Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, written roughly 3000 years ago, demonstrates what the common people’s mindsets were like during ancient Greek times. On the contrary, The Penelopiad, a loose adaptation of Homer’s story written in the 21st century, brings more modern viewpoints to its characters and central themes. By virtue of the vastly different time periods in which these two pieces were written, their portrayals of the main characters contrast greatly; notably with Homer’s legendary character Odysseus. Though Odysseus may share a few similar qualities in the two books, Homer portrays him as a heroic and admirable character while Atwood brings a more modern viewpoint to light. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’s most distinct traits are his cleverness …show more content…
His strength is greatly demonstrated with Penelope’s test for the suitors. Odysseus is the only man with enough muscle to string the bow, with his son Telemachus coming the closest. After he reveals his identity, Odysseus slaughters all the men in the room. This proves he is undoubtedly the strongest of everyone who desired Penelope. Another time Odysseus proves his strong physical abilities is when he’s on Calypso’s island. After being stuck there for a long ten years, he finally gets the chance to escape, builds himself a raft, and flees. The raft must have taken a considerable amount of strength for one person to construct, and he did it in a mere four days. While Homer portrays Odysseus as an intelligent, strong, and admirable character, Atwood gives a more realistic and modern perspective on his different attributes. Both works do depict him as clever, however in The Penelopiad, his intelligence further exposes his deceit and manipulative qualities. People speak of him describing him as a sly thief who cheats his way through everything. This trait of his is well explained in chapter six: “the younger men made jokes about him—‘Don’t gamble with Odysseus, the friend of Hermes,’ they said. ‘You’ll never win.’ This was like saying he was a cheat and a