Odysseus Essays

One of the finest examples of mock heroic poetry in the English language was composed after John Caryll, a friend of Pope’s, informed the poet of an incident regarding two land owning, Catholic families, the Petres & the Fermors. The young lord Petre had cut off a lock of hair …

The ancient legend of Troy, recorded in Homer’s epic poem “The Iliad” Oxford (trans. Robert Fitzgerald University Press 1974) has been retold in many other forms, the most recent being the blockbuster film “Troy” (2004, Wolfgang Peterson). “Troy” is a basic retelling of the myth, lacking many elements of the …

Heroes have been around for thousands of years, and through all this time, for better or for worse, what they did and what they believed in has relatively stayed the same. The best example of this is the comparison between the ancient Greek hero of Odysseus from The Odyssey, and …

Although Ulysses and Odysseus share similar traits, Homer would not agree with Tennyson’s portrayal of Odysseus in the poem “Ulysses”. Whereas Odysseus wishes to complete his journey and find relief, Ulysses seeks to continue on a never-ending one. Homer’s Odyssey and Tennyson’s “Ulysses” have different desires and their desires lead …

In Robert Fitzgerald’s translation of The Odyssey, Odysseus leads his men through the unthinkable, and successfully gets them out of harms way because he utilizes his ability to formulate plans, and carry them out quickly and effectively. Throughout the epic, Odysseus makes numerous decisions that affect him and his men, …

Elaborate sacrifices, wonderful feasts, jubilant celebrations, all of which are acts that demonstrate the reverence of humans for the supernatural gods; a common motif in both the ancient Mesopotamia depicted in Gilgamesh, and the ancient Greece of The Odyssey. What seems to be a perfectly harmonious relationship between men seeking …

In The Odyssey by Homer, the character Odysseus proves his resourcefulness and intelligence. He uses this cleverness throughout the book in his adventures, proving his peira, or worth, since he is an epic hero. He is known by all, including the gods, for his cleverness. On the island of Kalypso, …

The Odyssey, fate plays an important part in the story development. People who believe in fate or destiny think that their lives are spun out in front of them before they are born, and there is nothing they can do to change that. Some characters, like Polyphemos, find out their …

The divine intervention of the gods in human affairs is a familiar aspect in the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer. Throughout the first five books of the tale, there are several occurrences where gods interfere in the lives of both Odysseus and his son . Sometimes these interferences are …

More than twenty-five hundred years ago a renowned epic of Greek mythology was written. This work, known as The Odyssey, illustrates the journey home made by Odysseus, a Trojan war hero, who seeks his wife Penelope. Similar in plot, though written only four years ago, Cold Mountain is a romantic …