The Odyssey and Its Themes

The Odyssey was an extremely popular story that is told around the world. The Odyssey shows many of the traits that the Greeks would have valued. In The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus is coming home from the hard fought Trojan War. On his journey back, he goes through many difficult quests that delays his return by 10 years. Once getting home, he is faced with even more challenges that he has to overcome. During his many adventures, many of the Greek’s valued traits are shown. The Odyssey reflects the Greek values of loyalty, obedience, and hospitality; those who don’t follow it are punished.

This theme is developed through Odysseus’ beliefs and actions. When Odysseus is telling the Phaeacians where he is from, he makes a point about the importance of home, “Where shall a man find sweetness to surpass his own home and his parents? In far lands he shall not, though he find a house of gold.” (895). This reveals that Odysseus finds home to not be a place, but a feeling that is above all others. He uses this to drive himself until he can return home. This is why Odysseus had enough willpower on his 20-year journey back to Ithaca. Additionally,

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 about his character. In Book 5 we are first

The Odyssey by Homer, is an epic poem that takes its readers on an adventure with the epic hero, Odysseus. It takes Odysseus ten years to return to his home, Ithaka, after the Trojan War. He faces many mystical monsters and the rage of the gods. A lot of problems that he faces come from the results of temptation. Giving into temptation leads to setbacks and consequences, just like how in The Odyssey the bag of wind, the cattle of Helios, and the sirens prevented Odysseus and his men from returning home. Homer wants his readers to know the outcomes that come with temptation by analyzing these three tragedies.

Many years after the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus still hasn’t returned home to Ithaka. Many believe that he is dead, but the author lets us know that he is being held as a sex captive on the goddess Kalypso’s island. Kalypso has no plans of letting him go to return home either.

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.

“With that he snatched up two of my men and bashed their brains out on the floor. Then he ate them raw, picking them apart and poking them in his mouth, bones and guts and all.” (Rouse 9.107) Odysseus’ crew members were people that he loved and cared for, he thought of them as his brothers. For him to lose even one of his friends was a tragedy.

In the epic poem the Odyssey by Homer, a hero named Odysseus struggles to return home from war. On his journey, He loses all his men and spends many years stranded on an island, but his hope to see his wife and son again pushes him through the struggles he faced on his journey. Although Odysseus’s travels required a lot of strength and hope, he is not the only character driven by hope, but many more like his son and wife were too. The theme of the Odyssey is “hope brings success in the end”. The literary elements supporting this theme are conflict, characterization, and setting.

It is important to keep reading, “The Odyssey.” Even though it is 2800, years old, students still need to learn about it. It is important to continue studying “The Odyssey” because is it a moral story, the historical significance is important, and it is essential to study other culture’s mythology.

Sing I me, Muse, and through me tell the story of the lady nymph goddess Calypso. Oh so beautiful and immortal who lives in the sea- hollowed caves on the island Ogygia. She craved the hero of Troy, king of Ithaka, son of Laertes, a mortal and took him as her own. Nine long years they spent on the island together.

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

For instance, in the stories, there are a number of times where Odysseus has to resist his temptations. In fact, throughout books, Odysseus had to refrain from doing things he wanted to do. For example, he “has shown great restraint and discretion in his dealings with [Nausicaa] and in his approach to the court” (Public.Istate). Today, it’s important for people to learn how to stop themselves from following their desire, since there are many addictive temptations people have and no matter how badly they want to follow their desire, it is crucial that they refrain from it in order to go around potentially bad situations. Lastly, it shows the theme of overcoming hard obstacles. For Odysseus, he had to overcome many obstacles “including angry or deceitful gods and treacherous monsters” (Boa). Overall, several themes can be found in The Odyssey and they can be used in today’s modern life.

The Odyssey, by Homer, manifests an epic poem located in Ancient Greece around the sixth century BC shortly after the battle of Troy has concluded, throughout this epic poem the man of many wiles, Odysseus, acquires a greater understanding of himself throughout his problematic voyage back to his homeland which is comparable to the personal self-reflections that I have had on my journey throughout life. Each individual encounters people, monsters, and events throughout life that influence actions and decisions; impacts of influences are exhibited in both Odysseus life and my own. Influences establish strengths of character, which determine response to situations and emotions such as distress, exasperation, and pleasure; each character strength

The Odyssey was about Odysseus and his men and how they were going back home. They were coming back from the Trojan War. In the beginning Odysseus and his men were trying to find their way back home. In the middle of the book they had to go to the underworld to get directions to get back home. In the end of the book Odysseus is back home with Penelope and his son.

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.