Archetype And Mythology In The Odyssey By Homer

Archetype and Mythology Essay The literature of ancient civilizations can be windows into the past. A great deal can be inferred about a society through their choice of story as well as how they choose to portray their characters. One of these archaic cultures was Ancient Greece. Known all over the world for its fine philosophers and intriguing mythology, to truly understand what it was like to live almost 3000 years ago, you’d have to look deep into their folklore. One of the more famous works is The Odyssey by Homer, a well-regarded poet. What the society valued and believed was displayed greatly through this book by demonstrating what great hospitality is, what morals are becoming of a great leader along with how important it is to have

Odysseus is overpowering and his cleverness allows him to get out of tight situations. This is depicted in his run-in with Polyphemus, the cyclops son of Poseidon. His crew and he find themselves in the giant's cave and Odysseus devises a plan to get out. He tricks Polyphemus into thinking his name is Nobody and gets him drunk so he can jab him in the eye and escape. He then ruins his perfect get away by acting haughty and “shout[ing] out derisive words at Polyphemus”. This should have been enough. But Odysseus pride causes him to say his name and that if anyone was to ask how the cyclops lost his eyes, he should tell them of “Odysseus, sacker of cities, the son of Laertes, who lives in Ithaca.” As a result of this behavior, Polyphemus prays to Poseidon that the man should never return home, and Poseidon holds a grudge against Odysseus for blinding his son. He is withheld from returning home for twenty years and is considered punishment for his unreasonable taunts. But despite this, he is still a warrior worthy of praise for all his accomplishments and the last accomplishment in the book where he strings a bow that only he could manage to