Odyssey Essay

epic poem, “The Odyssey” reveals many aspects of ancient Greek life and culture through character and plot. Through each of the tales circling the life of Odysseus and the Greek people, Homer depicts the history, legends, values, and merits of the ancient Greeks. Greek culture is known to be one of the most flavored and thorough in history, and each facet of it—from religion to ideology to mentalities and beliefs. The Greeks valued intelligence and wit very strongly. “The Odyssey” offers countless

The Odyssey is an epic. It is filled with endless amount of obstacles as long with hardship. When referring to the Odyssey let’s not think of it being a delightful pleasant journey. Odysseus faced many trials and tribulation throughout this epic. First Odysseus came across Calypso who kept him away from his family for 7 years. Then Odysseus later met Circe who soon turned all his men into pigs. Last but not least, goddess Athena who attempted to help Odysseus time and time again, but towards the

literature composed during the era when the Odyssey was written was directed by men. Woman characters were valued but the only participated in affairs when they had the permission of men. The men, for the most part, directed the women's lives. The themes used in literature were on the subjects that men would be interested in; combat; warriors, and rulers. Domestic affairs, for the most part, were not noted. There is a immense contrast between the Odyssey and other epic poetry of the period. There

In The Odyssey, Homer uses fear of the gods to portray the idea of Xenia, which means hospitality to all, to live a normal and happy life. On multiple occasions people ignore this idea and in result get a streak of bad luck. For example, the suitors that stay in Odysseus' house are terrible guests. They get brutally murdered by Odysseus. Polyphemus eats several of Odysseus' crew mates. Polyphemus gets blinded by Odysseus. Aegisthus does certain unstated acts with Agamemnon's wife, then kills Agamemnon

I believe that there is room for human will in the Odyssey because Odysseus was able to compose his own decisions and choices which made an enormous difference. There has to be human will in this story because it wouldn’t be much of a story if all of the actions were decided by the gods. However if all of Odysseus’ choices were actually just the gods’ choices being acted out through him makes no sense because the gods’ liked to watch the humans and see what choices they make. The choices that are

There seem to be many themes that occur within the Odyssey written by Homer. One reoccurring theme that is present is the idea of revenge and justice. The definition of revenge is getting back at someone for a wrong they committed. Not just Odysseus creating revenge but many other gods as well as Odysseus. Not only is there revenge taken place in the Odyssey but there is also justice that is present in the Odyssey. Justice is known for “giving someone what they deserve and is usually for the good

In The Odyssey, xenia is an important trait for any homeowner to have. A host with good Xenia treats his or her guests with great respect. Good Xenia means taking a stranger in and treating the guest like family. Also, a good host questions their guests only after feeding and praising them. An example of a host with good Xenia is King Aquinas of Phaeacia. Both he and the Cyclopes Polyphemus hold Odysseus and his men overnight. They both provide food and shelter for Odysseus. Although they are both

extremely dissimilar. Helen was said to be the daughter of Zeus and Leda (Queen of Sparta), and was the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. Helen was abducted by Paris of Troy and when Menelaus came to retrieve Helen, the Trojan war began. In “The Odyssey”, Helen is shown as living happily with Menelaus after he brought her back from Sparta. She is portrayed as an intelligent person who sees things for what they truly are, but is mostly reserved to wifely duties. In “Trojan Women” by Euripides, Helen

Homer: Hospitality in the Illiad and the Odyssey The concept of Xenia was extremely significant in ancient Greek culture. As such, it played a prominent role in the works of authors, most specifically Homer. In fact, some of the most significant information we have about the concept of Xenia, as it relates to cultural norms come from the work of Homer, and the examples of hospitality demonstrated in the protagonist’s journeys in the Iliad and the Odyssey. More specifically, Xenia is presented by

Penelope may not have as exciting of a life as some of the other characters in Homer’s The Odyssey, but she makes up for it by being very clever, which makes her a good match for her husband, Odysseus. Penelope plays a very important role in Odysseus’s journey home, in fact, she is the main reason for his return to Ithaca. When the suitors begin invading her house and asking, then demanding, her hand in marriage, Penelope knows she must handle them herself. Being a woman in ancient Greece, she does