Symbolism And Allegory In Homer's Odyssey

In The Odyssey, Odysseus’s longing for his home and family is what drives the story. That is his one goal in the entire book, and that really states something

The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for

In the “Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through obstacles throughout the book that a normal man couldn’t subside. One example is in book 9, his main obstacle that he is trying to face is to escape from being held hostage in a cave by a Cyclops better known as Polyphemus. Odysseus is a archetypal hero, he is also a role model, with an ambition to get to his homeland Ithaca. He goes through resisting temptation and using his intellect and physical strength to get him there, no matter the obstacle nor the negative flaws that he faces. Odysseus put himself and his men in that situation by being curious and wanting to know what kind of land his ship and the winds led him to. This was selfish of him because it cost him some of his men, but a leader and hero has to play that role and some lives will be dealt with on the way. Odysseus says, “The rest of you will stay here while I go with my ship and crew on reconnaissance. I want to find out what those men are like, Wild savages with no sense of right or wrong Or hospitable folk who fear the gods” (Homer 429). Saying this quote alone makes Odysseus a humble man due to the fact that not even a piece of land is going to slow him down on his journey back home.

In Book IX of the Odyssey, Homer uses imagery and foreshadow to illustrate how the cyclopes’ loneliness can significantly reveal how Odysseus and his men gets involved in a conflict with the cyclopes later on in the book. Homer uses foreshadow to develop the plot and build suspense. For example, Homer uses imagery to show what it was like when Odysseus encounters the land of the Cyclopes. Using imagery, readers can interpret the Cyclopes’ living conditions as well as their personality. The phrases “screened with laurel”, “cavern yawning”, “A prodigious man slept in this cave alone”, and “he seemed rather a shaggy mountain reared in solitude” shows that the Cyclopes are living in an isolated society and are very lonely on their island. Also,

“Circe – how could any man in his right mind endure the taste of food and drink before he’d freed his comrades-in-arms and looked them in the eyes? If you, you really want me to eat and drink, set them free, all my beloved comrades – let me feast my eyes.”- Odysseus (P. 242, L. 421.) He proved to Circe the goddess, that he was a noble and selfless (at this moment) and by convincing her to let his men be released displayed shrewdness. He displays patience while he makes his plans, therefore making his move at the right time. “ Here Cyclops, try this wine- to top off the banquet of human flesh you’ve bolted down! Judge for your self what stock our ship had stored…”- Odysseus (P. 222, L. 388) Odysseus is planning to get the Cyclops drunk so he will stop eating all of his men. His quick thinking saved all of his companions from cretin death. Odysseus is the type of leader who maintains loyalty to his men, when they are in danger his careful planning and cunning end up saving them from destruction. Even though by the end of the book there are no men left to return there are many examples of Odysseus’ cleverness which preserved the lives of the men for another day of the journey.

During the course of history, the world has seen many fine works of literature like Homer’s epic, Odyssey. This book is a standard against which to compare all literary novels. The symbolism permeates the pages drawing the reader into the intriguing plot that includes twists within the central theme. Also, the author intelligently uses imagery and diction painting dramatic images in the reader's mind - building upon major the themes.

He risks his own life to save three of his crew members from the Lotus eaters. He did not want them to lose sight of their home. Before injuring the cyclopes, Odysseus has to keep the crew members spirits high. Odysseus states, “...Cheered my men along with battle talk to keep their courage up: no quitting now” (Fitzgerald 751).

Curiosity gets the best of them, Odysseus and one ship sail over to the Island of the Cyclops. Once again there curiosity gets them in danger, they wander into a cyclops cave and end up get trapped inside. The cyclops was seen as a big intimidating figure who was typically seen as a scary beast to many humans. “ We felt a pressure on our hearts, dread of that deep rumble and that mighty man.” This shows that even The Odysseus raider of cities was afraid of the one eyed beast. Odysseus and his men knew their fate if they ended up getting trapped in the cave with the hungry cyclops. Odysseus and his men then disguised themselves after they stabbed the cyclops in the eye impairing his vision. This is a push for Odysseus but of course he has to prove his superiority and tricks the cyclops into thinking his name is

On the island of the cyclops, his pride got in the way and led to more harm than good. While Odysseus was on the island of the cyclops, he knew that they were not welcoming “These people have no institutions, no meetings for counsels…for my proud heart had an idea that presently I would encounter a man who was endowed with great strength, and wild, with no true knowledge of laws or any good customs” (Odyssey 9. 112. 213-215). With this knowledge, he voluntarily puts his own life and the lives of his companions at risk by going into the cave of Polyphemos, one of the cyclops. His companions wanted to take some of the goodies they found in the cave and leave, but he did not listen to them.

Odysseus originally intends to “save his life, to bring his shipmates home”, but instead “harried for years on end, after he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy” (Homer 1. 3-9). What should have been a short journey home is prolonged due to the obstacles he has to navigate. A significant obstacle for Odysseus is his own flaw, curiosity. After landing on a deserted island across the land of the

The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer, tells of the struggles the main character, Odysseus, went through to return to his home, Ithaca, and reunite with his wife, Penelope. The Odyssey is an allegory, meaning it has hidden, interconnected symbols. In other words, while it tells the story of Odysseus, it is also a metaphor for the challenges that everyone faces during their lives.

Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey follows Odysseus on his long journey home. The Epic also includes the stories of Odysseus’ family left behind: the travels of his son, Telemachus, and how plenty, of what we would now call “home wreckers”, suitors pressured his wife, Penelope, into marrying one of them. The characters are beautifully crafted and the story is truly epic. All the elements presented can bring in any reader from any century, the Cyclops, the Gods, the trickery of Penelope, and the disguises of Odysseus, are all legendary literary hooks . There are many things to learn—about writing, about the world around us, the world ahead of us, and the past behind us—from The Odyssey. (26) It is undeniably evident that this ancient text has

The overarching theme of The Odyssey is the belief that man cannot escape the destiny which has been preordained for him by the gods. Destiny plays a vital role in the survival of Odysseus throughout his adventures. As Odysseus languishes on the island of Calypso, Hermes commands her to free Odysseus in order for

Odyssey a long series of wanderings filled with notable experience and hardships, or in other words the journey of life. Homer's The Odyssey is an epic poem telling of one man's journey. Odysseus, the chosen traveler of this Odyssey, represents the will and perseverance of all humanity. Odysseus' journey symbolizes the true toils of mankind's development through, agility, doubt, and faith.

The relation of The Odyssey to modern life accounts for its continued appeal. The story of Odysseus’ journey can in many ways relate to the typical life of humans today. The story is life, but mythologized. For example, missing a loved one is something that often occurs today. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ mother dies because she misses her son too much. Her story is told while Odysseus sees her in Hades. Second, individuals intervene in the matters of others. Other people provide their input of a problem today, while in the epic poem it was the gods. This intervening of the gods was a large part of the story. For example, if it wasn’t for Athena “erasing” the memories of the suitor’s deaths to their families, then the families would have attempted to assassinate Telemakhos and his father. Also, Odysseus’ journey would have been incredibly shorter if it weren’t for Poseidon intervening after Polyphemos prayed to him to make Odysseus’ journey longer. One of The Odyssey’s universal qualities is the relation of it to life today.