English 10 Honors
Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth
Chosen Monomyth: The Odyssey
1. Hero introduced in his ordinary world
Odysseus is a strong ruler of Ithaca (Greek city-state), however lacks experience in war. He is also the son of Läertes
2. The call to adventure
He wins the Trojan war through his guile nature. As his fleet left for Ithaca, strong winds sweep them off course
3. Hero is reluctant at first
Odysseus and his men get a little afraid after realizing that they had no idea where they were heading for
4. Encouraged by the wise old man/woman
Along the way, Odysseus obtains lots of advice of how he should carry on with his expedition from Circe the Enchantress
5. Hero passes the first threshold
5. Hero passes the first threshold
The first issue that Odysseus faces would be in the beginning of the Odyssey, where his fleet land on the city of Ismara, and plunder the Cicones inhabiting the region
6. Hero encounters tests & helpers
Other hazards for Odysseus were: Polyphemus, The Lotus-Eaters, Hades, The Sirens, Scylla etc.
7. Hero reaches the innermost cave
The largest issue ever faced by Odysseus’s fleet would be the Man-eating Cyclops named Polyphemus. Being the son of Poseidon, Odysseus’s trickery angered the God of the sea, which would cause much more implications on them. This would largely affect Odysseus’s quality to a greater extent
8. Hero endures the supreme ordeal
Odysseus try to escape Polyphemus’s island first, but Odysseus hubris turns against their own people. Polyphemus attacks Odysseus’s men with boulders and rocks. With luck, they escape into the waters, out of reach from danger
9. Hero seizes the sword
Odysseus finally defeats all enemies
10. The road back
Unfortunately, as he does so, he loses all his men, when Poseidon strikes his fleet with the power of the raging sea
11. Resurrection
He alone gets away from the impending danger and realizes his mistakes. He finally reaches the Phaeacians, and tells them his story, since it had been more than 10 year since he had left for battle
12. Return with the treasure
His “treasure” is more in a form of a lesson, where he realizes that greed is something that corrupts a man. His adventure is definitely an example, since with his greed came the loss of his men and valuables
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