War In The Odyssey

Homer’s epic poem about the long ten year war between the greek Achaeans and Trojans conveys characteristics of ancient greek society. These include time, geras, menis and aristea, which are respectively honor, stuff, anger or wrath and finally a warrior's greatest moment. While it may be expected to be a poem about a glory filled war that the great heroes and even mighty Gods of Olympus get entangled within, there are messages and references to the pity and extreme loss that war brings. Especially the end of the poem in which the great warrior Achilles lays waste the Trojans and gives revenge to the great Trojan warrior Hector.

In Greek Mythology, women were either very fierce or very weak. Women were usually defined by wits, beauty, or bad deeds. In The Odyssey women were not in the background. On the contrary, women were powerful. They charmed and controlled men, provided wisdom, and took care of them. The Odyssey appears to be strongly female based.

    Homer's Iliad enthralls readers with its’ valiant heroes who fight for the glory of Greece. The Iliad, however, is not just a story of war; it is also a story of individuals. Through the characters' words and actions, Homer paints portraits of petulant Achilles and vain Agamemnon, doomed Paris and Helen, loyal Patroclus, tragic Priam, versatile Odysseus, and the whole cast of Gods. Ironically, the most complete character in the epic is Hector, enemy hero, and Prince of Troy. Hector is in many ways the ideal Homeric man: he is a man of compassion and piety, a man of integrity and bravery, a man who loves his family, and above all, a man who understands and fulfills his social

Homeric similes can be used throughout an epic to compare two unlike things in a way that will redirect the reader’s attention or intensify heroic stature of a subject. In three main places in The Odyssey, Homer uses this type of elaborate simile to engage the reader on a deeper level. These three points of the epic in which the Homeric similes create depth are the reunion of Odysseus and his son, the stringing of a bow, and the battle against the suitors. The reunion of Odysseus and his son, Telemachus, is a poignant moment in the epic.

The Greeks define nobility as a person who would go and fight for their country, a person who has values of bravery, intelligence, strength and keen judgment. He must also be a person who the gods respect. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as noble according to mythology legend. The American Heritage dictionary defines noble as a man often of divine ancestry, a man who is endowed with great courage and strength who is celebrated for his bold exploits and favored by the gods. (American Heritage dictionary) Odysseus was a noble man if he was being described by the Greeks, but in today’s society there probably would be some debate as to whether or not he was truly noble. Although, Odysseus did possess some of these

The heroic code in the Iliad is expressed by many characters throughout the book, whether it be through their actions, intentions, or teachings. The heroic code stems from the belief that honor is, above all, the most important virtue in life and all men must honor themselves, their families, and their fellow comrades through specific character traits and actions. This concept is the primary goal in a Homeric hero’s life. Specifically, courage in battle, even in the face of clear danger or death is an essential source of a man’s honor. Death, in the context of the heroic code, can be seen as a relief of the constant struggle these characters are up against in

The importance of Homer’s work towards Greek culture and even modern culture can’t be emphasized enough. The name, “teacher of Greece”, is given to him for reason. His book, The Odyssey, is one of the most famous epic poem in literature, it’s also a prime example of Greek mythology writing. Homer includes violence, blood, and killing many times throughout this book. All these events have a special meaning or they aid the story altogether. In The Odyssey written by Homer, the violent scenes contribute to the story as a whole by presenting the Greek culture, and by developing the character of Odysseus.

The Community: Heroes and Gods Every culture has heroes. In literary works, like the Aeneid and The Odyssey, individuals are admired and placed upon a high pedestal to where others want to follow in their footsteps. Heroes in these books represent the community from which the author is a part of also. Social conditions shaped the ideas of these works and gave them distinct aspects which have become well respected.

Before his death the Trojan leader Hector exclaims, “Well let me die⎼but not without struggle, not without glory, no, in some great clash of arms that even men to come will hear of down the years,” (22.359-362). This proclamation reveals an important theme in Homer’s Iliad. Throughout the epic poem, the concept of honor and shame constantly reappears, from being the cause of the plot to personification as Greek and Trojan heroes to the dichotomy of honor and shame within the gods. Homer uses honor and shame as a major theme of the Iliad to show how important these attributes are to the human condition.

An Iliad displays bravery in their soldiers because of the loyalty to their country, however, The Trojan Women shows how women are not brave, therefore, the women will not live in happiness anymore. Bravery is shown in An Iliad especially when Patroclus wear Achilles’s armor. He is confident and eager to fight in the Trojan War. His actions establish how he is loyal to his country because he would sacrifice himself to fight in the war. Additionally, bravery is again shown in the book when Priam approached Achilles, who has anger towards Priam when Hector killed his good friend, Patroclus. Priam is especially brave and confident when he approaches the Achaeans. Priam is loyal to the Trojans by bringing back Hector’s body. Moreover, bravery is

Although the central theme of Homer's Iliad the glory of war and heroic life of warriors, along with war glory and heroism of the character in the Iliad. In the Iliad, describing the war represents extremely troublesome situations that militants are facing. In situations such trouble, as always be seen in the various books of the Iliad, which built the heroes of Homer, what is really embedded in the hearts of heroes'. Besides courage, love, anger, stubbornness, leadership, and so on, but these figures, fear is what is hidden in

The most powerful warriors in this story were Hector and Achilles. Both men were given the title of heroes and displayed great power, skills and courage. But the values of Hector and Achilles were very different from one another and very different from the people of today’s society. Dignity, pride, honor, glory, fame, and revenge are very important to these people as it still is today, but it is achieved in a

The sample from the Iliad illustrates opens up with the mood heavily clouded with depression. It quickly illustrates the fact that the man named to be Hector, is willing to set off to war in order to prove his bravery. However, his wife, Andromache is not willing to believe that he will survive the war. Nevertheless, Hector makes it clear that if he does participate, he would be a coward to his people, but his wife is willing to go through the shame to have her husband by her side. She, Andromache, has on one in her life, all have been sent down to Hades House. Leaving Hector to be her father, mother, brother, and her entire life. Hector makes a point to pray that his son turn a lot better than his legacy, to win many wars and to make his mother proud. Giving the audience the assumption that he will lose his life in the battle. Finally, in Hectors last accept to calm his wife, he reminds her that Fate takes a person at their time. If he was to die, then it was his time to go

An underlying theme within Homer’s Iliad is the tragedy of war. Despite war at this time being glorified and a way to gain fame, in the Iliad, in paragraph 520-525 on page 311, the sadness of the aftermath of war is very apparent. An unknowing Andromache has a hot bath drawn for her husband, which she is expecting to return. Instead, she is made aware of his death and is torn apart.

Homer’s Iliad is undoubtedly focused on its male characters: Achilles, primarily, but also Hector and Agamemnon. Nevertheless, it seems that the most crucial characters in the epic are female. Homer uses the characters of Thetis, Andromache, and Helen as a basis for comparison to the male characters. Homer wants his audience to see and understand the folly of his male characters in choosing war over peace, aggression over kindness, and honor over family. While the behavior of these characters clearly speaks for itself, the contrasting attitudes and behaviors of the female characters proffer an alternative; in comparison, the reader can hardly fail to concur with Homer’s message that war, aggression,