... and they both go on throughout The Odyssey. In The Odyssey life is one's own responsibility; instead of leaving all things up to fate, the characters had a significant influence upon his or her own existence. (Sparknotes) In The Odyssey the gods are responsible for controlling many aspects of where the story goes, but the people still have to choose to go. The gods in The Odyssey are who held Odysseus captive for ... over eight years. They were responsible for his capture in the first place and then refused to let him go for almost a decade ... a certain result is a different matter fr...

• Word Count: 895
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... representation of characters and themes set it apart from the original. The focus of this essay is to analyze the identities of the two focal characters Penelope and Odysseus and the relationship they share. Odysseus is the protagonist of the story and "The Odyssey" and "The Penelopiad" depict two conflicting images of the central character. In the Odyssey, Odysseus bravery, wits and leadership, all of which ... but went along with it as it part of her duty. Hence, the negating personalities of Penelope are disclosed in Penelopiad and the Odyssey. The opposing identities of Penelope and ...

• Word Count: 1007
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... we see in Odysseus' relationship with Penelope. However, women form an important part of the folk epic for example in The Odyssey. Within the story there are three basic types of women: the goddess, the seductress, and the good wife. Each role adds a different element and is essential to the telling of the story. The role of the goddess is one of a supernatural being, but more importantly one in a position to ... in all three of these roles embody an essential part of the events of the story. The hero is helped by the goddess and the good woman, and must overcome their opposite, the sed...

• Word Count: 998
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... was to come home. First, Odysseus declares that there is nothing better than domesticity and that the best thing is a home that is harmonious and where the husband and wife are in agreement. Second, we can compare at the ratio of the books of the Odyssey that focus on the adventures of Odysseus to the books of the Odyssey that focus on his interactions with his family and see that ... , faithful Penelope. Second, we can compare the ratio of the books of the Odyssey that focus on the adventures of Odysseus to the books of the Odyssey that focus on his interactions with his family and see ...

• Word Count: 2055
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• Grade Level: High School

... short, Homer is sympathetic to Odysseus when he should be sympathetic to Penelope who is truly faithful to Odysseus throughout his twenty-year absence. There is a double standard written into The Odyssey, Homer seems to "applaud" or at least accept Odysseus and his manly needs while he views Penelope's chaste actions for twenty years as a true example of womanhood. Thus, ... a clear double standard between a male and female behavior in his epic poem, The Odyssey. The Odyssey: Faithfulness vs. Unfaithfulness In The Odyssey, Homer presents a double standard to the reader. While the author ...

• Word Count: 1101
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... short, Homer is sympathetic to Odysseus when he should be sympathetic to Penelope who is truly faithful to Odysseus throughout his twenty-year absence. There is a double standard written into The Odyssey, Homer seems to "applaud" or at least accept Odysseus and his manly needs while he views Penelope's chaste actions for twenty years as a true example of womanhood. Thus, ... a clear double standard between a male and female behavior in his epic poem, The Odyssey. The Odyssey: Faithfulness vs. Unfaithfulness In The Odyssey, Homer presents a double standard to the reader. While the author ...

• Word Count: 1101
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... have been a constant in Greek literature and art, assisting in the essence of Greek culture. The Odyssey mentions many gods and goddesses, all of whom are involved with Odysseus" journey. The Odyssey begins with a meeting of the gods and goddesses who are trying to decide upon the fate of Odysseus. From this we can infer the importance the divine play on mortal lives, namely he protagonist himself. Some, however ... , are more involved in the journey than others. The three most prominent goddesses are Circe, Calypso, and Athena. These ... , shields you in every exploit-# It is theoretica...

• Word Count: 1294
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of these classes are shown very distinctly in the Odyssey. At the top is Odysseus, who at the time the story starts is not at home, so this leaves his son Telemachus in charge. The suitors of Penelope in the story are the landowning farmers, who wish to marry Penelope and take over the holdings of Odysseus. Penelope represents the women in the story. She is very stubborn and wants nothing ... can count on. Marriage- The act or ceremony of marrying; matrimony; wedlock. This is the meaning given when one would look up the word in the dictionary. But once again, Homer goes way beyond a sim...

