The Iliad and the Odyssey

The Iliad, Odyssey, and Epic of Gilgamesh all demonstrate the transformational process of their respective epic heroes through their strengths and weaknesses. Epic heroes such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Gilgamesh all possessed superior qualities that separated them from other individuals. Although their incredible abilities may support the societal perception of strong leadership, their weaknesses caused these characters to hold vices that went against the cultural expectations of what a strong leader should be. Furthermore, they all shared similar experiences in terms of undergoing a difficult situation and changing their approach in an effort for redemption. This paper will be examining the virtues of these epic heroes and the

The first book of the Iliad begins with the beginning of Achilles’ rage, the rage that will eventually cause his own people so much grief and is also the force for Homer’s version of the story of the Trojan War. Whereas the taking of Helen is the focus of the larger, traditional story, the feud between Agamemnon and the hero Achilles over a kidnapped girl defines the Iliad. Both feature a conflict over a woman, Helen and Chryses’ daughter, and a need for resolution as well as a breach of social contract: Paris steals the wife of Agamemnon, ruining the bonds of the guest relationship, while Agamemnon denies Chryse his right to ransom and invokes the wrath of the gods in the form of a plague. In both cases, however, it becomes clear that the conflict will not be resolved quickly, but will continue through the very heart of the story. By “singing of Achilles’ rage” from the first line, the narrator is clearly showing the audience that this Trojan war is not the war of Hector or Paris or Helen, but of the proud Achilles and his hero-sized enemy.

Apollo, the sun god kills Achilles who is an “immortal” force. If Apollo didn’t kill Achilles the war would’ve ended differently. The book states, on page 117, “The arrow flew on its way, and Apollo guided it so that it pitched deep into...it struck into Achilles’ ankle in the unprotected place where..the one spot the water could not touch and let death in.” Another way the gods the affected the war is that Athene gave Odysseus the idea of the Trojan Horse. If the Greeks didn’t make the Trojan Horse, they may not have won the war. The book states, on page

Portions of modern society believe fate to be concrete and unchanging. However, in ancient times, it was believed to be influenced and guided by the actions of the gods. Similarly, in The Iliad by Homer, the actions of the gods influence the life, death, and fate of each and every individual. Gods such as Zeus, Athena and Apollo take great influence in human affairs in The Iliad. These actions cause life, death, sorrow, and triumph to befall various individuals of the story. Achilles’ fate results, solely, from these actions the gods undertake. In particular, the gods influence on Achilles’ fate shows when the gods keep Achilles from killing Agamemnon, staying out of the war, and holding onto his rage.

Themes Pride Pride played a significant role in this epic. How it affected the characters and their decisions drastically impacted the events taking place, often in a negative way. The first instance in this epic where we saw the negative influences of pride were in the opening book. Agamemnon let his pride overtake him when he was forced to return Chryseis. He was too proud to simply return her, so he demanded a ‘prize’ to replace his own.

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.

The Iliad is a book full of poems that talk about the history of Trojans and Greeks. Within the Iliad, there is a strong urge to show a world in which was are tremendous and the gods have direct hand in human events and these deities influence fate. The two leading gods, Achillies and Aeneas, the reader can see the ways in which these two cultural problems entwine and try to create an image of the ancient world which is at once barbarously real in terms of the depiction of not just the glory, but also the horrors of war which are filled with supernatural and mystical figures called the gods.

The Iliad is an Epic Poem by Homer about the ending of the Trojan War and take over of Troy. The main focus of the poem is Achilles. Achilles was a Greek hero who turned angry and dropped out of the war because of Agamemnon. The story starts with Chryses approaching the Greeks about

The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic poem which is credited to Homer. The story is narrated nine years after the Trojan War. Based on the importance of Homers work, the Trojan War was a dominant and major event of Greek prehistory. To the ancient Greeks The Iliad was a historical interpretation of epic history.

