Theme Of Archetype And The Suitors In The Odyssey

    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.

In the movie/book The Odyssey, archetypal characters play a pretty big role in shaping the development of Odysseus. The mentor Athena asks Odysseus if he wants guidance and a hand throughout his journey, which helps him to overcome challenges and make better decisions. However, the temptress archetype of Circe and Calypso, they feel as if they need to test Odysseus' loyalty and his will to work. That actually ended up tempting him to quit his quest.

The movie “The Odyssey” was an excellent example of how the Joseph Campbell’s archetype should be in a hero’s journey. It follows the steps of how the Joseph Campbell archetype should be. The journey of the Odyssey conforms to the archetype in many ways. It also reflects the values and culture of the Greek society such as strength, bravery, and also intelligence.

By all means the suitors has ate all of their food and will not leave and Penelope thinks Odysseus can only stop them. Penelope said to her maids, “There is no man like Odysseus in command to drive this curse from the house.”(17.598). This shows that she thinks that the suitors are weak and are not suitable to marry. Also Penelope was crying because of Odysseus. Penelope was sad that she has not seen Odysseus in 20 years: “Sitting up in her soft bed, returned to tears.” (20.64). This show that Penelope still has feelings for Odysseus and she misses him. Penelope had all the suitors and she never slept with any of

In the book, The Odyssey of Homer, translated by Richmond Lattimore, the relationships Odysseus has with Circe, Kalypso, and Penelope all share a very different type of love. The weakest relationship Odysseus has is with Circe, her love is of respect and infatuation. Then, Kalypso’s love towards Odysseus, a bit stronger than Circe’s is full of selfishness and desperation. Lastly, Penelope’s love is enduring and hopeful for Odysseus making their relationship the strongest. The relationships Odysseus has with Circe, Kalypso, and Penelope share a type of love, the contrast is the different strength of love each woman gives to Odysseus.

Adam and Eve, the first people on earth according to the bible, were tempted a lot by the snake or the devil. One of the tricks that Satan had used was on Eve. God had warned adam and Eve not to eat the one fruit off of the one tree. While eve was out she had went by the tree, and a snake caught her attention. This snake turned out to be the devil, and had told Eve to just get a taste of the fruit. Eve was curious and she took a bite. Now god was after Adam and Eve. They tried to hid behind a bush from god but god had found them, and then they repented. In Homer's epic entitled The Odyssey, the hero's journey archetypal structure plus literally analysis shows how the episode where Odysseus is tempted by the sirens is essential because

There are several archetypes throughout The Odyssey. The archetypes shown are: the tempress, which is Circe, the supernatural guide, which is all the gods/goddesses and Tiresias, and the creature of nightmares which consists of the cyclops, the sirens, and Scylla. The supernatural guide helps and hinders Odysseus, who states, “What of those years of rough adventure, weathered under Zeus? The wind that carried west for Ilium brought me to Ismarus, on the far shore, a strongpoint on the coast of Cicones.”

As Earl Wilson, and American journalist and author, once said, “Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.” Homer shows this in his epic poem, The Odyssey. Odysseus, Penelope, and Odysseus’s men are the perfect example of this. Odysseus and Penelope are lucky, because they persevere, and still survive. Odysseus's men, however, are very unlucky, and even though they try their hardest to persevere, they fail. In The Odyssey, Homer uses the hero archetype and conflict to reveal that even though people may persevere, where they end up can be completely based on their luck.

Character archetypes play a part in the epic by moving the story along. They all help to assist Odysseus by giving him guidance, never leaving him, and by providing a reason to come home.

There was a man who was willing to risk his whole life through many difficult obstacles just to return to his family and home. Odysseus is his name and he is indeed a hard working man. During this long heroic journey, Odysseus traveled for a long time and has faced many common archetypes. This novel was during the Greek era where they idolized Xenia. The Greeks admired Xenia is where people have to respect and treat their house guests respectfully.

Circe is a prime example of the seductress archetype. When the men arrive onto her island they are drawn to her house not only because of the smoke from the fire, but her allure. She is described as having a “Beguiling voice, while on her loom she wove ambrosial fabric sheer and bright,” (Book X, line 244). Her allure and witchcraft allows her to draw in men and turn them to animals to keep. Women are often seen as witches in Greek society. The only way they are able to get anything is through manipulation and trickery.

(Homer 26) When Penelope was making the cloth she would weave it by day and at night undo it. By doing that she was able to put off marriage for years by acting as though she was sad from the death of Odysseus’ father. Penelope avoid marriage for twenty years, but time was running out. Suitors became more restless and more disrespectful towards her. Soon she had to

After returning from war, veterans often face many hardships. This theme is demonstrated through pathos and logos in both “The Odyssey” by Homer and “Back from War but Not Really Home” by Caroline Alexander. These texts use these rhetorical devices to prove that a soldier’s struggle does not stop when he leaves the battlefield. By doing so, they open the eyes of the reader to the injustice they face.

For example, the suitors are referred to as a “mob” who are “plotting [Telémakhos’] ruin”. With the negative connotation of the word “mob”, Fagles is able to communicate his negative opinion of the suitors to the reader in a way that the word “crowd” could not—thus further influencing the reader’s opinion of the suitors. Similarly, Fagles notes that Odysseus may “take revenge on all [the suitor’s] violence.” Using the verb “revenge” as opposed to Fitzgerald’s “have it out”, Fagles conveys a much stronger image of Odysseus and the emotion that he will feel towards the suitors. Another example of Fagles’ strong diction is shown in the line, “If only the bright-eyed goddess chose to love you just as she lavished care on brave Odysseus.” Through clarifying the verb “loved” with the more descriptive “lavished care”, Fagles is able to emphasize both the emotion Athena feels towards Odysseus and this emotion’s influence on his life. Fagles also translates that if Athena bestows her help onto Telémakhos, “many a suitor then would lose all thought of marriage, blotted out forever.” Through the use of the word “blotted”, Fagles conveys that the suitors’ desire to court Penelope will be somehow wiped out—as if it were a very foggy memory. This choice in wording, compared to Fitzgerald’s “quit”, provides a more permanent solution to the problems caused by the

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.