An Enduring Tale Thousands of years after it was written‚ people continue to read The Odyssey not only for its thrilling adventure‚ but also for its invaluable dissection of inherent human qualities. In his epic poem‚ The Odyssey‚ Homer addresses intrinsic characteristics of humans that man has continued to demonstrate throughout history. The Odyssey incorporates the timeless topics of cunning over strength‚ greed and folly‚ and loyalty‚ into Odysseus’ story while simultaneously offering insight
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Figuratively speaking‚ the Odyssey is a story created and controlled by women‚ and consequently‚ the plot revolves around the actions of women. The women in the poem could be divided up into two major groups: the seductresses‚ such as Circe‚ the sirens‚ and Calypso‚ who attempt to hinder or stop Odysseus from reaching his home‚ and helpers‚ such as Nausicaa‚ Arete‚ and perhaps most importantly Athena‚ who all aid Odysseus in his homecoming. These two sides of “help” and “hinder” are clearly separated
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’s poem The Odyssey. Many are the ways Penelope exemplifies the ideal woman‚ in that she conforms to the values and beliefs of her society. These include faithfulness‚ loyalty‚ willpower‚ pride in one ’s home and family‚ and generosity and openness to foreigners (Kline‚ 2004). The role women in ancient Greece had were reflected as inferior to men as they were never seen as heroes or fought in wars‚ rather they stayed home to look after the house and children. In Homers ‘The Odyssey’ women are portrayed
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The Odyssey Essay Even now‚ centuries after it was written‚ Homer’s The Odyssey still seems to astonish readers of all ages. In this epic poem is a story of a man being ripped from his kingdom of Ithaca‚ to fight in the battle of Troy. Early in the story before he is taken away‚ Odysseus tells his wife that if he isn’t back by the time Telemachus is a man‚ beard on
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set by Xenia‚ there would be severe penalties dealt by Zeus and also by society (Wikipedia). In The Odyssey‚ Xenia is a theme which is shown repeatedly throughout the book: Nestor and Menelaos take in Telemakhos warmly as a guest and Eumaios plays an excellent host to Odysseus‚ while Odysseus is disguised as a wandering beggar. It is no accident that Xenia is such an important theme in The Odyssey‚ as it helps Homer present which characters he wanted to be “good.” Of course‚ the same can be said
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The Greeks‚ as portrayed by Homer‚ are a very vengeful people. Throughout The Odyssey‚ a theme of vengeance is dominant. These displays of retribution come from different entities for fairly different reasons. So why is revenge such a factor in The Odyssey? Fear and the overwhelming feeling of payback are two answers. Homer gives numerous examples of how certain characters demonstrate their power in a fury of rage. He writes of the payback Zeus gives to those who break the rules‚ of Poseidon’s
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In The Odyssey‚ Homer uses many literary devices to reach out to his audience. He wants the reader to look past the surface of the text and go deeper into its meaning. This is accomplished by using symbolism throughout the epic. The most significant of these symbols are Odysseus’ great bow‚ the shroud that Penelope weaves for Laertes‚ the island of Ithaca‚ and the sea itself. The great bow symbolizes both Odysseus’ strength and the obvious truth: he is the only one fit both for Penelope and to lead
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An Analysis of The Odyssey The Odyssey is an Epic written by the ancient Greek poet Homer. The epic is a sequel to one of Homer’s previous works The Iliad. This story follows the great hero Odysseus’ struggles to find his way home after the Trojan War. There are plenty of monsters‚ angry gods‚ and hostile natives that hinder his journey home along the way; however‚ this tale is overflowing with Odysseus‚ his crew‚ and their undoubtable reckless actions and succumbing to temptation. Giving in to
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Loyalty in The Odyssey Loyalty is defined in the Webster’s dictionary as faithfulness or devotion to a person‚ a cause or a duty. Through this definition‚ it can be expressed that loyalty is a major theme in Homer’s epic‚ "The Odyssey". The author presents four mayor illustrations of loyalty‚ which are given by Penelope‚ Telemachus‚ Eumaeus and Philoetius and Odysseus. Penelope is Odysseus faithful wife who not only doesn’t re-marry but also keeps hope that Odysseus is still alive and will
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poem The Odyssey‚ society treats women differently from men‚ though the women possess as many or more admirable qualities than their male counterparts. This applies to Odysseus’ wife‚ Penelope‚ as well as Arete and Circe‚ all of whom embody power‚ an important characteristic in Ancient Greek society. The impressive yet often overlooked traits of Penelope‚ Arete‚ and Circe reveal the true natures of these powerful women and their influence over Odysseus in his journey throughout The Odyssey. Penelope
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