Throughout Homer’s The Odyssey‚ the characters often use the ancient Greek ideal of xenia for their own benefit. This exemplar of hospitality is a cornerstone of ancient Greek religion and culture. The rites of suppliants are even protected by their most powerful god‚ Zeus. However‚ people would often try to leverage their host with this social obligation. Even Odysseus is guilty of this underhanded tactic. For example‚ he unsuccessfully tries to convince Polyphemus to leave him and his crew alone
Premium Odyssey Odysseus Trojan War
A quest is the act or instance of seeking or pursuing something. In the books "Sundiata" and "The Odyssey of Homer"‚ both of the main characters venture out on quests. Throughout each characters quest‚ they have goals they would like to achieve‚ obstacles that get in their way‚ and enemies they must face. Sundiata and Odysseus also receive some assistance along the way. Both characters also have a common goal to return to their homes after their quests are over. If their quests are successful they
Premium Knights of the Round Table Odyssey Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
both journeys involve growth as leaders‚ Odysseus is at the mercy of the gods‚ monsters‚ and powerful people and realizes his place and becomes humbled‚ while Gilgamesh the demigod becomes arrogant and selfish. When Odysseus is first mentioned (Odyssey Pp. 83)‚ very little leadership is shown. He is portrayed as helpless; the quote “he saw nothing of the great Odysseus‚” and throughout books four through eight‚ his constant complaining shows this. Similarly Gilgamesh’s leadership is questioned in
Premium Epic of Gilgamesh Leadership Odyssey
At the start of The Odyssey‚ Odysseus has yet to return from the Trojan War and his son Telemachus believes that he is dead. Suitors have occupied his home during this time and are pressuring Odysseus’ wife Penelope to marry one of them. Meanwhile‚ Telemachus is unable to do anything without his father. Athena‚ disguised as an old friend of Odysseus’ named Mentor‚ encourages Telemachus to seek news of his father. At the end of the conversation‚ Telemachus is aware that he was in the presence of a
Premium Odysseus Odyssey William Shakespeare
Although The Odyssey by the Greek poet Homer is very much an epic tale of a man’s heroic quest‚ women play an incredibly large role. Penelope was the wife of Odysseus who waited twenty years for him to return home to her. What Penelope did was to show that when a man and a woman are faithful to one another‚ things will work out for the best. One important role was that she anchored the kingship of Ithaca. At the time of the Trojan war‚ kings were determined by a matrilineal scheme. Penelope was the
Premium Trojan War Odyssey Odysseus
In The Odyssey there are important morals and lessons to be learned‚ just like in Gilgamesh; but The Odyssey does it in a different way. In Gilgamesh it was based in present time as in the morals where explained as it happen to Gilgamesh; but in The Odyssey most of the morals were explained in little stories of Odysseus’s journey back home. Being that said you were able to see how those different stories of different lessons shape the poem itself. The moral of power of cunning over strength was shown
Premium Greek mythology Trojan War Odysseus
Have you ever had a remarkably good host? Can you recall what about the host made him or her great? Rather‚ have you ever had a very bad host? What was wrong with the host‚ so that you would remember how bad he or she was? In The Odyssey by Homer‚ hosts are also quite important‚ debatably more important than they are today. Back in the days of ancient Greece‚ hosts were expected to be helpful and hospitable and they were expected to serve their guests well‚ with generosity. Eumaios exemplifies
Premium Odyssey Odysseus Iliad
Marcel Lessard Mrs. Poliquin EAE 4U June 21st 2011 The Iliad and the Odyssey: Why Homer? The heart of a classical education is the cumulative study of Latin and the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. In the Western tradition‚ education has always been synonymous with classical education. It began with the Greeks and Romans‚ was preserved and expanded by Christians during the Middle Ages and Renaissance‚ and continued unabated until well into the twentieth century. Why study the Greeks
Premium Trojan War Achilles Homer
The True Test of Character In Homer’s famous epic poem The Odyssey he displays the characters with a wide variety of morals. These morals influence decisions made by them which provide a looking glass for the reader to see their true nature. In a certain scene‚ the characters discuss Odysseus to what seems to be a beggar; however‚ the beggar is truly Odysseus in disguise. One way to clearly test a person’s character is through an idea provided by Bob Sutton: “The best judge of character is how he
Premium Odyssey Poverty Homelessness
The Iliad and the Odyssey‚ two remarkable poems compared The Iliad and The Odyssey‚ two poems widely celebrated and read deal with the struggles and hardships of mortal life as well as events that occur due to the God’s bickering and favouritism. Although they are different in terms of setting‚ such as the phenomena of human interaction‚ aggression and competition vs the struggles of a character’s journey home they have a vast similarity in how the poems incorporate the role of women‚ the relationships
Premium Homer Odyssey Iliad