• Word Count: 1328
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... have little to no power. Most people don't realize that really, all of the female characters in The Odyssey have one point of power or more during the book. Some of the most apparent characters include Penelope, Athena, Arete, The Sirens, Calypso, and Circe. They all hold power in different ways. Characters like The Sirens, Circe, and Calypso assert their power by tempting people. There are instances ... were not shared between herself and Alcinous; they only belonged to her. It is now obvious the power that the female characters in, "The Odyssey," hold whether they are smaller instance...

• Word Count: 1519
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... characteristics to him, a heroic side, and a non-heroic side. He shows the reader that he can be very heroic at times. He also demonstrates his not so heroic side to us. Odysseus displays his heroic side several times in The Odyssey. For example, Odysseus was wise with help of Athena and tricked Polyphemus, "Cyclops ... , you ask my honorable name? Remember the gift you promised me, and I shall tell you. My name is Nohbdy, mother, father, ... Circe to save his men. He is valiant because he knows she can hurt him if she pleased. Odysseus has very many heroic traits in The Odyssey. In The ...

• Word Count: 423
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... , Homer makes known that even if a man is a hero he is still a mortal man who acts upon human judgement, so that all who read the epic become involved in the plot and the psychological and physical journey of each character. The first word of The Odyssey is andra, "the man", which tells us directly that this epic journey of time, travel, and heroics is based simply upon ... , Odysseus proves himself worthy of his homecoming through his heroic ethics. The first four books of The Odyssey, are known as The Telemachy. The reason for this being they are focused on Telemachus" transition from b...

• Word Count: 1884
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Aphrodite, appeared from her high chamber and came down to throw her arms around her son" (Homer p.432). This adds to the glorification of women in The Odyssey. The beautiful Nausicaa is also hailed as a goddess. "Daughter of great Alcinous, Nausicaa, may Zeus the lord of thunder, Hera's consort; grant me daybreak again in my own country! But there and all my days until I die ... 's arms; and Megare, high-hearted Creons's daughter, wife of Amphitrion's unwearying son"(Homer p.347-8). Most of the descriptions given to the many women that Odysseus sees in the land of the dead merely descri...

• Word Count: 747
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... piled baskets full of brown loaves near at hand, and houseboys brimmed the bowls with wine." (Odyssey 229) Her submissiveness to her husband is widely shown throughout the book. Penelope continues to remain devoted to him and only him. The Odyssey seems to be the product a society in which the dominant role was played by the men. The Odyssey has shown women in subservient roles. Many of these characteristics are ... still valued in the women of today, now whether or not the women of today adhere to them is ... a different story. I think many of the women of today's society want to be ....

• Word Count: 304
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... have been a constant in Greek literature and art, assisting in the essence of Greek culture. The Odyssey mentions many gods and goddesses, all of whom are involved with Odysseus" journey. The Odyssey begins with a meeting of the gods and goddesses who are trying to decide upon the fate of Odysseus. From this we can infer the importance the divine play on mortal lives, namely he protagonist himself. Some, however ... , are more involved in the journey than others. The three most prominent goddesses are Circe, Calypso, and Athena. These ... , shields you in every exploit-# It is theoretica...

• Word Count: 1304
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... order to earn what they strive for. In warfare as well as other "sticky situations", tactics often prove to be a salvation. In his epic the Odyssey, Homer studies the use of tactics through three specific characters: Odysseus, Athena, and Penelope. Athena, the mythological Greek goddess of warfare, was known for her strategic planning. Aware of this, Homer highlights this fact through her actions in ... tactics allowed Odysseus to not only get his wife back, but also to avenge his honor and purify his house from the corruption of the suitors. Odysseus truly lives up to his nickname in the...

• Word Count: 704
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... are a means to bring our attention to something important or to hone in upon the reader's senses. The poem reveals scores of similes. I will attempt to study several similes in The Odyssey and how Homer has used them. The poem opens with Zeus discussing how self-indulgence and foolishness is the downfall of mankind. Specifically, he is referring to how Aigisthos and Agamemnon's wife murdered ... armpits. (22.450-455) Here, Odysseus has just slain the suitors. This definitely captures the reader's attention. Not only does this scene portray the mighty power of a hero but also gruesome eno...

• Word Count: 1864
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... she knew they would not be able to string Odysseus' bow let alone shoot it through twelve axes. Within The Odyssey and The Dream Weaver, the suitors tried to loosen the bow making it easier to draw back. The Dream Weaver shows this on page 179: "Penelope: [apostrophizing the invisible suitors]. That's right, grease it! My husband's bow is a strong one. [To Euriclea.] They've warmed it ... methods of doing so. Odysseus/Ulysses tells his son, Telemakhos/Telemachus, to take various weapons and hide them around the house. Telemakhos/Telemachus put where they could not be easily reached by t...

