The Iliad And The Odyssey

In what ways did these empires differ from one another? What accounts for those differences?

All odysseys tell the story of a great adventure; in-fact the word odyssey literally defines as a heroic adventure filled with notable events and hardships. Likewise in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is not permitted to arrive home until he overcomes his biggest challenge, fixing his prideful attitude. The purpose of the passage found in Book V lines 65-102, is to reinforce Odysseus’ image as an epic hero and his loyalty to his family and homeland, in spite of challenges that arise that attempt to deter him from returning home. The structure and language utilised by Homer builds up the meaning of the passage; creating a contrast from the lush and enchanting feel of the goddess Calypso’s estate, to the grief of Odysseus being away from his homeland Ithaca and his family, including his loyal wife Penelope.

During The Iliad we see the warrior ethos as being the main ethos, but as we transfer to The Odyssey we see the transformation from warrior ethos to domestic ethos. Furthermore, the novel is based on domestic ethos and how home affects the warrior. Throughout The Odyssey we see Odysseus trying to make his way home after the Trojan War. On his adventure home he goes through trials and challenges before he actually makes it home. He has to outsmart people to be able to get where he wants to with out dying. This task is not easy but eventually he makes it. Moreover, we realize that warrior ethos is not the major ethos represented in the novel. It is domestic ethos. Odysseus learns how to use the domestic ethos to his

Homer’s, The Odyssey spins an exciting tale of war, fantasy, and magic spanning twenty years. However, the thrust of the story focuses on human relationships and Odysseus’s strong desire to reunite with his wife and soul mate, Penelope and their son Telemachus. However, to truly understand his desire return home, one must examine many facets of the epic. What is the significance of the turmoil experienced in the household during his absence? Is Penelope a cunning equal and meet spouse for Odysseus? What does the eventual reunion of Odysseus and Penelope reveal about love and marriage? To truly understand the answers to these questions, it is necessary to consider the following arguments.

In the Hebrew Bible and The Odyssey there are heroic figures that play an important role through out each of the books. These heroic figures from the Bible and The Odyssey have many similarities and differences that reflect the different cultures they are from. These heroes are called upon by greater beings, such as gods, to complete difficult journeys and or tasks that the god has made them destined to complete. Each of these legendary heroes demonstrates a particular culture’s needs. Through these journeys and or tasks they are forced to overcome challenging obstacles and make sacrifices.

In The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer has different portrayals of the roles that women play in each epic. These differences are so striking that some readers have even argued that there is a possibility that a woman could have created The Odyssey, modeled after Homer’s Iliad. In The Iliad we see women represented as war prizes and slaves, vulnerabilities to men, and in positions of limited power. In The Odyssey however, we see women capturing men and keeping them as prizes, rising from a status of limited power to dominating their household, and breaking free of the constraints of the “typical” household woman stereotype. We even see them making their own decisions and challenging their husbands. By comparing and contrasting these epic women

Hospitality has been around and important to cultures for almost forever. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, there are many themes, but the theme of hospitality reoccurs throughout the entire epic. This epic takes place in Ancient Greece after the Trojan War. The main character, Odysseus, is on a journey back home to Ithaca after being away for ten years. Along the way, he must make stops and stays in the homes of the different people during his journey. The individuals that are hosting the stranger are expected to act a certain way to show their hospitality. This is called xenia. Xenia is the relationship between the host and the guest. Rules are supposed to be followed and the hosts are supposed to provide certain resources to their guests. It is also important to the culture of the Ancient Greece to show good hospitality to the strangers that wish to stay in their home. Odysseus has stayed in the homes of many along his journey home. He has experienced both good xenia and bad xenia from the people who has stayed with.

During this time they created what was known as the polis or city-state. The polis was a fundamental institution in Greek society. Citizens of polis assembled in the central place for political, social, and religious activities. Although the polis was great individually it ruined the unity of Greece as a whole. With the creation of the polis came a new military system.

