Odysseus

Feeling the urge to commit a harmful action against someone after being intruded is considered the universal emotion of “vengeance,” which has always been one prominent theme in the literature world, especially among plays. Two classics, Homer’s Odyssey and Euripides’s Medea , both explore this theme in different perspectives of a male protagonist and a female one through an epic poem and dramatic tragedy.

Although the usage of vengeance in both literatures bear similarities, the comparison of the two texts provokes audiences to reflect upon traditional Greek values and expresses their different attitudes towards the protagonists’ revenge. In both plays, an urge of vengeance drives the plot.

In The Odyssey , our protagonist, Odysseus is set against two antagonists: his divine antagonist Poseidon in the first half of the story, who constantly hinders Odysseus’s way back home (because Odysseus once probed his son Polyphemus’ eyes blind), and his mortal antagonist(s), the annoying suitors who behave obnoxiously at his home and disrespecting his wife. An example of Poseidon hampering Odysseus’s way back home would be how Poseidon stirs up a storm to stop Odysseus from reaching Scheria, causing Odysseus’s ship to sink into the sea, and punishing the Phaeacians for helping him.

As for his mortal antagonists, Odysseus eventually conducts mass slaughter as revenge for their fourteen years of harassment upon Penelope. Since Odysseus is our traditional Greek hero, he has to take the last crucial step of taking vengeance against the suitors, to complete his glorified homecoming as a traditional male hero. Although he wasn’t aware of the suitors during his safari back home, the main driving force that urges him on the way is his affection for Penelope (as stressed in many details of

The book, such as Agamemnon’s story and song of Demodocus that sings about Ares and Aphrodite), emphasizing the Greek value of loyalty. In Medea , the whole play is centered around Medea’s strong intentions to take revenge upon her “cheating” husband Jason, by taking extreme actions of murdering Jason’s new wife and her own children. The similar theme of overpowering divinity is expressed in Medea.

Except, in this case, Medea is the person who possesses godly strength. But different from Poseidon, who is a Greek symbolization of civilization, the energy Medea holds is rather raw and barbaric due to her identity as a non-Greek. She acquires it from her divine ancestor, Helius, one of the oldest gods, and Goddess Hecate who possesses primal feminine power. The whole play is based on the preparation, conduct, and consequence of Medea’s revenge as it drives the plot forward.

In addition, Homer uses Poseidon’s revenge upon Odysseus to showcase Homer’s worldview of their polytheistic religion. Homer is showing how even a great hero like Odysseus is unable to control anything in front of divine power from the gods, and only a god (usually Athene) can save him from it, reflecting a rather helpless, pessimistic world view. It also shows how gods constantly place their personal interests in front of justice, such as how Zeus decides to punish Odysseus just because Poseidon asks him to. Quite differently, Medea is able to take control of her own fate with much more initiative.

Odysseus and Medea’s measure to conduct revenge show off their intelligence in their elaborately constructed plans. For example, Odysseus’s witty plan for his crew against the giant Polyphemus, who ate some of his men. By calling himself “nobody,” hitting Polyphemus’s eye with a staff, and escaping by clinging to the bellies of sheep, the crew successfully escape. When Odysseus goes back to Ithaka, he transforms into a beggar in order to test the loyalty of his people. Later he makes the delicate revenge plan with Telemachus which involved removing the armory of the suitors. On the other hand, Medea weaves the elaborate plan of revenge all on her own: she begs Creon to stay in Corinth for one more day for the wedding, in fact, to use the time to prepare the

Wang ! 3poison of the wedding and eventually conducting her murder. She is disguised metaphorically in an obeying wife character when she approaches Jason and Creon with her vulnerable, feminine side to persuade them of letting her stay for one more day, one more step closer to her revenge plan. Both Odysseus and Medea take some form of disguise, both visually and metaphorically, and use their wits to ensure success.

However, how these tactful acts of revenge are weaved into the two books greatly differ. The story of Odysseus is not entirely centered around revenge—it’s a historical account to record Odysseus’ heroic homecoming despite the obstacles he faced on the way. Odysseus also experiences amazing adventures in which he shows off his wittiness, learns on his way, and eventually grows to a less arrogant and more experienced person who fights for his country and family at the end of his journey. Medea, on the other hand, is a play entirely centered around her revenge, depicted to be going solely towards one goal—her revenge on Jason.

Though Medea is often considered a great heroine, this may be hinting at her boundedness and limit as a woman. Moreover, Odysseus had many external sources to assist him: the always-helping god Athene, hospitable hosts such as Alcinous, and Odysseus’s loyal family. Medea is all alone in this case: she abandoned her family to come to Corinth with Jason, who now cheats on her; she doesn’t have anyone there to lift her spirits, give her weapons, or accompany her in the plan. Unlike Odysseus, She doesn’t have anyone to lean on but herself. Thus, Euripides is possibly showing that although Medea is limited, she’s able to revenge with great courage.

