The Odyssey By Homer 's Odyssey

In the poem of The Odyssey Odysseus is seen as a good person in general but really he is not because he cheats on his wife with a lot of different people. When he ends up on the island of Calypso he really wants to get back home but Calypso does not want that in fact she wants something a little different. In the book this can be see when Calypso says, “ But if you only knew, down deep, what pains are fated

A hero isn’t shaped by his strengths but by the values he possesses. Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, reveals the moral and ethical constitution of the ancient Greeks. Over time, certain cultures have grown to value a number of human characteristics. Those who acquire such values become respected heroes. After the fall of Troy, the protagonist of the epic, Odysseus, set sail for his home, Ithaca, where his faithful wife and son were waiting for him. Over the course of his journey, Odysseus faced some of the most ferocious opponents known to the Greeks. Even through this formidable journey, Odysseus and his family have stayed true to the diverse aspects of the ancient Greeks. The Odyssey exemplifies the human ideals of hospitality, loyalty and

he Odyssey, as written by Homer, intricately and excitingly weaves Colin Renfrew’s Subsystem Theories throughout the entire play. Many of the five subsystem theories can be seen and support understanding of the novel. Of the five systems, trade/communication, social/ political hierarchy and symbolic subsystems will be the focus of analysis in this paper. All of these subsystems come together in The Odyssey to explain the characters and their lives, and also how they fit into the society which they live in. To understand the growth and development of the characters, we must understand the systems theories, “many human actions have a meaning at several different levels, with undertones and overtones… it is the complex interconnectedness of the subsystems which gives human culture its unique potential for growth.” As this paper will demonstrate within The Odyssey, trade and communication, social and political hierarchy and lastly symbolic subsystems create adventure in Odysseus’s harrowing, yet exciting journey back to his kingdom and family. These specific subsystems add depth and excitement because we see how each specific one impacts Odysseus’s journey back home. They help us understand who Odysseus is a man and sympathize with all that he goes through. The communication subsystem helps explain how communication between people (and gods) in different lands aid to the success of his return home. We are able to see from the social subsystem how Odysseus and other men

The monsters of Homer’s The Odyssey as written by Robert Fitzgerald all share traits in common, but there is always the small differences which make each close encounter more gripping than the last. When the not-so-glorious Odysseus, son of Laertes just manages to elude the cannibalistic clutches of the blinded Kyklops (IX) and takes to the high seas, he becomes arrogant and taunts his nemesis. He does not realize this, but the very words he uttered then sets the holy executioner upon the necks of his crew. Every island he passes or makes port at, his men become feasts for native monsters; however upon the beautiful island of Aiolia his men are not eaten, nor do they die at the hands of any mortal or immortal foe. What is so significant

The Odyssey is a a beautiful Epic about a man who has hope through his entire journey.When we see him on Calypso he has been to sea for a while, while he wants to go home he continues to go to her bed each night,however regrets it in the morning.One part about this journey that sticks out is why its taking so long.It wouldn't have taken this long is he didn't poke out Poseidon's son (Polyphemus) eye,which let to the Polyphemus praying that Odysseus does return home he just happens to return home alone through treacherous journey.This led to the twenty year journey.

Is a hero only characterized by their success? If a leader’s last actions carry them to victory, are their flaws unimportant? The Odyssey by Homer narrates the ancient myth of a leader coming home from war in Troy who faces many trials, and despite returning home alone without any of his crew, he is looked upon as a hero for having survived. His ultimately sole success continues to define him, although the bitter truth being that he was the leader of his men when they all perished. As flaws of the all-mighty Odysseus and his crew are presented through their responses to the challenges they experience on their journey, people of the modern world may begin to understand that there exist several flaws that plague all men, whether they live now or lived thousands of years ago, and whether they are leaders or followers. The Odyssey is important in its characters’ responses’ to their trials ability to evoke emotional reactions that cause the reader to ponder their own tendencies by revealing the human nature of pride to be the fuel of the impulsiveness that oscillates fate.

The goddess Athena then appears to Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, disguised as an old friend of his and tells him to travel to Pylos and Sparta in search of his father, meanwhile banishing the suitors from his father’s estate in Ithaca since Odysseus would return soon. In Pylos, Telemachus learns that the two brothers leading Odysseus’ expedition had a sort of disagreement leading to their separation. Later, in Sparta Telemachus learns that Odysseus is being held captive on an island by the goddess Calypso. However, the gods order Calypso to allow Odysseus to return to Ithaca.

