Analysis Of Homer 's ' The Iliad '

“As is the generation of leaves, so is that of humanity. The wind scatters the leaves on the ground, but the live timber burgeons with leaves again in the season of spring returning. So one generation of men will grow while another dies” (6.146-50)

In the Epic, “The Odyssey", spoken by Homer, conveys a heroic tale of an epic hero named, Odysseus, who faces many challenges as he sails to get home. One of the tasks Odysseus faces is, "The Sirens", who challenge Odysseus 's will power. Another challenge Odysseus encounters is, “The Cyclops", who torments and slaughters some of Odysseus 's men due to his curiosity. One of the hardest threats he had to confront was, “The Land of Dead" which tested his self-restraint, and revealed his human weaknesses of sorrow. The Epic Hero, Odysseus, struggles with many challenges such as, the taunting Sirens, the brutish and cruel Cyclops, and one of the arduous territories Odysseus has ever crossed, The Land of the Dead.

The first book of the Iliad begins with the beginning of Achilles’ rage, the rage that will eventually cause his own people so much grief and is also the force for Homer’s version of the story of the Trojan War. Whereas the taking of Helen is the focus of the larger, traditional story, the feud between Agamemnon and the hero Achilles over a kidnapped girl defines the Iliad. Both feature a conflict over a woman, Helen and Chryses’ daughter, and a need for resolution as well as a breach of social contract: Paris steals the wife of Agamemnon, ruining the bonds of the guest relationship, while Agamemnon denies Chryse his right to ransom and invokes the wrath of the gods in the form of a plague. In both cases, however, it becomes clear that the conflict will not be resolved quickly, but will continue through the very heart of the story. By “singing of Achilles’ rage” from the first line, the narrator is clearly showing the audience that this Trojan war is not the war of Hector or Paris or Helen, but of the proud Achilles and his hero-sized enemy.

In the “Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through obstacles throughout the book that a normal man couldn’t subside. One example is in book 9, his main obstacle that he is trying to face is to escape from being held hostage in a cave by a Cyclops better known as Polyphemus. Odysseus is a archetypal hero, he is also a role model, with an ambition to get to his homeland Ithaca. He goes through resisting temptation and using his intellect and physical strength to get him there, no matter the obstacle nor the negative flaws that he faces. Odysseus put himself and his men in that situation by being curious and wanting to know what kind of land his ship and the winds led him to. This was selfish of him because it cost him some of his men, but a leader and hero has to play that role and some lives will be dealt with on the way. Odysseus says, “The rest of you will stay here while I go with my ship and crew on reconnaissance. I want to find out what those men are like, Wild savages with no sense of right or wrong Or hospitable folk who fear the gods” (Homer 429). Saying this quote alone makes Odysseus a humble man due to the fact that not even a piece of land is going to slow him down on his journey back home.

Throughout The Iliad, an epic poem written by Homer, there were numerous warriors and other characters that could be looked upon as heroes; some of these heroes included Achilles, Ajax, Diomedes, Hector, and Glaucus. All of these individuals were heroes because of their remarkable mental and physical strength: they were courageous and were better fighters in war than other ordinary men. The trade of battle was a way of life to the Greeks back in Homer’s time. Children were raised to become great servicemen to their country, and warriors lived to fight for and defend their nation with pride and valor. The heroic code was a strict morality that dealt with matters relating to honor and integrity in battle.

The character Ulysses Everett McGill from “O Brother, Where art thou?” is a worthy representation of Odysseus from the “Odyssey”. Ulysses Everett McGill, or Everett, was the main character of the movie who was trying to get back home. Odysseus was a king and warrior who spent 20 years away from home due to obstacles and distractions. Both characters share many personality traits and events that make the movie a modern adaption of the epic poem

Homer’s epic, The Iliad, highlights the influence and jurisdiction that beauty provides. The prizes and glory a man accumulates from war measure his power, while beauty measures a woman’s power. Since conquering a woman is the ultimate prize to a man, her beauty represents ultimate power. Though the beauty of mortal women has the power to turn men against each other, mortal women have no influence over this power and are instead objectified by men. Immortal women, however, have authority over their beauty and are able to control men with their power. Helen, on the other hand, though mortal, has the beauty of a goddess. Yet, Helen is bound by her fate to Paris, making her power obsolete. By presenting Helen’s hopeless power and supplying the reader with insight on her suffering through her thoughts, Helen is portrayed as a tragic hero.

Telemachus, who is the son of Odysseus was seen to be insecure and immature that had trouble in making decisions in his life. He had trouble coping with the idea of losing his father and letting others to rule Ithaca. It is noticeable from the beginning of The Odyssey, written by Homer that Telemachus finds himself in a complicated situation where his life is seen to be in danger. He is a character of being distance from people. The idea of Telemachus becoming his own father, threatens suitor’s control in Ithaca. Homer describes Telemachus as a teenager who has not found himself and is on a mission to become an adult as his father. Telemachus wants to be seen as a powerful and respected man. Before his mission, Telemachus meets with Athena who gives him courage to go and find his father. The meeting with Athena makes Telemachus more confident in making decisions. His mission to find his father and meeting with different kings and queens changes Telemachus into a secure and confident man. The people that he met during his mission made a tremendous change in his life in becoming more than he expected.

