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Role Of Man In The Odyssey

Decent Essays
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Josh Marszalek
Larr
Block 2
21/9/17
Man vs. Man In epic poems, there are many different conflicts, especially the conflict of man vs. man. Epics may seem to have a strong supernatural presence. Despite the gods making humans do their bidding in certain circumstances, people still know how to make decisions for themselves. This leads to conflict between men of different beliefs, cultures or countries. In the Odyssey, we see Odysseus conquer and escape all different kinds of supernatural creatures, such as the sirens, the cyclops, and even Poseidon himself. However, when he returns home to Ithaca, there are many suitors looking to take his place (Shmoop, The Odyssey). Odysseus is also having a hard time keeping his adventures a secret, which is evidenced when he …show more content…

That is the gods' work, spinning threads of death through the lives of mortal men, and all to make a song for those to come..." (Shmoop, the Odyssey). While the suitors try to marry his wife Penelope, she delays the suitors for as long as possible. The suitors mistreat Odysseus when he returns disguised as a beggar. This enrages Odysseus and along with 3 of his loyal patrons and Athena, he defeats the suitors. (Shmoop, The Odyssey). This is evidenced when Odysseus says, “Amphinomus went back across the room, heart saddened within him, shaking his head, for in his spirit he saw the evil, but still could not escape his doom, for Athene had bound him fast, to be strongly killed by the hands and spear of Telemachos.” (Shmoop, The Odyssey). He describes what he is going to do to the suitors. The conflict in the Iliad is not as complicated, but it is just as important as the one in The Odyssey. The soldier Achilles is fighting in a war for the Greeks against the Trojans, and he is fighting to win. He defeats the great Trojan prince hector, which is an important example of man vs. man. Achilles’ conflict with the Trojans may be successful with a bit of divine

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