When I was a young lad, I was fascinated by the Greek myths. I especially loved the fabulous accounts of the gods told by Herodotus who could tell the amazing tales in a way that brought them almost to life. However, as I grew older, I began to see the world through more critical eyes … Read more
Although it is clear women in Homer’s The Odyssey are hierarchically lower than men, and have to follow societal norms and the orders of men, women also have the power to disrupt and distract Odysseus’ journey home. Men have clear dominance over the lives of women throughout The Odyssey and make choices for them in … Read more
Throughout Homer’s “The Odyssey,” Odysseus’ actions and choices are the driving point of the plot. When he and his crew encounter Polyphemus the Cyclops, he tries to secure his legacy by shouting his real name, and giving other important information away. The Cyclops prays that a curse befall him and his friends and Poseidon hears … Read more
The stories of Genesis and The Odyssey would be fundamentally different without the presence of God and the gods in their respective narratives. However, how their respective presences manifest themselves are markedly different. The singular God of Genesis plays a passive role in the development of His plan for the mortal realm, acting from a … Read more
As one can surmise from the tumultuous situations he is forced into over the following years at sea, Odysseus endured great hardships all due to his hubris. His crew was decimated and he was forced to live without his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, for far longer than he ever expected. However, like Gilgamesh, Odysseus … Read more
Homer’s emphasis of good hospitality is visible throughout the entire book, but it is most clearly seen In Phaeacia. “Hearing that, Alcinous, poised in all his majesty, took the hand of the seasoned, worldly-wise Odysseus raised him up and sat him down in a burnished chair, displacing his own son… ” (Odyssey Book 7, Pg: … Read more
Book 11 of Homer’s The Odyssey continues Odysseus’s tale of how he came to arrive in Scheria, with him relating his voyage to the underworld. He makes the interesting choice of cutting his narrative choice halfway through his tale in order to incite a reaction from his Phaeacian audience. Odysseus makes this interruption because he … Read more
In the works written by Homer who nothing is known about him but his name. The Greeks believed that he was blind. The Greeks also believe that the Iliad, and the odyssey is a great Masterpiece written by Homer. The Iliad is the first written of the two poems. It is a war fought by … Read more
In The Odyssey written by Homer and translated by Richard Lattimore, several themes are made evident, conceived by the nature of the time period, and customs of the Greek people. These molded and shaped the actual flow of events and outcomes of the poem. Beliefs of this characteristic were represented by the sheer reverence towards … Read more