Calypso lives in a “wide cave”, like open arms, symbolizes the welcoming of guests but a cave can be associated with dungeon or jail chamber implying that Calypso has other intentions for her guests. She has a beautiful island with “clear” springs, but like her personality, they are “shallow”. The island at first glance seems positive but under scrutiny, there is something “hidden” about it foreshadowing her plans with Odysseus. The “ornate birds”, the “horned owls”(58) and all the other birds are beauties of the mystical island. However, under examination they are all birds of prey. It foretells an omen of something more bad about calypso, the one who “conceals”. This is a forewarning that she will never want to let Odysseus leave the island as she holds him captive. In addition, Calypso has a “smooth walled cave”(74) but there is a “ crooking vine”(50). A vine entangles a tree and uses the tree to benefit itself, foreshadowing what Calypso does with Odysseus. The spring, birds, and cave represent the hidden traits of traits of Calypso. They appear good on the outside but with a deeper look, it reveals hidden traits. These clues portray Calypso as seductive and one who promotes inactivity so Odysseus cannot return to Ithaca and she can be with him. She is selfish and self-centered, she recognizes that Odysseus has a destiny to fulfill, he needs to be a

Calypso and Athena share a similar relationship with Odysseus in their desire for him to return home. Calypso, the nymph with the lovely braids, housed Odysseus in the high arching caverns on her island, Ogygia. She did not want Odysseus to leave her company, but after her encounter with Hermes, the messenger god, she changed her mind. Calypso decided that it would be best to send Odysseus on his way

Calypso and Athena were the females that rescued and took care of him the most. They both influenced his journey to fulfill his fate. One of the moments where Odysseus used the knowledge he gained from Calypso is in the book nine where he tricked the cyclops. Instead of revealing who he really was, he replied to Cyclops “My name is Nobody” which bought him some time and saved him from being eaten by the beast. He learned it is not always a good thing to be a hero and to draw attention to himself; It is better not to be recognizable due to people’s unknown thoughts.

The Odyssey is the tale of the Greek hero Odysseus, written by Homer around 8th century B.C. about his journey home at the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus spends ten years of his life on this voyage, guided by the Greek goddess, Athena. While Odysseus is battling Poseidon and attempting to free himself from the grasp of Calypso’s influence, his wife and son, Penelope and Telemachus, struggle to maintain his kingdom in Ithaca. He is pronounced dead and his faithful yet weakening wife is overwhelmed with men who wish to marry her.

157 lines 178-185) Calypso starts off by saying that her heart is ready to let Odysseus go, this is hard for her because she loves him and wants to marry him. Calypso continues, telling Odysseus that she will send him

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.

The Odyssey by Homer and the Old Testaments: King James Version are two of the most read and most sophisticated pieces of literature that have transcended through generations. While they share similar qualities; both greatly differ as well, especially when it comes to the women characters. Classical historian and professor of classical studies at Wellesley College, Mary Lefkowitz, makes a significant contrast between these two famous writings. She believes that a major difference between the women of each story differ dramatically when it comes to their personality and actions. “[Although] the notion... that a man should be active and aggressive, a women passive and subjected to the control of the men in her family, are expressed in virtually every Greek myth, even the ones in which the women seek to gain control over their own live.…[so] that it is possible to show that the Greeks at least attributed to women a capacity for understanding that we do not alway find in the other great mythological tradition that has influenced Western thought, namely, the Old and New Testaments." (Women in Greek Myth, Mary Lefkowitz). I completely agree with Lefkowitz statement on these characters, it’s very clear that most of the women in the Old Testament are very flat while the Odyssey is full of well rounded characters especially when it comes to Jacob’s wife Rachel and Odysseus 's wife Penelope.

The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Greek poet Homer, follows the story of Odysseus, a war hero and king of Ithaca, as he went on a journey to return home from Troy ten years after the Trojan War. On his journey, he was confronted by various monsters, including the one-eyed Cyclops, and faced the loss of his men and his ship. Not to mention, when he returned to his land, he also had to defeat the suitors who had overrun his home and were trying to court his wife, Penelope. Homer not only tells us the adventure of brave Odysseus, but through his story, he also tells us the four qualities that a commendable Greek must possess: hospitality, humility or absence of hubris, honor, and heroism. First, hospitality, also known as “xenia,” refers to showing generosity to guests or visitors. By treating every guest with generosity, people in ancient Greece believed they could avoid angering a god if one appeared at their door disguised as a stranger. Not doing so could result in punishment from the gods. Then, hubris refers to extreme, ignorant pride shown by an individual and is punishable by the gods. Homer emphasizes the importance of showing humility and not possessing a sense of superiority over others throughout The Odyssey. Next, honor refers to having a reputation for excellence, and it can be earned through killing others in battle, looting, or even dying. In ancient Greece, battling others was considered the duty of a soldier, and dying in battle was a glorious feat.