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Women in Classical Greek Drama essay
Gender theory in greek plays
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Recommended: Women in Classical Greek Drama essay
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!
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.
Odysseus displays multiple examples of an archetype in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. His archetype helps develops the theme that bravery is an essential trait in people, by providing examples of the great skills of a warrior and the superhuman courage to face his enemies and return home. The first example of great skills as a warrior is when Odysseus and his men must attack a mythical foe, the Cyclops, to escape from the cave. They are in grave danger because the Cyclops has already eaten a few of Odysseus’s crewmates. So, they “[use a] pike of olive…sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye, and [Odysseus] leaned on it turning it…” so they could blind the Cyclops to escape (Homer 380).
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.
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
Epic heroes in The Odyssey. Only one hero, hundreds of monsters and more to come , Odysseus leaves his wife and infant for 20 years, going through a journey with tons of excitement and fear. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus wins the Trojan war and doesn't make it back for 20 years. In Homer's epic poem
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.
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.
Archetypal Tragedies Archetypes are prevalent in all forms of literature, but sometimes fate isn't as transparent as people perceive it. Choices lead us to fate, and fate occurs through what we do. From choosing to sleep on a warm Sunday afternoon, to killing a bunch of children in a school, choices lead us to our so-called fate. Anakin from Star Wars had his destiny created through his own free-will while Oedipus from Oedipus Rex had his created through fate. This is important because this demonstrates how Oedipus’s destiny can be accounted to fate while Anakin’s destiny is accounted to free-will.
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.
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.