age. The author use characterization to convey that people embark upon quests to fulfill personal goal and that they learn perseverance is a person’s greatest tool

It does not matter the circumstance a killer is a killer, but why do some die while others get to live. Both Achilles and Odysseus go on a killing spree and they do not care who gets in their way. Achilles goes on this journey of a war and fighting with no real objective besides a girl that he has not chance with because by the time this war gets over with they forget what they are fight for in the first place. While Odysseus is trying to get home to his wife and in this passage he encounters many obstacles. In Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey the two main characters Odysseus and Achilles are similar in many ways almost like they are the same character with slightly different characteristics they both have a point in their journeys where they are

Achilles and Odysseus were both warriors in the Trojan War; they were on the Greeks side. When Achilles was assassinated by Paris, Odysseus held a funeral game for his compeer. Odysseus and Achilles were very warm-hearted individuals when it comes to their men. A sense of compassion towards every journey was needed, so the job can be done. Both of these heroic individuals illustrated the two sides of human nature; but there were numerous barriers that prevented them from being successful during their voyage. These two epic heroes, reflected the morals and values of the society which they came from. Personal losses from both sides was unbearable for them to withstand.Their routes may vary, but together they made a major difference for society

(An analysis of the differences and similarities of Achilles and Odysseus in Homer’s two epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey)

There are two specific characters in Greek mythology that act, and think in very diverse ways. These characters belong to the stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey written by Homer, and translated by Robert Fagles. The main personalities that will draw the focus in these novels are the heroes Achilles and Odysseus. Despite their differences, both heroes have their similarities as well, such as their suffrage through an internal struggle. Unfortunately the differences are more obvious. Throughout the odyssey’s of both heroes it’s made clear that Achilles is a reactive character while Odysseus is a proactive character. Yet another differing quality between Achilles and Odysseus is that they each handle the gods play in things differently. In the texts The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer the two heroes can be both compared and contrasted as epic heroes.