Odyssey Architype

The connections between humans and culture over time are in ancient literature. The connections ,archetypes, can be found in the adventurous book The Odyssey. Ancient Greek culture is brought up by Homer through archetypes. These archetypes help connect one another over time. In the Odyssey, topics such as terrifying monsters , love tests, and an unstoppable hero are all related to ancient Greek culture. The Odyssey shows archetypes that also reveal this culture. Three archetypes found are monsters, loyalty, and a hero, which shows the ancient Greek culture for modern readers.

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

One strong archetype in the Odyssey is the hero archetype. “The archetype of heroism allows an individual to serve as the primary example of what society deems as valuable and moral.”(Harris 2) Ancient Greek civilizations valued strength, loyalty, wisdom, and ingenuity. This is made known to the reader because the hero Odysseus has all of these traits. Odysseus used his knowledge, strength, and ingenuity to his advantage in everything he did.Another example of the hero archetype in the Odyssey is “nine days I drifted in open sea.”(Homer 989) Odysseus was able to survive nine days with no food,most humans can survive for five to seven days without food or water. He was also able to hang from a tree for a full

The Odyssey is a story made up of stories. Because there is very little action that happens in the present, the presence of storytelling within the Odyssey is something that characterizes it and makes it unique. The spreading of stories serve to form legends and myths that can have the effect of shaping a culture. In addition, since stories were such an important aspect of entertainment in Greek culture, stories also shape the audience, either by entertaining them or creating feelings of sympathy in them. The function of storytelling in the Odyssey, is to evoke emotions and leave powerful, lasting impressions on the audience. However, the stories that are told

A trip to hell is not unique to Homer’s The Odyssey, but rather this journey is found as an archetype in multiple cultures. If you look at any story from any culture, there is always a low point or valley in the story where a hero must dive into the unknown to prove themselves as a hero. This also serves as a stage to show the hero their own mortality and enhance their bravery. What results is that they emerge from the hardships as a brave and justified hero. There is no place that maintains these circumstances of death and decay better than the underworld. Additionally, what makes the hero a hero is the fact that he or she has gone to the place of no return for most people, and has come back after conquering some form of evil. This gives the

Many years after the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus still hasn’t returned home to Ithaka. Many believe that he is dead, but the author lets us know that he is being held as a sex captive on the goddess Kalypso’s island. Kalypso has no plans of letting him go to return home either.

    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.

The Odyssey is one of the oldest well known stories to date, and it is believed to be written around 2000 years ago. Its age is not the most fascinating fact though, the epic poem is comprised of 12,000 lines of death-defying, adventurous tales that are separated into different episodes. The Character traits of the might Odysseus, the structure of The Odyssey, the diction within the epic poem will be explained in this essay.

During Odysseus’ journey in ‘The Odyssey’, Odysseus runs into a couple problems. He leaves home ready to fight in the Trojan War. Although he had plans on coming home, he never made it home. His wife Penelope and his son Telemachus assumed that Odysseus was dead. It was not until Athena came to Telemachus and gave him everything he needed to make it to his dad. What Telemachus did not know was that Odysseus wanted to come home, but he could not because he was being held prisoner on an island named Ogygia. Odysseus wants nothing more to return home and see his lovely wife Penelope.

An archetype is defined as an image, story-pattern, character, setting, symbol, or situation that recurs frequently in literature and in life. It demonstrates universal human experiences and associates strongly with readers through a subconscious understanding. In the Epic of Gilgamesh the main character, Gilgamesh, is an example of a superheroic archetypal hero. He took on an epic quest for everlasting life by following the archetypal steps of a hero’s journey. Through suffering due to tragedy, realizing the nature of his quest, seeking help from a mentor, experiencing failure, and returning home with a companion, Gilgamesh’s story followed the situational archetype of a hero’s journey.

In the epic poem and the biblical narrative, the “Odyssey” written by Homer and the “In the Beginning” which is by Moses, they face a similar obstacle. In both of these stories, they face a task of temptation. They must not give in to it, but if they do, they are given consequences. However, when they get their consequence, it somehow ends up helping them with their journey.

As the great Greek philosopher Socrates once said, “the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”(Socrates). It is human nature to strive for knowledge, yet there is always a consequence. Socrates explores the torture of never truly understanding until you accept the futility of the quest for knowledge. A similar theme is apparent in both The Odyssey, and “Ulysses,” where Homer and Alfred, Lord Tennyson interpret and explore their point of view in their writings. In The Odyssey, Homer tells the tale of Odysseus’ trials and tribulations throughout his journey home from Troy. Inspired by Homer’s story, Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote the poem “Ulysses.” Both authors employ figurative

The Odyssey was about Odysseus and his men and how they were going back home. They were coming back from the Trojan War. In the beginning Odysseus and his men were trying to find their way back home. In the middle of the book they had to go to the underworld to get directions to get back home. In the end of the book Odysseus is back home with Penelope and his son.

After the ancient Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet around 800 BCE, they began to write down the stories from and about their past, known as their archaiologia (Sayre, 115). For generations these stories were pasted down by word of mouth, the two most important being the Iliad and the Odyssey, created by an author history knows as Homer.