... some of them were portrayed as the mortal hero's adversaries and sought to destroy him. This is most evident in Homer's The Odyssey. In Homer's The Odyssey, the protagonist of the story, Odysseus, was a valiant warrior, who along with his men fought in the famed Trojan War and ... to steer Odysseus from returning back to his family by turning the ocean's tides against him and his men. In book five of The Odyssey, Homer perceptively describes the contempt Poseidon feels towards Odysseus in the following passage: But now Poseidon, god of the earthquake, saw him- just ... engage in illicit...

• Word Count: 2649
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... poems and epics written during the pre-Socratic times in Greece gave insight to the military mentalities that people possessed during this period. The Iliad and the Odyssey were the earliest written pieces that reflect the ideals that violence was a main element of a man's being. Both of the pieces demonstrate a strong attitude ... towards violence and they condemn the idea of showing humanity to their enemies. Both the Iliad and the Odyssey were considered "War Poems." The acts which were performed in the tales exemplified the ideas of violence and vengeance. Klassen provides an example...

• Word Count: 3806
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School