ipl-logo

Pity For The Hero In Joseph Campbell's The Odyssey

455 Words2 Pages

The feeling of pity and sorrow towards the main character is something that needs to occur more in the Hero’s Adventure archetype according to author Joseph Campbell in “Episode 1: The Hero’s Adventure”, and it is shown in the book The Odyssey where Athena feels pity for Odysseus and tries to help him remember his child Telemachus which also enforces the Greek value of family. Joseph Campbell recommends that we should feel sympathy for the hero’s challenges rather than just appreciation for their achievements because the Hero’s journey can be difficult and rough path by saying, “We ought to feel pity for the hero instead of admiration, so many of them have sacrificed their own needs and very often what they accomplish is shattered by the inability …show more content…

Traditionally, the character goes through struggles to achieve his goal and usually, the characters and readers applaud the end result without feeling bad for the hero through their troubles. This idea is very important as many heroes need help from another character in order to achieve their end goal, and in many cases, this other character feels pity for the hero. Similarly, in The Odyssey, Athena advises Odysseus to reveal his true identity to his son Telemachus out of pity for Odysseus and all the adversity he's been through by saying, “Athena urged him on: 'Royal son of Laertes, Odysseus, old campaigner, now is the time, now tell your son the truth’” (Book 16). Athena realizes that Telemachus could help his father regain control of Ithaca and because of Odysseus revealing his true identity, they do work together to try and take revenge against the suitors. This also aligns with the Greek value of family because Athena wants Odysseus to reveal himself to his own son rather than being locked up in someone else's body and depressed after all the events he’s been through so that they could be together again like a

Show More
Related
1230 Words | 5 Pages

In this story, however, the main character cannot be justified as the hero; he can only aspire to be one. Throughout the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer vividly illustrates how often times, a person who has gained a certain title will struggle under the pressure of maintaining the continuous justification of the role. This is seen through Odysseus’ endeavor to maintain the responsibilities of a hero along his journey as well as managing the role that come with being a hero. Although Odysseus ventures to become the responsible, classic hero, he acts irrationally whenever he encounters an obstacle as seen through his confrontation with Scylla and Charybdis, proving his intentions of a hero but the lack of ability to execute his heroic actions to the fullest.

Read More
1302 Words | 6 Pages

Movies from the past and present, maybe even the future, all have the hero of the story follow a 12 step journey to reach their end result. This twelve step process is called the Hero’s Journey, invented by Joseph Campbell. It allows the hero to start at a status quo, go from an ordinary world to an imaginary world and then come out full form. The hero 's journey allows to compare characters paths and the lesson that they learned . In the book Odyssey, written in the 8th Century BC by Homer, Odysseus follows a similar journey to a more modern heroine, Moana in the movie Moana, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.

Read More
85 Words | 1 Pages

he hero’s journey was essential for Odysseus. Throughout the beginning of the story Odysseus had one major flaw, it was his arrogance. Odysseus’ pretentiousness consequently brought more misfortune to him and his crew. Odysseus went through all the parts of the hero’s journey, for example towards the end of the story Odysseus realized that he was not as powerful as he thought. Once odysseus realizes this he starts to worship the gods more.

Read More
268 Words | 2 Pages

One example of Odysseus' heroism is his defeat of the Cyclops Polyphemus. He is able to outsmart the giant, blinding him and escaping from his cave. This is a testament to his intelligence and resourcefulness, as well as his bravery in confronting such a powerful foe. Odysseus is a hero in "The Odyssey" because he embodies the qualities of a true hero. He is brave, intelligent, and resourceful, and he is able to overcome the many obstacles he faces on his journey home.

Read More
654 Words | 3 Pages

The Heroes Journey, identified by American scholar Joseph Campbell, is a pattern of narrative that describes the typical adventure of the main hero, whether that be a fiction or nonfiction hero. The first step is the call to adventure, where something shakes up the hero’s current situation and the hero starts experiencing change. Consequently, this theory is also applied to the fictional hero Odysseus in The Odyssey and the real-life hero Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist. In The Odyssey, Odysseus embarks on a 10-year voyage from Troy to Ithaca and encounters many monsters along the way including a gigantic Cyclops described as “…a brute so huge, he seemed no man at all…” (9 89-90).

