Masculinity In The Odyssey

Honor and glory are two important things for the heroes of Greece. Greek heroes live all their life to pursue honor and glory, and they always want the society to know their reputation. Honor and glory create many epic wars which take the lives of many people, and it exists at every stage. One of them is the fall of Troy, and it is “a thing… whose glory shall perish never” (Homer, Iliad 2.324). For the Greeks, they always appreciate the personal honor, family honor and the honor of the country, so they always try to do everything to achieve that goal. Even they want that after they die, the honor and the glory of them will persist forever. Honor and glory prove a hero, so those are the foundations for everything in the Iliad of Homer.

The Greeks placed great importance on personal honor. Why is this? Is it because to them man I nothing without honor. Or is it that the honor is more important than the man? "Honor to the Greeks is something that is won by a man's prowess, his ability to fight and be victorious on the battle field"(Schein 62). This is just one example of how honor is obtained. A second method of gaining honor is to be a great orator, one must posses the ability to speak in the assembly and express his ideas eloquently, and persuasively to the gathered body. A third way of achieving personal honor is to demonstrate athletic ability.

Imagine you are left by your husband after he leaves to go to war and you must protect your kingdom and yourself. How would you handle the situation? In Homer’s The Odyssey a wife is left alone to raise a child and to protect others from taking her husband's position on the throne until Telemachus is old enough to take it himself. Penelope must give her son experiences that normally a father would give a son, along with having him grow up to be fair and just. Telemachus and Penelope push through the hardships without a husband, father, and a ruler. Penelope raises telemachus while persevering through sexism, abuse, and loneliness.

In The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, a man named Odysseus tries to get home to Ithaca after several years away from home. He runs into many gods and goddesses in his lengthy journey home, and they prevent Odysseus from returning to Ithaca. Along his journey, all of his men end up dying, but Odysseus survives. Even though Odysseus is an epic hero and an archetype of manhood with many qualities, he has several flaws also.

Traditionally, women are depicted as weak and vulnerable. However, in the epic, the Odyssey by Homer, women are depicted as loyal, persevering, supportive. Homer depicts Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, as loyal by showing her pine for Odysseus even though he is rumored by many to be dead. Next is Calypso, a woman who wants Odysseus to be her husband so bad, that she keeps him hostage as a form of her perseverance. Lastly, Homer shows Athena, the goddess of wisdom, as a supportive character to Telemachus in more than one way. Homer wrote the Odyssey, against normal stereotypes of women, and made women seem loyal, persevering, and supportive.

In ancient Greece, it was crucial that men proved their masculinity in order to uphold their worth and earn them a place in social establishments. An important aspect of human life is a man’s masculine identity and how it plays a role in society. However with this idea of masculinity came limitations that were not to be crossed. Ancient Greek epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, both function to provide their own view on masculinity in society through the reverse sex similes. In the Iliad the crucial role of Achilles as a warrior and his association with maternal protection, as represented through it’s reverse sex maternal similes, ultimately proves problematic. This intrinsic part of man to fight on the battlefield to win timê and kleos is ultimately

The Odyssey written by Homer allows gender roles to have a big impact, as well as social hierarchy and humanity, all in which connects to today’s world, and all of which are similar due to the fact they all rely on other people, not the person themself. He uses heroic characteristics to bring attention to Odysseus, the main character, which puts him at the near top of the social hierarchy. Immortals and mortals are also held at different standings, but connect to each other with their powers and wishes. Woman and men are separated in the things that are considered good, or not. Men are allowed to not be loyal, but woman should be, and women are the maids and slaves, and looked at in not the same manner.

The Iliad, by Homer, is an epic poem set in the era of the Trojan War, accounting the battle logs during the time of conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles, the text’s tragic protagonist. The heroic outlook on life, in Iliadic terms, is exemplified through the construction of one’s honor through hard work. Being an aspect of the heroic outlook of life, this value is demonstrated through his contribution and dedication to the Trojan War, his experience with neglect from the deities, Achilles’ overall disdain towards Agamemnon, and, lastly, his longingness towards Briseis, his dear lover.

