Odysseus’ Lessons in The Odyssey In every society, there are certain rules and customs that one is required to follow. During the age of the ancient Greeks, these rules and customs were very important, and were the key to being respected in society. Homer, a poet in those times, taught the guidelines of Ancient Greek society in his famous work, The Odyssey. The hero, King Odysseus, is on a journey to both return home to the island kingdom of Ithaca, and to complete his true hero’s quest. He makes multiple stops on his venture home, each one teaching him a valuable lesson on how to follow Greece’s cultural hegemony. He encounters betrayal through his own crew members, reminding him of the Filial relationships one must have to their superiors. Odysseus is also taught about the importance of Xenia, the courtesy a host and a guest must have for one another. He only becomes a traditional hero, however, after he learns the danger of too much Hubris, shown both through himself, and the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus’ quest to become a traditional hero is meant to teach lessons on Greek social norms, such as the importance of keeping Filial relationships, the consequences of not following Xenia, and the downfall of having too much Hubris. Although The Odyssey was written to teach lessons on Greek social norms, there are examples that arguably go against the cultural hegemony. Penelope’s suitors, for example, do not respect the Filial requirements to the royal family. Shown when
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.
In the Epic, “The Odyssey", spoken by Homer, conveys a heroic tale of an epic hero named, Odysseus, who faces many challenges as he sails to get home. One of the tasks Odysseus faces is, "The Sirens", who challenge Odysseus 's will power. Another challenge Odysseus encounters is, “The Cyclops", who torments and slaughters some of Odysseus 's men due to his curiosity. One of the hardest threats he had to confront was, “The Land of Dead" which tested his self-restraint, and revealed his human weaknesses of sorrow. The Epic Hero, Odysseus, struggles with many challenges such as, the taunting Sirens, the brutish and cruel Cyclops, and one of the arduous territories Odysseus has ever crossed, The Land of the Dead.
“The world is full of wonders, but nothing is more wonderful than man.” This quote shows that the Greeks valued themselves, but also their intellect in which they know that the world about them is great. The Greeks valued beauty, art, intellect, honor, and truth; the list is long. Some of these values are shown through the story of the Odyssey, which tells of the adventures of Odysseus and his family. In order to understand Greek values and how they are portrayed in Greek society, one must examine how some values are portrayed in the Odyssey: hospitality, intellect, and beauty.
The character Ulysses Everett McGill from “O Brother, Where art thou?” is a worthy representation of Odysseus from the “Odyssey”. Ulysses Everett McGill, or Everett, was the main character of the movie who was trying to get back home. Odysseus was a king and warrior who spent 20 years away from home due to obstacles and distractions. Both characters share many personality traits and events that make the movie a modern adaption of the epic poem
“Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns ... start from where you will—sing for our time too” (I, 1, 12). From the very beginning, Homer shows his intention for themes of The Odyssey to be applicable in the modern age and essentially “sing for our time” (I, 12). Homer’s epic provides the ideal reflection upon the very definition of heroism because it details the strenuous journey of Odysseus, a crafty hero whose key priority is to return home to his family. As one of the most prominent themes, The Odyssey carries forth the idea of heroism through the portrayal of Odysseus, and establishes a connection with the real world through the expression of life lessons. Consequently, Odysseus is characterized to serve as a role model for the successful hero because, after all, the poem is essentially centered on his very name. However, The Odyssey simultaneously conveys that an entirely perfect hero may be impossible, but a means for improvement is always present. The attributes for success that are revealed in The Odyssey can be examined under interconnected ideas of passion, perseverance, and prowess. Thus, heroism is the most compelling theme of The Odyssey because it exemplifies the attributes for success while also demonstrating that heroes are not without mortal flaws.
In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, certain characters are granted with the ability to make decisions for themselves, while others must deal with external factors, whether it be fate or divine intervention, that predispose their lives. Similarly, women are predisposed with the inability to make choices for themselves while men are born with the right to uphold power and enforce control over the female gender. Contrary to these gender stereotypes concerning power in a Homeric world, Homer instills Penelope with complete control, while leaving Odysseus with none. It is this distribution of control in Penelope that enables Odysseus to complete his nostos and re-identify himself, therefore pushing the boundaries of gender norms.
When you think of The Odyssey, do you think of our society today? From courage to judgement, multiple messages are portrayed through Odysseus in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. These themes not only illustrate prevalence in Odysseus’s time, but they show in our everyday lives.