Read More
106 Words | 1 Pages

Heroism is a concept from storytelling as far back as Homer’s The Odyssey. Hero characters often start with an unusual birth, such as Moses when he was left in a basket and became royalty. Heros are tested and change through traumatic events. With supernatural help, they must prove themselves in some way.

Read More
1072 Words | 5 Pages

In these cases as well as others, the villain is humbled by his defeat by the hero as is the case with Odysseus vs the gods. Although Odysseus is considered a hero by most, he is cruel, controlled by his temper, and more similar to a villain than a hero. Odysseus goes through not a hero’s journey, but a villain’s journey. He returns humbled to his home which has been broken while he was away.

Read More
688 Words | 3 Pages

The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.

Read More
1017 Words | 5 Pages

Heroes face god-like judgment though the obstacles they face, and they let it extend to the judgment of their identity and their characteristics. This is what all heroes have to traverse in their tales, it places their actions into effect, to show who they are in the face of adversity. This is done by many heroes from many tales, such an example could be Beowulf, in his journey as an old king famed at a young age, slayer of monsters, but one stands from him and all others: Odysseus, the brave king from Homer’s epic the Odyssey. This tale speaks of the journey of Odysseus returning home from the Trojan war, facing wrath of gods and other abominations in his realm. His actions throughout his trek home shows some of the traits that Odysseus possesses,

Read More
614 Words | 3 Pages

Melanie Janania Ms. Petrosino English 9 CPA 12 January 2023 Has an action ever been done with such determination the action was considered a heroic act? Has a character been brave enough to save people by successfully acting on a heroic act? Heroism can be demonstrated with both “Courage,” a poem produced by Anna Sexton, and “The Odyssey,” a tale told by Homer. “Courage” can be described as being inclusive and considering actions everyone embarked. “The Odyssey” is a tale of an epic hero who faces challenges when faced with eagerness to arrive home.

Read More
913 Words | 4 Pages

This is also seen consistently throughout The Odyssey, as Odysseus always listens to the Gods and tries to do what will benefit him and his men the most significantly. For instance, when Athena told him he had to reveal his true identity in Ithaca, he did everything in his power to prepare for his fate in a way that would give him the most control. Equally notable, when Odysseus was informed that he must listen to the siren song and resist being compelled, he instructed his men and

Read More
677 Words | 3 Pages

For example, Athena uses her power of disguise to help Telemachus on his journey to find his father. She continues to use this power to disguise Odysseus as a beggar to allow him to reunite with his family and prove his power and worth to Penelope among the suitors. Telemachus and Odysseus are ultimately victorious because of Athena’s power; in fact, Athena is the hero of this epic poem. With Athena’s guidance and help, both Telemachus and Odysseus ultimately prove

Read More
621 Words | 3 Pages

It is unknown if Homer was real or just a myth, but the work written under his name has left an everlasting mark on literature today. The “man” behind the work, was born between the 12th and 8th centuries BC possibly on the the coast of Asia Minor. Homer is most famous for his poems, “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” which later influenced the western idea of a hero. Little to no information is known about the author except that when and where he was born and how he looked like. Because of the description of Demodokos in “The Odyssey”, it is thought that he was a “blind poet” with curly hair and a thick beard.

Read More
794 Words | 4 Pages

Mythic Heroism Saving a group of men from a man-eating Cyclops is quite an impressive feat. A feat only a Greek hero could do, a hero like Odysseus. Odysseus is from The Odyssey, an epic poem created by Homer. Odysseus is a hero, someone who does good deeds, who goes on a 10 year journey to find his way home.

Read More

More about Pity For The Hero In Joseph Campbell's The Odyssey

Related Topics

Open Document