The Odyssey is an ancient greek story and is from almost the end of the 8th Century, “Jack and the Beanstalk” is an english fairy tale from about 1734. The Odyssey and “Jack and the Beanstalk” are from very different genres yet they both share common archetypes which serve the same purpose such as the hero, creature of nightmare, tree of life, and good versus evil. This supports the “one story” theory that says all stories have the same common human experience. The Odyssey written by Homer is about a king defeating monsters to get back to his homeland. “Jack and the Beanstalk” written by Joseph Jacobs is about a boy who climbs up a beanstalk to steal riches from an ogre. The “Hero” archetype is evident in both The Odyssey and “Jack …show more content…
Both The Odyssey and “Jack in the Beanstalk” include hero archetypes that show the protagonists using their courage, wisdom and wit to save people and both exemplify and point back to the “One Story” theory. In The Odyssey and “Jack and the Beanstalk” the suitors and ogre represent the creature of nightmare, and the creature of nightmare’s purpose is to support the main characters heroic actions by failing. The suitors fit the creature of nightmare archetype. After Odysseus tells the suitors his plan to kill all of them Eurymachus, one of the suitors, says, “Fight I say, let’s remember the joy of it. Swords out!” (Homer 1259). The suitors fit the creature of nightmare archetype because they threaten the life of the hero by saying they will kill him. The suitors’ purpose is to show how much of a hero the main character is. The narrator says, “The suitors make various unsuccessful attempts to expel Odysseus from his post at the door [...] Odysseus and his men take this opportunity to launch their own attack, and the suitors begin to fall” (Homer 1260). The suitors show how much of a hero Odysseus is by failing to win the battle of one-hundred men to two. In “Jack and the Beanstalk” the ogre embodies the Creature of Nightmare archetype. When Jack first enters the ogre’s house his wife says, “My man is an ogre and there’s nothing he likes better than boys boiled on toast” (Jacobs 3). The ogre’s wife proves how the ogre threatens Jack’s life by saying
In my eyes a hero is a person who shows courage, is humble, does not give up, and is someone everybody can relate to. The protagonist in “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because although he is emotional throughout the book and lets his emotions take over his actions, he displays immense courage and perseveres through his journey and hardships.
“Now shrugging off his rags the wiliest fighter of the islands leapt and stood on the broad door still, his own bow in his hand” (Homer 557). In epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because he makes a clever decisions by gaining a close connection with Circe, he is cautious for he built his bed out of an olive tree, protecting his family from imposters, and he is cunning, for he allows his men to successfully escape Polyphemus’ cave.
Published in the 8th century B.C.E and 1997 respectively, both The Odyssey by Homer and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling are universally known arts of literature. The Hero’s Journey is a commonly used trope incorporated in numerous amounts of tales. This trope involves a hero who goes on a journey, finds himself in a crisis, defeats his enemies, and comes home changed. Harry Potter, the main character in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, encounters many conflicts and meets helpful mentors on his adventure. Similarly, Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, encounters various monsters and obstacles, too. Both Harry Potter and the
When people think of a hero, they think of a tall, handsome, loyal, brave, and a type of man that could do no wrong. The “hero” that is portrayed in the Odyssey is a man named Odysseus. This “hero” may be tall and handsome, but he is often arrogant, disrespectful, conceited, and rude. Odysseus consists of positive and negative characteristics that is shown in the text by Homer. These characteristics impact the characters day to day, or in the book’s case, the quests. In the Odyssey, Homer values the characteristics hospitality and cunning, but he objects bad leadership.
The Odyssey, a historical epic, was the first written of its kind. Since then, many stories’ plots have focused on the characteristics that made it an epic, such as Finding Nemo. Although the Odyssey was written many years ago, Finding Nemo’s qualities are along the same lines. Both stories contain characters on a journey in search of something of significance. Monsters threaten the quest home, helpers assist the heroes on their journeys, the heroes are glorified in the end, and there is a strong relationship between a parent and their child. Some of these are more commonly found or recognized than others.
Many of the archetypes in this story were the origin for the archetypes used in todays literature. Two examples in “The Odyssey” are the temptress and the father-son
The Lord of the Rings and Odyssey are two very weird stories in my opinion. The two stories include several similarities. The most noteworthy similarity of the two that were in common was the use of themes. Both included similar themes such as, life, death,power, brotherly love, myth, temptation, and journey.
Throughout history, poets, authors, and directors have created characters labeled as “heroes”. These figures can be brave and kind; they can be strong and intelligent, but regardless of the attributes these “heroes” possess, they reflect those valued and admired by the people of that time and culture. Homer, the author of book nine of The Odyssey, “In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave,” used the character Odysseus to appear heroic by showcasing the traits readers would find most desirable in a person. Homer showed such characteristics in Odysseus when he wrote him to be brave when confronted with danger, intelligent in problem-solving, and extremely loyal to his homeland.
A hero is one who sets a goal in which takes bravery and dedication in order to achieve. The book The Odyssey written by Homer reveals a story of a true hero. The main character is a man named Odysseus who displays hero characteristics throughout the book. Odysseus is a hero because he returns home with a changed perspective which reflects his heroic abilities, such as his bravery and dedication to return home.
Homer’s The Odyssey tells the story of young Telemachus with the task of finding his father, Odysseus while also finding himself. As the hero of this journey, Telemachus develops into a noble, brave, and strong man, through complications inflicted by others’ mental endurance. By overcoming these obstacles Telemachus develops into the universally known stereotypical hero. However, the same cannot be said for the heroes of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland. At the end of their journeys, Jewel and Alice become different kinds of heroes; instead of becoming a stereotypical plucky adventurer, they each develop different traits to benefit themselves along their journey.
Another undeniable parallel between both tales is the importance of one’s journey. Homer’s Odyssey is far more than an epic of a man “who wandered far and wide” across the sea, it is rather an archetypal journey with universal, as well as timeless themes. That is
“The Odyssey,” is a Greek epic poem written by Homer with the main character being Odysseus, King of Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he is faced with certain challenges and feels certain emotions, such as, revenge, temptation, grief, and much more. These emotions can be related to today’s problems in some way. “The Odyssey” is an example of a universal story and Odysseus is a universal character because people can relate to the events that happen to the story and to the character.
The Chronicles of Narnia and The Odyssey share both similarities and differences between the two pieces; both having similar events that take places of certain archetypes, but also having different variations of a certain situation in the story. Narnia follows the Hero’s Journey closely and moreover
Humanity has always strived for greatness, and is destined to continue this attempt till the world stops spinning. Through the art of storytelling, and literature, we have weaved images of what the ideal human should be. Countless works of literature depict such humans as “heroes”, due to the inspiration they stir within our imperfect souls. Truly epic heroes shape future stories, and remain influential despite the weathering of time. Two heroes of epic proportions can be found in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, through the grand tales of Achilles and Odysseus. How are these two men heroes? Better yet, what makes each unique in their
The heroes in The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, and Oedipus are all men that share many traits, but are not the typical heroes that 21st century readers today may relate to. Instead, they are flawed men who must overcome great challenges. However, heroes play a vital role in the ancient epic texts that are still enjoyed today. Without the hero, there would be no tale to tell, and the stories of Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Oedipus, would be unknown to us. Understanding the role of the hero, and the differences between heroes is useful to better understand the literary masterpieces within the context of the times they were written in as well.