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Essay about the history of greek mythology
Essay about the history of greek mythology
Essay about the history of greek mythology
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In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer displays vulnerability and human mortality during Odysseus’ journey back home to Ithica. Figurative language is used to do so in the story, among other reasons such as using visualization and helping the audience understand the key points of the story. In The Odyssey, Homer used figurative language to show the audience that humans are vulnerable and completely mortal. In the scene of Polythemus and his cave, figurative language is used to help the audience understand that Odysseus and his men are mortal and vulnerable to the immense cyclopes.
Cortazar uses foreshadowing within Cyclades to create a tense atmosphere that contributes to the themes obsession and primal nature. Morand is reflecting on the relationship between Somoza and Teresa when he says “it was the first time in almost two years that Morand had heard him mention Teresa, as if until that moment she had been somehow dead to him.” (Cortazar 34) The use of the word “dead” foreshadows the eventual demise of Somoza and the implied sacrifice of Teresa. Morand automatically thinks of death when Somoza mentions Teresa, instead of any other way to describe Somoza’s acknowledgement of Teresa.
Through Patroclus, Homer presents to the readers how each individual in the Homeric world would perceive oneself being denied proper funeral rituals. He also presents the perceived importance of proper funeral rituals in the eyes of the Homeric society at large, as at the conclusion of the duel between the great Aiax and the Hector in Book VII, Nestor, whose “plans and tactics always seemed the best” (Iliad 7.373), makes the following suggestion to stop all battle on the next day to pay proper respect to their
Throughout Book 22, Achilles tries again and again to chase down and kill Hector, and is finally able to do so. Before he actually kills Hector, he tells him “I wish my stomach would let me cut off you flesh in strips and eat it raw for what you’ve done to me” (Iliad, Book 22, 384-86). Shortly after Achilles allows the Greeks to stand around and continually stab the corpse of Hector. However, not even this brutality satisfied Achilles. Eventually, he ended up completely disgracing Hector’s dead body in front of all of Troy, tying him up to a chariot and dragging him around, being “defiled in his own native land” (Iliad, Book 22, 449).
Homer uses this not only to foreshadow what is going to happen in the poem but also to show that the desires of the gods will be predominant and there is no doubt that they will have an active role in the war. The audience is told that the poem will focus on the anger of Achilles and his fury will lead to the gory, unrelenting, and painful death of countless men. Although the overall message of this opening tends to focus on human emotion and the impact of human emotion, through analysis of the final line one can see that the tragic outcome is all the doing of the almighty Zeus. Regardless of the common notion that an individual makes his or her own choices and ultimately they should take responsibility for their actions, in the Iliad, Homer
The only thing on Achilles mind is killing Hector. Achilles is so angry at Hector that he only thinks about killing him and getting revenge. Achilles anger takes over his body and nothing can stop him from getting to Hector, not even the gods. Achilles finally gets to Hector and desecrates his body. Achilles does not give Hector or a proper burial instead he parades Hectors body on the back of his chariot.
Achilles only fights for himself, while Hector fights for those he
Hector feels this same arrogance after murdering Patroklos, although he receives the assistance of two gods before he is able to complete this simple task. In the end Achilles anger and pride which drove most of the book forward caused Patroklos untimely
Achilles did not worry about the war until right at the very end before Hector 's death. He worried about the war until after Patroclus died and he only killed Hector as an obstacle. It is clear that Achilles was ravaged in anger in his best friends death when he says, “Hector, had you thought that you could kill Patroclus and be safe? Nothing to dread from me; I was not there. All childishness.
A Hero’s Quest for Immortality Gilgamesh, just like any other heroes, receives a vision from the gods pertaining to his fate, “The father of the gods has given you kingship, such is your destiny, everlasting life is not your destiny.” It makes no sense at first but as the story progress, we found out that Gilgamesh was never meant to live eternal life. The quest for immortality is a common theme in mythologies. Heroes undergo challenges against gods and supernatural creatures in order to get the desired item that would restore one’s youth.
You now no man dispatches me into thee under gloom against my fate; no mortal, either can escape his fate, coward of brave man, once he comes to be (J 205-210) In this speech Hector, is trying to comfort his wife Andromache, because of his upcoming fate of death. This is when he truly accepts the possibility of death. Furthermore, his acceptance of fate brings courage and strength to his heart, and gives a feeling to fullfill his duty as a Trojan prince and as a warrior. Achilles also accepts his fate:
Homer’s The Iliad has a constant theme of death all throughout the epic. Each main character was either severely wounded or killed in combat resulting in a gory end. For example, Sarpedon had a spear thrown through his heart and Hector was speared in the neck by Achilles, then dragged on the back of a chariot from Troy to the Achaean’s camp. Everyone has their own fate that they can't escape.
For example, “glorious Hector hastened forth from the gates, and with him went his brother Alexander; and in their hearts were both eager for war and battle”. Alexander and Hector have a devotion to fighting and will put in their all when doing so. Evidence of this lies in the quote from book seven: “and Hector with his sharp spear smote Eioneus on the neck beneath the well-wrought helmet of bronze, and loosed his limbs”. Homer seems to depict these warriors as war-hungry men. They kill as many of their enemies as they can.
In grief Achilles wants to fight Hector for what he did. Hector has two choices, either to fight Achilles or hide behind the walls of Troy. Hector exclainms doubtedly “What shall I do? If I retreat behind these walls, … And now that I have ruined them all by my rashness, I am ashamed to face the men and women of Troy, or some base fellows may say-Hector thought too much of his own strength, and ruined us all!”
Iliad is recognized as one of the most famous ancient monuments of literature. The full understanding of this epic poem is hardly possible without thorough analysis of its main characters. Among all the episodes of the Trojan War, Homer chooses the moment of Achilles’ wrath and thus creates a poem in which he becomes the central figure. From the Ancient Greeks’ point of view, Achilles represents the ideal of manliness and pure heroism, for he is brave and fights for heroics, not profits. Today, one can agree with this interpretation, yet Achilles is probably the most controversial character because he combines various personality traits and acts in accordance with his ambiguous nature.