In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, certain characters are granted with the ability to make decisions for themselves, while others must deal with external factors, whether it be fate or divine intervention, that predispose their lives. Similarly, women are predisposed with the inability to make choices for themselves while men are born with the right to uphold power and enforce control over the female gender. Contrary to these gender stereotypes concerning power in a Homeric world, Homer instills Penelope with complete control, while leaving Odysseus with none. It is this distribution of control in Penelope that enables Odysseus to complete his nostos and re-identify himself, therefore pushing the boundaries of gender norms.

The ancient civilization tells a story of things that have happen in a world of their own. The plot consists of very powerful demigods, heroic warriors, supernatural beings, and the mistreatment of women. Many believe that women have been overlooked and disrespected in this world for years. The irrelevance of these women was a part of the Greek life. In the epic poem, “The Odyssey” by Homer, Penelope becomes a different person when she is brought into a time where women are taken control of more than anyone else in the Greek world. During this epic story, Penelope becomes a person of her own and not just someone that is focused on the hard times that she faces as well as her husband being gone for a long period of time. “Yes she’s in

In Homer’s The Odyssey, loyalty is not only a vital character trait for Odysseus, but also an important trait for any dutiful citizen. Odysseus personifies loyalty as he journeys back to Ithika in, but his wife and servants also display an extreme amount of devotion to their lost king. Those that are loyal are rewarded, while those that aren’t are punished.

Throughout life we are faced with many different challenges, and obstacles. Temptation is followed from our instincts, insights, or through the support system that we have built within. Nevertheless, loyalty can idealize as an extremity that extracts our thoughts and mental processes, which can make decisions coincide with ease especially considering who we can count on in times of need. Loyalty, many people may look upon it as actions but in all actuality it is what lies deep down inside of the mind, heart, beliefs, and character of a person. In Homer’s book The Odyssey, there is loyalty present from beginning to end and I would like to express how words imply loyalty on an aspectual basis.

Throughout our lives, no doubt we have seen countless heroes. They may be a doctor, a war veteran, or a comic book superhero from a fond childhood. A hero has a thousand faces as mythologist and author, John Campbell, puts it; the only requisite for being one under his definition is completing what he calls The Hero’s Journey. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the violent Odysseus was seen by the Ancient Greeks as a cunning and brave hero, but is he according to John Campbell’s definition? The Hero’s Journey is broken down into six steps one must complete, leaving home, embarking upon a quest, facing dragons, meeting the final dragon in all-out combat, incurring a wound, and gaining new wisdom. Five of these Odysseus flawlessly completes. He leaves his “home” as he departs from the battlefields of Troy, his quest in search of Ithaca. As he sails through the seas in search of his beloved hearth and home, he combats “dragons,” from the radiant enchantress Circe to the infernal six-headed behemoth Scylla, his final dragon and all out struggle fought on his homecoming, slaying the suitors that defiled his wife and name. Crawling out from the battle, his wounds lay deep; his kingdom in shambles, his crew deceased, and twenty years of a lifetime forever stolen. However, this is only as far as he goes, for no wisdom does he acquire, barred by a disassociation from empathy. Odysseus’ name embellished by

Homer’s epic Greek tale, The Odyssey, is the story of a hero’s nostos, following the ten years after the Trojan War saga. From these tales of wanderings of Odysseus, son of Laërtes, ruler of Ithaka, Homer reveals that to come home a warrior must strip their ‘war’s immortality’ skin and be reborn to understand the peaceful human existence in the cosmic universe. In retelling of his tale to the Phaiákians, Odysseus recaptures the inward lost by means of descriptive heroic insight and over imagination of the external drama, skimming over his most fatal flaw - his ego. My argument in this essay is our hero’s ego and his continuous struggle with it causes the downfall for him and others . Odysseus’s need of recognition

The Iliad ranks as one of the most important and most influential works in terms of world literatures since its establishment. Between the underlying standard to which the Iliad offers us as audience members, along with the plethora of writers that have followed in the footsteps to which Homer’s Iliad paved, the impact that the Iliad has played is remarkable in itself. While the Iliad can be credited for much of present day literature we study today, Hollywood can be created for the plethora of world-class films and replication of iconic works of literature over its time as well. Wolfgang Petersons Troy is a prime example of a world-renowned poetic being transformed into a Hollywood production. While the 2004 American epic adventure war film, Troy was a huge hit in the box office, and full of world-class actors such as Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom; it does lack many critical events and characters that play a key role in Homer’s Iliad.