How The Odyssey Reflects Greek Values “But he saw nothing of the great Odysseus, who sat apart, as a thousand times before, and racked his own heart groaning, with eyes wet scanning the bare horizon of the sea…” (71-75) The Odyssey is an Ancient Greek epic poem by the Homer, who also authored the Iliad. In the epic, the goddess Calypso tries to persuade Odysseus to stay with her by incentivizing him with immortality, but he continues to long for his home and family. With the help of Hermes, he escapes
This quote shows that the Greeks valued themselves, but also their intellect in which they know that the world about them is great. The Greeks valued beauty, art, intellect, honor, and truth; the list is long. Some of these values are shown through the story of the Odyssey, which tells of the adventures of Odysseus and his family. In order to understand Greek values and how they are portrayed in Greek society, one must examine how some values are portrayed in the Odyssey: hospitality, intellect
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 Odyssey, the reader gains
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
attempts to answer in his epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, through Achilles and Odysseus. Both epics create a unique heroic ideal, which means that they exhibit the traits that a culture deems important. However, the two heroes exhibit different qualities and traits. Therefore, Homer both exhibits all heroic traits and establishes their order of importance in Greek society. In his characterization of the heroes in both The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer establishes a heroic ideal through the attitudes
about the Greek Poet Homer. Actually, there are many who believe that no such ‘Homer’ ever even existed in Ancient Greece. Nonetheless, it is agreed that Homer is one of the first writers that have shaped our culture immensely. Homer gives us a look into what morals the Greeks followed and what their beliefs were. Homer shows us how the Greeks put these beliefs into action by presenting multiple struggles that our characters must go through. Homer’s epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, are thousands
A hero isn’t shaped by his strengths but by the values he possesses. Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, reveals the moral and ethical constitution of the ancient Greeks. Over time, certain cultures have grown to value a number of human characteristics. Those who acquire such values become respected heroes. After the fall of Troy, the protagonist of the epic, Odysseus, set sail for his home, Ithaca, where his faithful wife and son were waiting for him. Over the course of his journey, Odysseus faced some of
Religion was a strong value for the early Greek society. The Greeks looked up to the Gods and worshipped them by praying, building temples, making sacrifices, staying faithful to their religion, etc. Indeed, the Gods were praised but they were also respected. If a mortal committed hubris against them then they would be struck down. Often, Greeks would ask for favors from their Gods. This means that the relationship between the Greeks and their Deities would be one of give and take. We see this relationship
Explain the influence of Homer’s Odyssey on Margaret Atwood. It is very clear that Atwood was influenced by The Odyssey when writing The Penelopiad. After reading The Odyssey, it left Atwood with more questions than answers about the maids and Penelope. Atwood waned to explore the poem from a female perspective. Atwood found many inconstancies in the story of the maids which she wanted to explore. She also wanted to explore Penelope’s role as a wife, mother and materfamilias. Margaret Atwood said
When Homer wrote The Odyssey, it seems that his intention was to make Odysseus the hero. There are certainly parts of him that are heroic, and he does exemplify some of the most important Greek values. But, he is not the sole hero of this Epic; he isn’t really even a hero. There are so many choices he made and actions he took that do not make him truly worthy of the title “Protagonist,” despite how Homer wrote The Odyssey. But, there is someone worthy of that title. There is someone who exemplified