Deception, or the act of deceiving or defrauding, is a prominent theme in the Odyssey. Though inherently dishonest, deception can be used to gain information and knowledge. Different characters (and people) use it different ways. This essay will establish that, whereas Odysseus uses deception to help him progress from Nobody back to Odysseus, king of Ithaca, Athena does so to keep her identity secret when she disguises herself.…
In the Odyssey, and in Greek culture lying is common, it is used in a variety of ways, and…
A personal virtue that is a major theme in the epic, The Odyssey, is loyalty and perseverance. The best example of loyalty in of the epic, Penelope, who waited faithfully in Ithaca for 20 years for her husband, Odysseus’, to return. Odysseus’ son Telemachus, who also showed loyalty by standing by his father against the suitors who are after the throne. The two analytical lenses that I will use to interpret this epic, is the Psychological and the social class lens. The psychology lens focuses on the internal struggles of a character in a text. This could be seen by the three main characters, Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope. All three character, psychologically, have their mind set on their longing reunion throughout the epic which ties to…
The textbook definition of self-serving bias (www.psychologytoday.com) is when people tend to attribute positive events to their own character, but they attribute negative events to external factors, so quite literally, self-serving bias is making oneself look good and blaming other factors. In Book 2 of the Aeneid, Virgil recounts the Battle of Troy from the Roman perspective while in Books 3 and 4 of the Odyssey and in the Iliad, Homer recounts the battle from the Greek perspective. Both epics tell the story of the Greeks construction of the Trojan Horse, which is a wooden horse secretly hiding the army in its hollow gut. The Greeks…
Dogs have been considered symbols of loyalty for generations, even earning the epithet “Man’s Best Friend.” The great amount of love and faithfulness that dogs display toward their families is so iconic that outlines of dogs have become common symbols of loyalty. In Romeo and Juliet, loyalty runs in families from the head of the household through to the lowest of servants. All Montagues, including their servants and friends, feel a unanimous hatred toward the Capulets, and vice versa. Not only do fights take place between direct members of the two families, but also between the servants and friends of the opposing sides. For example, Gregory and Sampson, both Capulet servants, fight with Abram and Balthasar, Montague servants, in Act 1 Scene 1. Later in the same fight, Lord Montague and Lord Capulet both attempt to join in the violence. In Act 3 Scene 1, Mercutio, a friend of Romeo’s, fights with Tybalt, a member of the…
The Odyssey was an epic poem written by a man named Homer. It tells the story of Odysseus’ travels when he leaves the trojan war, and gets his men lost while they try to get home. Recklessness, unchecked pride, and unawareness, are traits Odysseus portraits during his travels that show he is not as smart as he seems. One example of this is when he and his men were escaping the angered cyclops. When they rowed a little distance away, Odysseus yells back to the cyclops, “‘O cyclopes!…
The world changes every day. The governments, technology, medicine, the internet, etc. Why is that? It’s all because of people. The choices are all made by humans whether for better or worse, will predict the rest of the future. There are people that have a bigger influence, a greater power to make these choices like governments, unions, presidents, dictators, queens, and kings. In the epic poem “The Odyssey” a long lost King, Odysseus, has been changing these choices to regain power after his long treacherous voyage home from war.…
"Cyclops, if any mortal man ever asks you who it was that inflicted upon your eye this shameful blinding, tell him that you were blinded by Odysseus, sacker of cities. Laertes is his father, and he makes his home on Ithaca” (Homer 500-505). Homer’s work of historical fiction, The Odyssey, is the sequel to his earlier story The Iliad. The Odyssey follows Odysseus after the events of the 10 year Trojan war and his long journey home. He clashes with many monsters and it always seems that his pride gets the better of him. The quote above is Odysseus bragging to Polyphemus that he had blinded him, showing how prominent his ego is after clashing with the cyclops. This ego and several other mistakes lead to Odysseus’s entire crew being dead and taking 20 years to return home. Odysseus is not a hero. He was unfaithful to his wife and all of his crew is dead.…
Homer compares the Trojans disturbing the Greeks to the boys disturbing the hornets in order to show how the Trojans have no knowledge of who they were messing with, like the boys and fools, in attacking the Greeks. Homer says, ” infuriating the hive-the little fools- until the insects become a menace to all” (16.268-272). This essentially illustrates that the greeks are fools and like boys by not evaluating the outcome of what would be certain to happen when they decide to attack the black ships. Instead they are , driven by impulse. According to Homer, the insects, “attack any traveller who happens by, swarming out in defense of their brood”. The insects, which are the Greeks, become infuriated and turn into a hazard. The insects ,just as…
In ancient Greek religion, one belief was when someone dies he needed to receive at…
Imagine battling with a giant Cyclops, being attacked by a six headed monster or having to navigate around a whirlpool. All of this, and more, happened to Odysseus the famous hero of Homer’s classic work the Odyssey. His journey home from the Trojan War took twenty years and involved unbelievable hardships. “…Odysseus has had to put away childish things and lives in a world where you can freeze to death, as well as be devoured by one-eyed monsters” (Bloom 2). These ordeals might seem far removed from everyday life.…
Epic heroes are ones who go on long journeys, also known as an odyssey, and bring with them the values and beliefs of their society and civilization. The Odyssey by Homer is a story about an epic hero named Odysseus, who is not only a brave, wise, and strong leader as well as a warrior, but he is also an arrogant and vengeful man, who’s downfall is beautiful women. Epic heroes contain characteristics of loyalty, bravery, and arrogance as they are believed to be more than a mortal but less than a god. Odysseus proves his loyalty, bravery, and arrogance as he continues to fight the challenges he obtains from island to island, cursed by Poseidon never to return home.…
The epic poem The Odyssey is an epic written by the Greek writer Homer. It centers on the character Odysseus who is a great leader and a king of Ithaca whose actions portrayed a great deal of intelligence, bravery, and determination throughout his many encounters during his journey.…
The following quote “Why do we fall? So we can pick ourselves back up,” means everyone makes mistakes, but these mistakes help one grow and learn. At any point in time, everyone faces a problem or tragedy, because that’s just life. Those are the moments in life you learn a lot from, and grow as a person.…
The Odyssey, one of the most well known epic stories Introduces Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. This story demonstrates Odysseus’s physical and intellectual strength. Striving to return home after 20 years of his treacherous journey, he uses strength, skill, and superior ability to overcome his troubles. Although he faced numerous obstacles and fought many battles, he made it appoint to get home to his kingdom through his physical ability, intellectual insight, and overcoming his epic flaw.…