Both poems followed the events that ensued during the Trojan War which shows how this battle had influenced Homer to contribute to Ancient Greek mythology. The Iliad and the Odyssey are very important sources to this war because they are the only elements still intact from the time period due to its age; however, there are many bits from the battle that are not included since the Iliad and the Odyssey only covered portions of the Trojan War. The Iliad and the Odyssey were originally performed orally and were written down much later than when they were introduced and written by Homer which were written roughly 500 years following the war (Cline 9). There are debates following the accuracy of Homers works have come to question; however, Homer’s poems were written based on accounts of data taken from the Bronze age which makes his epics ultimately believable (Cline 41).

Agamemnon and Akhilleus are mortals who lives on earth. On earth, men die gruesome deaths; women become slaves and concubines, estranged from their families; a plague breaks out in the Akhaean camp and decimates the army. Mortals age and will certainly dye in any time, even the greatest of men warriors and demigods cannot escape death. On the other hand, gods and goddess are immortals who lives on the Mt. Olympus. They do experience conflicts and misunderstandings but they still eat together and have fun during their feast. Furthermore, As god and goddess they never age, die and they even get to pick what they would favor for different reasons. They also have control over many different aspects of life on earth. Zeus, as the symbol of supreme authority and justice. Hera, queen of the gods, and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings, and empires. Athena, the goddess of Wisdom. Apollo, Olympian god of music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light and knowledge. Thetis, a goddess of the sea and the leader of the fifty

Imagine living during the Trojan War, fighting and hatred between Troy and Greece. Only Aphrodite and the other gods can help find love and happiness through these horrid times with everything standing in the way. The first book is called Troy by Adèle Geras. In Troy, two sisters, named Xanthe and Marpessa, were sent to find love, betrayal, and friendship in the final weeks of the Trojan War with help from the Greek Gods. The second book was called Greek Myths by Robert Graves. In this nonfiction book, it describes the Greek Mythology and history, including the gods, the enemies, and the victories. This essay will compare and contrast these two books. The main comparisons are the genres, the mention of Greek Mythology, and the different time

The very first line in the Iliad states the main theme of the whole story, as Homer asks the Muse to sing of the "wrath of Achilles." This wrath, all its occurrences, transformations, influences, and consequences, unfold the devastating events in the Iliad.

Virgil was Rome’s unwilling epic poet, he gave the Roman people a cohesive narrative that tied them to the past and propelled them towards the future. This narrative, The Aeneid, had its basis in local lore as well as ties to the older Greek epics of Homer. The Aeneid almost functions as an extension of The Iliad and Odyssey, with its protagonist, Aeneas, being a minor figure in the earlier poems, and the work itself academically divided into “Odyssean” and “Iliadic” parts. In this relationship Virgil owes a creative debt to Homer, and there is a resemblance that can be seen with striking clarity when the experiences of Homers’ Odysseus and Virgil’s Aeneas are examined side by side. Odysseus and Aeneas are both honour bound to reach the destinations of their respective journeys, Odysseus to rule Ithaca and Aeneas to found Rome, and while ones journey often mirrors the others, there are significant differences between the two. The major differences that can be observed lie in their characters and forms of heroism and these variations shape the course of their narratives, yet the similarities of their internal journeys and ultimate fates remain intact.

The beginning of the movie Troy, starts off with the Greek army, led by King Agamemnon, ready for battle against the troops of Triopas. The kings agree to have a battle of their greatest warriors. Triopas summons Boagrius, a very large soldier that would set fear to any other hero. Agamemnon summons Achilles, who isn't present at the time. He arrives shortly after and without hesitation, he defeats Boagrius single-handedly. Many great heros would fear Boagrius because of his great size and strength, but not Achilles. He was considered the greatest warrior ever born and on Agamemnon’s side. He is very hesitant to fight for a king and has no interest to fight for a king. Achilles goes from wanting to be remembered as the greatest warrior with no ruling and not caring, to a warrior that cares for a woman named Briseis.