The Odyssey vs. The Aeneid: Character Analysis The Odyssey and Aeneid are two of the greatest epic poems from Greece and Rome respectively. These stories revolve around the journeys of heroes Odysseus and Aeneas, who are confronted with many obstacles along the way. As these men struggle to achieve their goals, intervention from various deities causes even more complications. Although these stories originate from different cultures, they share a common plot. These cultures exemplify their most…
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Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid describe the journeys of the two Greek heroes –Odysseus and Aeneas, as they struggle towards their goal through the crises and deadly situations caused by the wrath of the gods upon them. In the Odyssey, we see that Poseidon (god of the sea/earth shaker) has a grudge against Odysseus while Athena, god of wisdom, aids him throughout his journey. Similarly in the Aeneid, we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to destroy the city of Carthage loved…
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It is quite easy to say that romantic or sexual love in Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s The Odyssey serve as an obstacle to the main character achieving their eventual goals and perhaps even preventing the protagonists from achieving happiness. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus is victim to women falling in love with him and obstructing his return to his home in Ithaca and in Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas is halted by one woman in particular on his journey as well. However, despite these examples of love being…
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Villains in The Odyssey are villainous because they disrupt the Greek patriarchy by holding power over men. Most of the evil acts portrayed are women exercising control, such as Kirké’s spells, or Helen’s tantalizing beauty. This is a story of fiction and adventure, as much as it is a reflection of ancient Greek values. While being one of the greatest epics from history, Homer’s Odyssey is a product of society. The most prominent female character could be Helen of Troy, whose beauty brought about…
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Mythology Mrs. D’s class used The Odyssey as an example of Greek mythology. The Odyssey shows all thirteen steps of the hero’s journey and the four functions of Greek mythology. Even though this book is five hundred pages long, it is an exemplar of Greek mythology, which is in contrast to most other Greek mythology stories that tend to be short. In the book The Odyssey the main character Odysseus is an exemplar of the hero’s journey. To begin, the initiate is Odysseus. He is uncomfortable with leaving…
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revealed in myths” (Moyers, The Power of Myth). It is easy to dismiss writings from thousands of years ago as old or unimportant. One might wonder how Homer's epic poem, "The Odyssey" could be relevant today. However, there are modern-day Odysseuses everywhere in current novels, films, and television shows. A perfect example of a modern-day Odysseus is Desmond Hume from the ABC television show, "Lost." “Lost” is about a group of people who survived a plane crash onto a mysterious island in the Pacific…
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English (A) 17 December 012 The Odyssey Homer was in some ways a ghost, he believed he was a blind bard, or a storyteller. David Adam Leeming says that some people believed there are two Homers, or that Homer was a legend. Homer is famous for writing the Iliad and the Odysseus. The story of the Odyssey takes us through the seven stages of a Greek soldier’s journey of getting home after the Trojan War. The first stage in Odysseus’ Call to venture home to Ithica. Odysseus receives a call to go home…
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Aeneas and Cunning Ulysses Homer’s The Odyssey and Virgil’s The Aeneid are parallel stories about two different heroes who go through similar experiences with vastly different personal characteristics. Odysseus exhibits metis, the quality of cleverness and self-interest that contrasts to Aeneas’ own quality, piety. Pius Aeneas follows his sense of duty and honor to his people and his gods over his own self-interest. Through the indirect comparisons of Aeneas to Odysseus in the Aeneid, Virgil is comparing…
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wears out, much like when a plant is neglected. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, loyalty is displayed when individuals are faithful to each other, their actions will be rewarded, whereas, those who are false-hearted will be castigated. Penelope and Odysseus’ mutual devotion throughout their twenty year separation convey that those who remain committed to one another will be glorified. Meanwhile, those who commit deceitful actions such as Odysseus’ crew and the maids reveal that those who choose to…
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What changes your fate, what dictates whether you live or die trying? In Homer’s The Odyssey, Agamemnon’s and Odysseus’s fate contrast because of their differing homecomings and loyalty of their wives. These two factors leads to the death of Agamemnon and to the success of Odysseus. When Agamemnon returns home he doesn’t think he has made enemies while fighting with his fellow Achaeans for ten long years in Troy. Aegisthus He is spotted by a spy when he arrives, who notifies Aegisthus of his homecoming…
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