The Odyssey Many people deem Odysseus to be an archetype hero. But was he really? Sure, he won many wars, but did he show the characteristics that matter? No!
Odysseus fits the epic hero archetype because he is a great leader. In The Odysseus, Odysseus and his crew landed on the Lotus-Eaters island and met the people there, his crew was oblivious to the lotus’s effects that made his crew forget about returning home. When Odysseus realized this he yelled to his men, “All hands aboard;/ come, clear the beach and no one taste/ the Lotus, or you lose your hope of home” (Homer 103-105). One of the traits of an epic hero is being a great leader. In this quote, Odysseus shows his leadership by getting his men back on board the ships and leaving.
The OG Archetype Hero Ever since the story of The Odyssey was written, people have deemed that Odysseus was not an archetype hero. At first, you may not think he was. Odysseus was considered arrogant, irresponsible and unfaithful. Have not a lot of people been like that though? Odysseus has been heroic in many circumstances.
In Homer’s The Odyssey numerous characters demonstrate multiple archetypes throughout the narrative, including Odysseus who acts as both a hero and a trickster. Odysseus’s heroic qualities can be seen when he and his crew reach the island of the Cyclopes. Here he proclaims, “...I’ll make the crossing / in my own ship, with my own company, / and find out what the mainland natives are” (Odyssey 9.71-73). He acts on behalf of his crew to help them survive along their journey.
In utmost adventurous stories the author provides an explanation of the hero's journeys, fights, revenges, and returning to their hometown. The Odyssey, Odysseus goes on a long trip with his men and all of them have died except for himself. The main character was about to sail through the Sirens and he had to warn his men by saying, "Then we die with our eyes open if we are going to die or know what death we battle if we can"(Homer 581). Since the Sirens use their voices to lure men into their death, he had a tactic that helped them sail through easily: Odysseus took some beeswax and started to roll it up until it softens so no one listens to their songs, but himself.
Archetypes Ethan Sodikromo The Journey - The Odyssey (Homer) Background- Odysseus is a great Greek hero who was glorified in the Trojan War. However, on his return trip to his kingdom(of which he is king), he incurs the wrath of Poseidon, who leads his ship astray. He then spends 10 years trying to return home, fighting of many mythical beasts and incurring the wrath of a few more gods.
Is it possible to compare Odysseus to modern heroes today? A hero is someone who sets aside their life to help people in need of help, even if it is dangerous, and is a symbol of hope. Odyssey and Superman are both examples of hero archetypes because they sacrifice their lives to save people and defeat the enemies in their journey. Both Superman and Odysseus are heroes because they are brave and strong.
Since the inception of literature, heroes have been created to embody the most important traits of a culture. In The Odyssey, an epic poem composed by Homer in Ancient Greece, Odysseus is an epic hero, representing the classic values of Greek rulers and warriors through his long journey back from the Trojan War. Including his time in Troy, Odysseus was absent from his estate in Ithica for twenty years, during which his son Telemachus grows up in a home where arrogant suitors abuse his hospitality, consume all of his resources, and attempt to court Penelope, believing that she will lose hope that her husband Odysseus will ever come home. Odysseus' nostos, or return trip, has been prolonged by Poseidon, the Greek sea god who begrudges him for
An Odyssey in modern definition is a “long series of wanderings and adventures”; so unsurprisingly Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey is exactly that: a string of adventures that centers on Odysseus as he travels back to his home, Ithaca, after the Trojan War. Aside from the long journey, the much more can be inferred from just than the places and persons visited; The character of Odysseus can be explored to show what makes him a hero, what his qualities and flaws are, and how he is an archetype. In my opinion, Odysseus is an epic hero because he is only human. In being human his feats of outsmarting the Cyclops Polyphemus seems much grander.
1. The entire story is based on the fact that Fortunato has wronged Montresor many times, and Montresor dealt with them until Fortunato “ventured upon insult,” which caused Montresor to “vow revenge.” Though it seems the “insult” must be so terrible that Montresor is willing to murder him for it, the reader can not be entirely sure that the killing is justified since Montresor is not of sound mind. Because Montresor is the narrator, and unreliable at that, the reader is forced to learn about the events through a perspective tainted by emotions and bias. For example, the person telling the tale may embellish or downplay events in the story in order to look like the “good guy” without completely lying.
An archetype is an image, a descriptive detail, a plot pattern, or a type of character that occurs multiple times in myth, literature, religion, or folk lore. Archetypes often provoke emotion in the reader as they awaken an image, calling illogical responses into play. Many novels, legends, and myth are made up of archetypes which causes similarities in the plots of many novels. For example, the Helper God, the golden place, seasons and metamorphosis are archetypes that make up modern literature and they make up prominent themes found within the novels containing those archetypes. Like these archetypes, the magical weapon archetype, which has only one true owner able to use it to its fullest potential, also is a prominent theme within literature and film creating a large part in the theme.
The epic poem The Odyssey has ensnared the minds of many people with its riveting storyline, ancient beliefs, and fascinating characters. In The Odyssey the main character, Odysseus, has to face gods, monsters and other forms of the supernatural to complete his journey home to Ithaca from the war torn city of Troy. The Odyssey is full of all of the familiar tropes and characters that people witness in modern day literature, just under different titles with different trials for them to face. A supernatural guide is defined as a being with powers who helps the hero.
When Penelope is retrieving Odysseus’s bow, she opens the door by inserting the key “aiming straight and true” (Od. 21. 55). Odysseus then uses the bow, with the arrow “aiming straight and true” (Od. 21. 468). The repetition of the line show the connection between Penelope’s and Odysseus’s interactions with the bow. The true in “aiming straight and true” refers to the arrow staying true to the course the archer plans.
I believe that the critical lens that provides modern society with the most compelling view of literature is Feminist Criticism because it analyzes distrust and disloyalty among relationships, women being treated as possessions and shows the representation of powerful women. Modern society would analyze literature using a feminist perspective because most literature analyzes the relationship between genders and the powerful influence and meaning it has to the readers life. Othello is a great play to analyze with many different types of literature criticisms, but Feminist Criticism analyzes the plot and the main characters situation most. It is still so common to see many of the points presented in the book till this day, men believing that they are stronger than women and treating them as inferior. Even so women are trying to make their voice be heard and demonstrating everyday the vital impact they have in society.
A lot of the heroes in Greek Mythology were extraordinary people back in their day because of certain traits they possessed. But would they still be considered heroes today if they were still alive? I believe that the heroes of ancient Greek times held traits that, if in our society today, would be extremely frowned upon. But, few heroes have traits that would be positive in today’s world. The three heroes that are being evaluated are Theseus, Hercules, and Perseus.
