The Odyssey Archetypes Essay

Homer's great literary classic, The Odyssey, represents and illustrates many emotional and mental values. All of these values can be classified under three different main themes that are constant throughout the epic tale. These themes are: A boy's struggle to be a man, a king's struggle to reclaim his kingdom, and a man's struggle to return home. As one reads this book it will become more and more evident to them that a man's struggle to get home is the most important theme throughout Homer's adventure.

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 character archetype, the creature of nightmare, is showcased numerous times between both novels, The Odyssey and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, respectively. Polyphemus, the cyclops and giant son of Poseidon, which is featured in the ninth chapter of Homer’s, The Odyessey, and the giant squid, featured in the eighteenth chapter of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, are just two examples of the character archetype, the creature of nightmare.

Among the plethora of archetypes that present themselves in Homer’s The Odyssey and the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the character of the Blind Prophet. This character is an older man who has the gift of foresight, yet lacks the gift of physical sight. In the ancient epic poem, the hero Odysseus travels to the Underworld during his time on Circe’s isle to consult the blind seer Tiresias. In the film, Ulysses Everett and his hunting group of companions encounter a nameless blind soothsayer upon the railroad tracks after they first escape incarceration.Tiresias warns Odysseus of the trials ahead on his journey, including the Sirens and the monstrous Scylla, giving advice on how to best surpass them. The film’s blind seer describes a “long

Many forms of popular culture today are inspired by themes, characters, and other references in various types of classical literature. John Denver's song 'Calypso'; is about the relationship between men and women, and he bases this comparison on the relationship between Kalypso and Odysseus in Homer's the Odyssey. In 'Calypso'; Denver portrays women in general as being superior to men by using the beautiful and enchanting goddess, Kalypso, from Homer's epic. John Denver encompasses all women in his song by providing Kalypso as a universal symbol. Along with the relationship between Odysseus and Kalypso and men and women, there are other interpreted allusions from the Odyssey to Kalypso's song.

    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.

Ancient Greece was full of mystery. They told of mystical, almost supernatural, heroes and monsters. One such story was told of a warrior named Odysseus. A king who ruled over the kingdom of Ithaca, but sadly left for war, leaving both his family, and his kingdom. Fighting for almost a decade, Odysseus set off on a long journey towards home. Through thick and thin, and through all of the bloodshed and fighting, he finally has a happy ending at home. At what cost though? His men, his ship, himself? Odysseus was put into the category of a hero, one of the many archetypes modern readers use to identify main characters and all other concepts in literature.   All heroes experience the fright and thrill of adventure in

Now that he had returned peace to the Olympus and was finally done with his quest, he had the choice of returning home or staying at the camp to train. He chose to go home to the mortal world, but is going to return next summer. Since there are several more books, I can safely assume that he is going to go on more adventures.

The Greek story mentions how the first race of man were exceedingly wicked, thus howling the archetype of man in transgression. Zeus sent a flood to destroy the men of the Bronze Age, showing one of the flood archetypes of the divine cause of destruction. When the first race of men was destroyed, Deucalion and his family survived due to his prudence and piety. He exhibited the archetype of a favored family. Additionally, Deucalion loaded his wives and all children and all animals onto a great ark.

In mythological epics, the narrative often depicts imageries of masculinity; they follow a journey of prophecy; fulfilment of destiny and/or a journey of honour (reference) in male characters thus securing their masculine status among their peers. Women however are often binary opposite of the reward, obstacle, or the love interest/desire in these epics (reference); another interpretation is that, in their own right, these women displayed honour and strength, demonstrating both androgynous traits during the Trojan War. In my research, I found it difficult to find literature that publicized female heroes and epic journeys from the point of view of a woman. However, the two that I have found come from Homer’s Odyssey (Leeming, 2005. 297) and

The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer. Some archetypes used by Homer in The Odyssey are the hero, the monster or villain, and the idea of temptation. Homer uses archetypes to help readers compare their culture to the civilization of Ancient Greeks.     One archetype

Character of Odysseus Odysseus, the archetype of manliness, is the main protagonist and hero of the epic known as the “Odyssey” written by Homer. Odysseus is the embodiment of manliness because he portrays qualities of strength, intelligence, courage and leadership. Odysseus is a man that was well known throughout Ithaca and the surrounding islands because he was the face of Greece during the Trojan war. Though Odysseus is the archetype of all men, there were mistakes and flaws that surfaced throughout the Odyssey.

Throughout vast journeys of many heroes, no other hero had a more complex journey than Odysseus. This journey is called The Odyssey, written by Homer. It is an epic poem or story told of a hero name Odysseus on a 20-year voyage trying to get back home from the Trojan War. The great epic poem known as The Odyssey and attributed to Homer was probably first written down around the eighth century BC, but the origins of the ancient story in myth, legend, and folklore and art appear to be much older. Greek Epic Hero When you think about Greek Epic heroes, Odysseus will most likely come to mind. Odysseus is the main character in Homer's poem "The Odyssey." "The Odyssey" is a narrative poem that describes Odysseus' adventures