The Odyssey by Homer tells the story of a Greek warrior named Odysseus, who faces challenges placed upon him by the supernatural, or more specifically, the Greek gods and monsters. His journey begins while sailing home from Troy, where Odysseus had won the Trojan war for the Greeks. Odysseus’ ship is forced to dock on many islands, most of which have hostile environments. Odysseus serves as the model for an epic hero, a fictional character who possesses many traits admirable to his or her society. The character also follows a code of honor and is willing to sacrifice themselves for the weak, such as women or children. Though this idea comes from an ancient story, it is relevant in modern popular culture. For example, Harry Potter, a hero

Virgil 's Aeneid takes a character form Homer’s Odyssey and constructs a life for him beyond Homer’s ideas. It is quite obvious that Virgil was heavily influenced by both Homer’s writings, The Iliad and the Odyssey. Both stories tell of parallel journeys home from Troy at the end of the Trojan War. Homer’s Odysseus is returning to Greece and the family he left behind ten years ago. Virgil’s Aeneas, in contrast has been given a direct command by the God, Mercury to create a new Empire. Both men set out on their ships, into the Mediterranean Sea, and both encounter mythical creatures along the way. Sirens and harpies respectively curse and unsuccessfully attempt to lure the men off course. Bad weather however is noted to blow both ships off course. Aeneas lands on an island and lives with the beautiful Dido for a period of time, putting his journey to found a new city on hold. Similarly, Odysseus remained on the Island of Cyclops with the beautiful Calypso for several years, only leaving when the Gods command him to. The love in not everlasting and both tales tell of the men subsequently abandon their loving women waiting for them at home.

Homer’s two tales, the Iliad and the Odyssey, are both incredibly well known and widely taught across the world and at many different levels of education. Some call Homer the “greatest poet to ever live” and although this can be disputed his works truly speak for themselves and have braved the test of time quite well. This paper will cover who/whom Homer is as a person, or persons, and the time period of his writings, the truths versus the dramatizations of the Iliad and Odyssey, how the author’s perspective and writings portray ancient Greek culture, along with how the two of them interact with our culture today.

Nice, friendly, bad, fake, dependable, spacy, independent, passionate. As I sift through the layers of adjectives I have been labeled throughout my adolescent life, I pose myself the question: who the hell am I? Too easily, I resort to answering that question with a list of things I have accomplished or partake in, replying with I am a runner or I sing in the choir. While both facts may be true, they fail to truly answer the original question.

Throughout Greek mythology, there are characters that grasp our attention, fill us with dreams, and encourages us to find our sense of adventure fantasy. We encounter new brace characters, and once in awhile we see those qualities and characteristics in another character. that 's the case with the characters of Demeter and Penelope. Although placed in different stories like The Odyssey and Homer’s Hymn to Demeter, both characters share qualities that makes them similar to one another. Furthermore, both powerful female characters experience an impactful loss that turns their life upside down. Demeter, a goddess of fertility, must struggle as she goes in the search for her daughter Persephone as she has been kidnapped by the God Hades and taken to the Underworld. In the other side of the coin lies Penelope, who has gone through heartbreak and depression after the loss of her true love, Odysseus. Both characters then go through their own way to have their love return to them. Throughout their stories it can be clear that Demeter and Penelope are similar to one another as they both experience the loss of a loved one, both actions have consequences that affect the innocent people that are around them, and both characters are portrayed as the helpless archetypes for female roles in their respected stories.

When one hears the word Polis, a simple Greek region would usually come to mind, while it was an area by name it was much more than that to the Greeks it was a community. To the community of Greeks polis had more of a meaning than just an example definition of a city-state. Premiums such as security, peace, freedom of social interaction and thoughts, self-sufficiency, and togetherness helped to make the polis a prized possession. Polis might describe a city-state but it was also a way of life for many Greeks in a political, moral, economic, and cultural sense. It was a place where various different political activity and government events took place. And it usually located in the center of each city where commerce and trade occurred. While these cities where interesting by themselves they also played some importance to certain Greek philosophers.

This short essay will identify five traditional epic characteristics that are evident in both the Iliad and the Odyssey.