The Odyssey a story about an ancient Greek hero struggling to get back home to his wife… but what does his great journey reflect on the values and cultural norms of Ancient Greek society. The Odyssey reflects many different things about value and cultural norms of Ancient Greece. There are many cultural norms the Ancient Greeks have from guests must receive a gift from the host to how women are treated during that time. But we’ll be covering three things that the Ancient Greeks cultural norms and or valued. The Greeks had many cultural norms like the treatment of women and how men a more free, there are thing guests expect from the host, invited or not, and how the Greeks are nothing without the gods.
Throughout the Odyssey, the hero, Odysseus is portrayed in two different and contradicting lights: the wise hero and the capricious leader blinded by his own pride. The epic writer, Homer, embodies the theme of hubris throughout Odysseus’ journey home. The idea of hubris, a trait of excessive pride, significantly develops personalities of characters within The Odyssey, and Homer ultimately creates a statement about excessive pride. The dual portrayal of Odysseus leads the reader to ultimately perceive him as a flawed hero who is responsible for his fate.
Since you were a toddler, you’ve probably heard the saying, “Treat others how you want to be treated.” This idea, although taken much more seriously, was heavily embedded in the culture of the Greek and thus has had an appearance throughout the book The Odyssey. The Odyssey was originally written by Homer, an ancient Greek, and has been translated by many different people. The story describes the struggle of Odysseus trying to return home after participating in the Trojan War. This tedious journey lasted years, meanwhile, Odysseus’ son, Telemahkos, and wife, Penelope, hold off suitors who are trying to woe Penelope into marriage. Since the story takes place in ancient Greek, the idea of hospitality constantly appears throughout The Odyssey, as it was believed that by treating all strangers you meet with kindness to avoid the chance of mistreating a God in disguise. Because of this constant appearance in the story, the idea that you should be hospitable, or kind, to others you meet is the most important theme conveyed in The Odyssey.
In today’s society people die for their nation, they move around for a person they just met. They do anything they can to help that person through a tough time. These all have one thing in common, Loyalty. In the odyssey characters are dying for what they believe in and suffering for extended periods of time being loyal to the person they love the most. Homer portrays loyalty perfectly in the Odyssey the characters all have a trait of loyalty in them. From the suitors to Odysseus’ dog Argos. He shows how if you barely know a person you can trust that person and put loyalty into them. The characters will do whatever they can, for Odysseus’ men they know going to the palace is a bad idea they do it anyway and get turned into animals but they
Believed to be composed in the 8th century, The Odyssey, is Homer 's epic of Odysseus ' 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. Odysseus defining character traits, such as nobility, courage, thirst for the glory and the appealing confidence in his authority dominated the storyline throughout. The many themes of this epic mainly focus around the Greek hero Odysseus however in my essay I will attempt to analyze hospitality. Hospitality shaped an important part of social interactions in The Odyssey. Although Greek society emphasizes good hospitality and obeying the rules, some characters in The Odyssey have no respect for this hospitality and are therefore classified as uncivilized, which shows that hospitality organizes Greek Society.
In Homer’s The Odyssey, loyalty is not only a vital character trait for Odysseus, but also an important trait for any dutiful citizen. Odysseus personifies loyalty as he journeys back to Ithika in, but his wife and servants also display an extreme amount of devotion to their lost king. Those that are loyal are rewarded, while those that aren’t are punished.
Throughout life we are faced with many different challenges, and obstacles. Temptation is followed from our instincts, insights, or through the support system that we have built within. Nevertheless, loyalty can idealize as an extremity that extracts our thoughts and mental processes, which can make decisions coincide with ease especially considering who we can count on in times of need. Loyalty, many people may look upon it as actions but in all actuality it is what lies deep down inside of the mind, heart, beliefs, and character of a person. In Homer’s book The Odyssey, there is loyalty present from beginning to end and I would like to express how words imply loyalty on an aspectual basis.
Arle 'chia Nisby Professor Parker World Literature Sept 24,2015 Telemachus: Test of maturity In Homer 's heroic poem the Odyssey,Telemachus is an important character because will be the one to become king of Ithaca if his father 's Odysseus does not return home. However during this time he is not only protecting his mother from a suitor 's hand in marriage,but is forced to mature within a year 's time. Telemachus share strong physical characteristics of his father and based of the knowledge of his the people of Ithaca , Odysseus is the best king that they have ever had. Therefore they expect the same from his son Telemachus. Sadly the two did not compare in the beginning of the odyssey, but the story quickly overturned when Telemachus