• Word Count: 704
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... men, and their sole purpose in life was to please a man's every desire. This is not the case in three specific literary works. The Odyssey, The Wife of Bath, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight use the actions of its women characters to greatly enhance important thematic elements. The women in each of these works use feminine psyche to persuade men to do things that men ... create supernatural occurrences to help Odysseus to survive. But to include her as a woman is not feasible, because she is an immortal god. The true female heroine of The Odyssey is Penelope, the loving and devoted w...

• Word Count: 1675
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... and guests were to always have a level of respect for one another, but there were times this rule was broken which is seen the Odyssey. Reading through the Odyssey, there is a realization that Odysseus's purpose or fate is to wander, and he would always seem to be on a journey to find his way back home. After ten years of ... it upsets Poseidon which is a god and also father of the Cyclops. When bad Xenia occurs it seems as though the guest and host suffer some consequences because now the Cyclops has cursed Odysseus and the Cyclops is still left with a blind eye. Opposed to the Cyclop...

• Word Count: 1277
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... . One's culture or religion may have had an impact on their interpretations of these key elements in life. In spite of the varied definitions many elements are common in the universal experience. By reading The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, one learns Homer's beliefs of the ideal marriage, family and home. He was influenced by his religion, his time period and very likely by ... the way he was raised from childhood. Homer's definitions apply to the ancient Greek. Parts of these beliefs still apply today. Marriage is a sacred ... very good to follow. They both loved each other heart an...

• Word Count: 779
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... rule, that prevailed saying that women led Greek society, that was so dominant during the time that Homer wrote this epic poem is also a central focus throughout The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, there are four types of women: the good hostess, the goddess, the temptress, and the concubine. A prime example of a good hostess would be Penelope. She is not sure whether or not Odysseus is coming home. ... her, "you wait, you bitch- the hardened veteran flashed a killing look" (Book 18:380). Odysseus therefore, threatened to tell Telemachus how she talks to him. The good hostess, the goddess, th...

• Word Count: 1158
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... his wanderings, Odysseus had to prove his valor, intellect, and determination. Incorporated into The Odyssey are many current-day characteristics of man including a constant dependence on others, the presence of a greater vision, or lack there of, and the essence of a sensitive side behind courage and pride. At times throughout The Odyssey Odysseus didn't think about the consequences of his actions and depended on guidance from ... the gods to help lead him in the right direction. Odysseus was quick to take action and ... showing this side because he knew that she wouldn't laugh at him,...

• Word Count: 1639
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... distract him from his goals; and Penelope is a clever and cunning woman who represents Odysseus' entire journey and what he is fighting for. Female figures play an important role in The Odyssey and reflect a complex, broad view of womanhood on Homer's part. Athena always has Odysseus' back. When Zeus questions Odysseus, she asks, "Are you not moved by this, Lord of ... night by torchlight she unwove it; and so for three years she deceived the Achaeans," (Book 2, Lines 29-31). Even thought Penelope represents the strong effects that women had in The Odyssey, Homer also showed that all of...

• Word Count: 830
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... ) such cleverness at this point in the story. In book XIX of The Odyssey, Penelope, Euricleia, and Telemachus are clever or do things that are very smart. In book XIX of The Odyssey, the main characters are Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope, Euricleia, the suitors, and the maids. In book XIX of The Odyssey, Athena inspires Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope, and Euricleia to plot just revenge on the suitors for abusing hospitality and offendingf ... the gods. Telemachus cleverly devises a way for Odysseus to move the weapons out of the hall without being seen. " 'Nurse, come now, keep ... ...

• Word Count: 690
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... of those he has wronged. To acknowledge the importance of a major principle in ancient Greek culture, the purpose of this essay is to examine the role that hospitality plays in The Odyssey. Gestures of hospitality in The Odyssey were used as an instrument to tell the reader who were the protagonists and who were the antagonists. None of the antagonists in the story ever exhibited any form of hospitality towards Odysseus or ... Telemachus. One such example of this is the first encounter that the reader faces between Odysseus and a potential ... ...

• Word Count: 841
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate