Odyssey Archetypes

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.

In Homers epic poem “The Odyssey” there are many archetypes, many of which were the origin of the archetype. An archetype is a character type, place, or symbol, every culture shares. In “The Odyssey” Homer uses archetypes to evoke meaning to the story. Some examples of archetypes in “The Odyssey” are the temptress, and the father-son conflict.

Ancient Greeks’ history consisted of monsters, creatures, gods, goddesses, fights, and battles. It shows that Ancient Greeks were very imaginative and creative. There were three main archetypes that were used in Homer’s epic ,The Odyssey, which show different aspects of Ancient Greek culture. Those three archetypes were: the hero/father figure archetype, the monster archetypes, and the search for love. The hero archetype explained the Ancient Greeks’ love for thrill and adventure; Odysseus went on many thrilling adventures while on his journey. The monster archetypes represented the Greeks’ love of horror; Odysseus’ men have died due to the monsters and creatures. There were also love stories that show the Greeks’ passionate and emotional

The character archetype, the creature of nightmare, is showcased numerous times between both novels, The Odyssey and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, respectively. Polyphemus, the cyclops and giant son of Poseidon, which is featured in the ninth chapter of Homer’s, The Odyessey, and the giant squid, featured in the eighteenth chapter of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, are just two examples of the character archetype, the creature of nightmare.

    Most people think of a hero as a strong, superior, good-looking person that could never make a mistake. However, in a story called The Odyssey, a connection to real life reveals imperfections to be common in heroes. Each person has their low points and highlights, regardless of their “rank”. The author and epic poet, Homer, exemplifies our main character, Odysseus, to take on this idea of a hero throughout his writing. The time period took place in Ancient Greece, allowing Greek culture to relate to the poem. Different aspects of such culture and history may have influenced the works and creativity of Homer as well. A major point includes The Trojan War because it focuses in on Odysseus’ journey to bring Helen back home by devising a plan to destroy warriors in the city. Acknowledge this factor when reading The Odyssey, for not only evidence of heroism, but also other major points of archetypes, in which the device reflects the insights of readers in modern time and what is seen from Ancient Greek culture.

An archetype is a model or ideal example in which other things are patterned. There are many archetypes that could represent many characters; but for my character, Haley Kincain, the caregiver archetype represents her the best. Haley represents a caregiver due to constantly caring for her father and his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, along with helping her friends with problems like divorce and bullying. I found her to be pragmatic, considerate and patient throughout the book.

In the book, The Odyssey of Homer, translated by Richmond Lattimore, the relationships Odysseus has with Circe, Kalypso, and Penelope all share a very different type of love. The weakest relationship Odysseus has is with Circe, her love is of respect and infatuation. Then, Kalypso’s love towards Odysseus, a bit stronger than Circe’s is full of selfishness and desperation. Lastly, Penelope’s love is enduring and hopeful for Odysseus making their relationship the strongest. The relationships Odysseus has with Circe, Kalypso, and Penelope share a type of love, the contrast is the different strength of love each woman gives to Odysseus.

Who exactly was Odyssey? Odyssey was an epic hero, although he had good qualities he also had many flaws that led him and his men into trouble. Odyssey is also considered to be an archetype, why is he thought to be this? Well in this essay I will give examples of how he is an epic hero, what his good and bad qualities are, and why he is considered to be an archetype.

Archetypes are found in every story and movie that we read or watch today, there are many found in The Odyssey. The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer, an ancient Greek poet, in 750 BC. This is a story about a man named Odysseus trying to get home after the 10 year Trojan War, but he faces many troubles and challenges along the way. Many archetypes are found in The Odyssey, some of these are: The Trickster, The Supernatural Guide, and The Temptress. They both help and interfere with his journey home.

Gregg Easterbrook once said, “heroic people take risks to themselves to help others. There's nothing heroic about accepting five million dollars to go out and run around chasing a ball, although you may show fortitude or those other qualities while you do it.” Being a hero is about displaying valued qualities of a role model and making a difference that has a lasting outcome upon others. In Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey,” the theme of the heroic quest is shown as Odysseus makes his way back to Ithaca facing the endless struggles presented to him. The myth utilizes character archetypes to highlight a hero’s journey. The character archetypes outline a model for all other pieces afterward; defining the patterns in the quest these characters

There are many types of characters in literature, but especially in epic poems like The Odyssey. The Odyssey is an epic story in poem form by Homer about a man named Odysseus and his adventures when trying to return home after a long perilous journey. Odysseus faces many different creatures, characters, and situations that often times have supernatural elements. The story is riddled with many different archetypes that are typical of epic poetry, such as the temptress, supernatural guide, and the damsel in distress The temptress is always a very memorable character, and Circe is no exception.

Furthermore, the Greeks had many fears and theories about the world. The Odyssey has many excruciating adventures as well as many archetypes and Greek culture. These archetypes relate to Greek culture as well. Such as the Hero’s journey, monster, and the temptress.

Archetypes are characteristics or characters that can define a hero. They can be villains, scapegoats, damsels in distress, and the hero themself . The Odyssey is the perfect story for examples of archetypes seeing as it has so many of them.

In mythological epics, the narrative often depicts imageries of masculinity; they follow a journey of prophecy; fulfilment of destiny and/or a journey of honour (reference) in male characters thus securing their masculine status among their peers. Women however are often binary opposite of the reward, obstacle, or the love interest/desire in these epics (reference); another interpretation is that, in their own right, these women displayed honour and strength, demonstrating both androgynous traits during the Trojan War. In my research, I found it difficult to find literature that publicized female heroes and epic journeys from the point of view of a woman. However, the two that I have found come from Homer’s Odyssey (Leeming, 2005. 297) and

Hero stories like The Odyssey have been around for millions of years. Joseph Campbell says, “all heroes go through basic stages.” Campbell looks at these varieties of heroes as one hero “with a thousand faces.” The heroes will go through the three stages, the departure, initiation, and the return. In The Odyssey, Odysseys starts from his departure leaving Troy to go back home, he then goes through the initiation where Odysseys’ true character emerges, and then returning home as his new self.