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Representation Of Death In The Odyssey

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I wrote this piece as one of the books in the Telemachyssey. This book takes place in the middle of the Telemachyssey. Telemachus is searching for his father in the Underworld to find out where Odysseus died so he can give him a proper burial and allow him to cross the river to the rest of the Underworld. Telemachus finds Circe and journeys into the Underworld. I portrayed the voyage into the Underworld as being like in a dream. Things seem strange and the basic laws of nature no longer apply. I did this to demonstrate that being dead is not a continuation of your life, but is the loss of consistency that everyday life has. Death is portrayed as being somewhat invigorating because time and space have lost their meaning. Life is enjoyable because one has free will and is able to make and learn from their mistakes while death is static and bloring. I portrayed death in this fashion because I wanted to …show more content…

Telemachus meets two of the suitors that he killed when reclaiming dominion over his kingdom. The two people he meet tell opposing stories about Odysseus and Telemachus‘s honorability. The stories he hears demonstrate that the themes that Odysseus, Telemachus, and Athena lived by and expected others to exemplify (loyalty, fraternity, hospitality) were hypocritical. These three only supported these ideals when they were in their favor. This shows that justice is not always fair and the gods are unjust as well. Furthermore, this shows that one should not look forward toward the afterlife even after living an honorable life because they might not end up in heaven. This dialogue was meant to demonstrate that honor is subjective. An honorable person does not mean that the person is morally better than another but they won and therefore get to tell the story. This dialogue is designed to put Odysseus and Telemachus in a new perspective and show that they are not necessarily the protagonist in this

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