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Character analysis of oedipus the king
Character of oedipus the king
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According to Joseph Cambell. “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” In the epic poem, The Odyssey, one of the main characters, Odysseus, can relate to this quote because he gives up 20 years of his life to get back home. Odysseus saves many of his men, but also gets a lot of his men killed for his foolishness. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus shows he is a hero because of his strength, intelligence, and leadership.
Even the most intelligent of people can be lead astray by temptation. Eurylochus' willpower is tested as he travels with Odysseus in Homer's epic, The Odyssey. When the crew encounters the beautiful enchantress Circe, Eurylochus is able to sense danger and resisted Circe's charm. On the other hand, when faced with starvation in the presence of Helios' cattle, he ignored Odysseus’ warnings and yielded to provocation. Overall, while Eurylochus is wise, he is mortal and susceptible to deception.
Greater Hero Essay Everyone wants to be a hero, but what does it take to be one?Discovering Odysseus outshine justice in this powerful take on heroism. Odysseus is praised for the intelligence he has, for his clever and strategic bravery and power when overcoming challenges and nemesis on his journey back home. Between the two stories, Odysseus is a greater hero than justice because, after the Trojan War, Odysseus makes his way home after 20 years. He goes above and beyond for those he cares for; and, although Odysseus is strong with a great mindset, everything he does is worth the consequences because they're all for those he loves. To begin with,Odysseus's journey back home after the war to be with his loved ones after being away for numerous years.
To be effective, is being skillful important? Leaders need to possess certain traits to be considered a good leader, and Louis XIV of France was a better leader than Odysseus from “The Odyssey”. Louis is determined and brave, but he is also untruthful. Odysseus is also untruthful, but he is also sneaky and brave. Louis was a brave soul to take over a country at such a young age of less than 5 but that didn't stop him.
Menelaus and Agamemnon are an example of men who taker power for granted. The two royal sons took advantage of the situation especially, since they detested Ajax for innumerable reasons. Apart from being someone who clearly took no one’s orders, Ajax was also in love with Menelaus wife. “Ajax did not join the expedition / because that woman was a wife of yours” (ll. 1333-34). With this in mind, they never could defeat him.
A hero is someone who is revered for his or her exceptional achievements and bravery. Anyone who puts themselves before others not for recognition or an award, but because it is the right thing to do, is a true hero. In "The Odyssey," written by Homer is an epic poem about a man named Odysseus and his crewmates competing against the power of the gods to return to their homeland, Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he loses almost all of his men, but Odysseus finally arrives home, concluding his prolonged twenty-year voyage. Odysseus must battle the suitors that have taken his wife Penelope, and may soon kill his son Telemachus.
After completing the 12 labours, the Greek Hero Hercules joined the quest organized Greek hero Jason for the search of the Golden Fleece. The Golden Fleece is made from a winged sheep (ram), which was held in Colchis. The fleece is famous because it has been used as a symbol of authority and kingship. The Greek hero Jason and his Argonauts including Hercules, set a quest on search for the fleece by order of King Pelias. As reward the King Pelias will place Jason on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly.
Heroes are, “People who take risks despite fear”(Source 2). In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus faces many challenges that make him a hero. He battles monsters, goddesses, and enchantresses. Odysseus is a hero in the way that he uses his brain to think about and approach dilemmas. When he and his men are on the Cyclops’ island, Odysseus tells the cyclops that his name was Nobody.
A very noticeable difference that is found between the film The Odyssey and the poem written by Homer is the chronological scene order in which key events happen. In the film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky it begins with the birth of Telemachus, Odysseus and his wife Queen Penelope’s son where as in the poem it begins with Homer asking the bright eyed goddess of wisdom, Athena for her to tell him the tale of Odysseus. That is not the only appearance in which the chronological order varies, in the introduction of the poem, book I describes a meeting between the gods of Olympus as they discuss the fate of Odysseus as he is being held captive at Ogygia by the sea nymph Calypso, Athena being the main person in favour of his return home to Ithaca.
The concept of hero has been interpreted in many ways throughout the ages. Hero have gone from knights slaying dragons and rescuing the princess, to heroes who save the world with their supernatural-like powers, to a modern day hero who is someone who has noble qualities and is regarded as a role model. In the epic, The Odyssey, by Robert Fagles, the heroic Odysseus is a well known in Greek mythology. However, although Odysseus is the most respected, honorable hero of Greek mythology he is not a modern hero. A modern day hero is someone who puts their life on the line to save the lives of other innocent people.
In Oedipus the King and Antigone paradoxes contribute to Aristotle’s idea of tragedy arousing pity and fear in order to accomplish catharsis by developing deeper characters, creating higher stakes in the plot and playing with the audiences emotions. When Oedipus finds that he missed the truth all along and finds the prophecy true, he pierces out his eyes developing a paradox describing his character with deeper meaning, “The pain of the spikes where I had sight, The flooding pain of memory, never to be gouged out. . . Are you faithful even yet, you alone? Are you still standing near me, will you stay here, patient, to care for the blind?”(Oedipus.
A hero is one who portrays noble characteristics, willing to face obstacles and has the ability to handle both physical and mental strengths. It is difficult to play the role of a hero. Heroes take on a difficult role in the myths “Theseus” and “The Adventures of Odysseus” by Edith Hamilton. Heroes must be determined, as they cannot give up in the middle of the journey. They need to be courageous, as they have to overcome hazardous obstacles through their expedition.
1.2 The essay below discusses the requirements to be deemed a hero in Greek culture and the role of heroism in Greek culture The first requirement was the outrageousness of what the heroes did and suffer. This meant that the hero had to go through some test and hardships before attaining success. Almost all the Greek heroes went through trials before achieving their goals. For example, according to R Buxton (p, 114,121) Herakles was Zeus’s son with a mortal woman .This made Hera to persecute Herakles throughout his life including making him to perform 12 labours.
Hercules and Theseus, two great heroes from mythology, seem to be similar in many ways. Both extremely brave and noble; with a love of danger and adventure mixed with compassion, creates the perfect heroes. Their stories intertwine with one another’s when Hercules has to save Theseus from the chair of forgetfulness in Hades. Theseus saved Hercules when he was distraught with intent to kill himself. In a similar way, they both stood by their friends no matter the cost.
As said by Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”. In relation to Greek mythological heroes, this quote explains that a Greek hero is superior when he repeats his heroic actions and portrays Greek values a multitude of times. Those common values include bravery, in the terms of endurance and fearlessness, and strength, in the way of a tough physique. Two well known heroes, Perseus and Hercules, both display some of those Greek values, but Hercules is the superior hero because he reflects those values more effectively.