Nestor, noble charioteer, captures best the essence of Achilles when he says, “Achilles, brave as he is, he has no care, / no pity for our Achaeans” (Homer 11.787-788). Most readers of the Iliad, consider Achilles the greatest warrior of The Trojan War, however, he lacks an important characteristic; care for others. Achilles’ best friend Patroclus, has described him as a great warrior, but a terrible person (11.774). In Homer's Iliad, Hector the great warrior of the Trojans, exhibits a selfless leadership approach, which contrasts to Achilles’ selfish actions as a leader. In order to be a great warrior, one’s loyalty must belong to something outside of themselves, and it’s through Achilles’ self-centered actions, that he loses the title of the greatest warrior to Hector. As the two capital warriors of the different sides of the Trojan war, Hector and Achilles provide an interesting contrast between two powerful leaders. Known for being loyal, selfless, and dedicated to his army, Hector contrasts to Achilles, who is self-serving in every aspect of his life. Despite his defeat at the hands of Achilles, Hector proves to be the greatest warrior of the Trojan War. The first characteristic Hector possesses, making him the superior warrior, is his ability to set his pride aside when he knows it will benefit his army. In contrast, Achilles allows his pride to control him and detriment his army. Another vital characteristic Hector’s possesses, making him a better leader, and

The Iliad, a great epic poem written by Homer, illustrates the honor system valued deeply by the Greeks and Trojans. Though Homer uses Hector as a voice piece for the honor system, he presents Hector and other characters as heroes that conflict with the code itself. Through Hector’s conversation with Paris, we identify the three main components that codes the honor system. In other great epic poems, great heroes appear to possess and suffice the components. Yet, Homer chooses to do the exact opposite. In The Iliad, the heroes , such as, Paris, Diomedes, and Hector himself, conflict with the codes. Homer criticizes the Greek honor system by contradicting the system through these conflicted heroes.

Homer concentrates on Hector throughout the chapter and makes comments about how brave and courageous he was. He also mentions that he is a great commander and leader of the Trojan army. In addition, Hector knew the reason behind the invasion which was Paris stealing Menelaus’ wife, Helen. This gives Agamemnon an excuse to attack Troy. Both Hector and his wife know that he is soon to meet his death, it’s inescapable. However, even though it is not his fight, he still feels compelled to go to war with his country and search for some vague glory. Hector seems to be very heroic. Moreover, Homer describes Hector as an immense warrior almost god-like. But in

As is already known, Homeric literature served as the model for educating Greek boys and young men, as well male Roman citizens later on in Antiquity. The passages of Homer and Hesiod instructed a decorum which defined proper behavior as unyielding bravery in the field of battle, and the continuous desire for besting an opponent through strident competition, or agon in the Greek. Achilles defined this part of heroic conduct, while Odysseus, through his renowned ability for persuasion, defined the other. Ideally therefore, both ways melded together provided a path to immortality and glory, which was the ultimate goal for every male aspirant in Classical Athens. As can be witnessed in Homeric literature – especially the Iliad – the real meaning of this immortality lay in the recognition of one’s achievements by his peers. And while immortality naturally meant being remembered for one’s actions, the potential for infamy also was part and parcel of this method. Therefore, this path to everlasting glory may been seen as highly individualistic, with no lasting contribution to the society left behind. Yet this masculine-nihilistic

Because of the promise of Kleos, a warrior is willing to risk everything he has, including his life, to fight in battle. When Hector makes a visit to Troy, he visits his wife and son. His wife tries to convince him to stay behind and not return, because if he does, he will die in battle. Hector knows this, but says he is willing to risk his life to obtain the glory he and the rest of Troy deserve (Fagles, 6. 510-555.)

Homer’s Iliad is undoubtedly focused on its male characters: Achilles, primarily, but also Hector and Agamemnon. Nevertheless, it seems that the most crucial characters in the epic are female. Homer uses the characters of Thetis, Andromache, and Helen as a basis for comparison to the male characters. Homer wants his audience to see and understand the folly of his male characters in choosing war over peace, aggression over kindness, and honor over family. While the behavior of these characters clearly speaks for itself, the contrasting attitudes and behaviors of the female characters proffer an alternative; in comparison, the reader can hardly fail to concur with Homer’s message that war, aggression,

In the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, men and women alike strove to be the best of the best. Everything in the minds of the Ancient Greeks had a particular characteristic that made one thing better than another; it was called arete. Certain characteristics contributed to the amount of arete a person or thing had. Arete was how someone presented themselves to the world and how the world perceived them.