preview

Examples Of Archetypes In The Odyssey

Good Essays

Archetypes in The Odyssey
All humans have ideals and patterns in common. Humans from a thousand years ago and humans in modern times have archetypes. Archetypes are characters, actions, or situations that are repeated in all human life. Archetypes are found in myths, legends, dreams, films, music, literature and several other forms of entertainment. In fact, The Odyssey, a prominent piece of writing, contains many archetypes. The Odyssey is a 3,000 year-old epic written by Homer in Ancient Greece. It describes the adventures of Odysseus. As well as being found in The Odyssey, archetypes are evident throughout Greek culture. These archetypes depict the ideals and beliefs of the Ancient Greeks. Through Homer’s use of archetypes in The …show more content…

The cunning displayed by Odysseus in this section of the text confirmed his role as the hero of The Odyssey. Odysseus shows bravery in the adventure of the sirens as well. It took great courage for him to say that he “alone should listen to their song,” (Homer 581). Odysseus also shows the the quality of strength in the section of The Cattle of the Sun God. Odysseus states, “ Nine days I drifted in the open sea,” (Homer 589). This impossible strength and endurance shown by Odysseus may have been an embellishment from Homer. Exaggeration of the hero’s capabilities encourages readers to recognize and revere that character as the hero. Heroes reflect “what society deems as valuable and moral,” (Harris 2). The qualities of Odysseus convey the qualities Ancient Greeks valued in a hero. The Greeks admired strength, bravery, cunning, and success in their heroes. Odysseus had all of these characteristics. Therefore, he revealed the qualities Ancient Greek culture valued. Readers still learn about Greek values from The Odyssey 3,000 years later because of the hero archetype. Of course, the hero would never get anywhere without a guide.
The guide is another archetypal character manifested in The Odyssey. The guide is a necessary character in literature, just like the hero character. The hero could not accomplish his or her quest without the guide’s help. Heroes achieve their goals “by relying on faith in higher

Get Access