However, comparing these two works of literature, readers would question: why both Odysseus and Medea did significantly gruesome and savage acts of revenge, but Odysseus is justified while Medea is constantly debated? In the Odyssey, Homer even describes the bloody slaughter in the hall in great details: Antinous was “shot square in the throat” causing his blood “spurting from his nostrils;” Melanthius’s nose and ears were cut off with a knife and his genitals were torn out for the dogs to eat; the Nurses in the palace who Odysseus considers to be the

“Suitors’ hoes” were commanded to be “hoisting it up so high no toes could touch the ground” so “all might die a pitiful, ghastly death.” (Homer 454) Throughout the palace “Grisly screams broke from skulls cracked open—the whole floor awash with blood,” (Homer 448) with “The suitors lay in heaps, corpse covering corpse.” (Homer 451) Undoubtedly, Medea’s actions are just as, if not more, gruesome.

After killing her babies, she even doubts herself, “Why damage them in trying to hurt their father?” (Euripides 173) Through the depictions of both characters’ vengeance, we could examine the writers’ different attitudes towards the ethic. It’s clear to see Homer is supportive of Odysseus’s act on the suitors, but not up to total brutality. The ending of the Odyssey in chapter 24 is possibly in stark contrast with previous chapters, including a sudden stop of the massacre and revenge of Odysseus. Eupithes, the dead suitor Antinous’s father, wanted to seek retaliation in Odysseus for his son.

However, after consultation with Zeus, Athene made the judgment to put an end to this violence by ordering Odysseus to stop the battle, and lead Ithaka back to peace. Ithacans would forget about the massacre and recognize Odysseus as the king. This is out of expectation in that first, it ties the brutal massacre in chapter 22 to a sudden peaceful ending of Odysseus’s revenge, while revenge is highly valued in ancient Greek culture, just as hospitality and honor, and Homer’s Odyssey have always been a historical document of ancient Greek values.

Second, it’s said by divine instructions (Zeus), to promote the message that peace can only come about by mutual contract and agreement, vaguely hinting that Homer is possibly critical of the brutal revenge that Odysseus’s promoting, but up for a gentler version such as that of Eupithes, Antinous’s father. As for Medea, Euripides seems more ambivalent.

Just as readers are anticipating retribution or consequences of Medea’s cruel acts, Euripides surprises readers with an ending of ex machina, the dragon chariot which lifts her runaway, discharging her responsibility for her brutal revenge. Instead of making Medea pay for her “crime,” she escapes the scene in a dragon chariot which clearly speaks to divine power. Just as how Jason questions Medea’s validity of the murder in

Previous conversations, everything about Medea is debatable, and in contrast to the traditional Greek virtue of revenge that’s always considered righteous: herself, her revenge, her ultimate disappearance. Euripides casts out rhetorical questions towards audiences, both ancient and modern: is it right or wrong, rationally speaking, to conduct such brutal revenge that involving killing one’s own children in this case, after all? Euripides is possibly defending his heroine protagonist because he feels sympathy towards Medea(women)’s oppression in that generation by warning to male Athenians to be aware of their conduct.

At the very same time, it’s a wake-up call to all ancient Greeks about the dangers and horrors of having revenge to take total control of one’s life. Medea is represented not as a traditional female character. On the contrary, she possesses masculine characters and resists against the feminine role to apathetically let everything happen. She positions herself in the role of a male hero by conducting revenge—hurting her enemies badly and being remembered, just as what Odysseus anticipates when listening to Demodocus’s songs; she bravely rejects the traditional “duty” of women to bear children (“I had rather stand my ground three times among / the shields / than face a childbirth once.” (31))

It’s hard to determine whether Euripides is misogynous or feminist, because he really is just presenting the issue of a female being able to fight against patriarchal social norms while Medea complains about society’s double standards against women and men. Is Medea a heroine? Or does her brutal revenge make her unsympathetic? Euripides leaves that for the audiences to decide, for his purpose is to illustrate and represent a living example of a misandry female in a misogynistic world.

From the very start of the play, Medea says “Of all creatures that can feel and think, /we women are the worst treated things alive.” (Euripides 31) bringing Ancient Greek males into a world they’ve never been in, and experience a “reverse” world where females take the lead—this is the purpose of Medea and the purpose of tragedies. Using protagonists’ revenge as one crucial feature of The Odyssey and Medea, the writers are reflecting different values: Homer is advocating for a modified way of revenge, while Euripides

Argues for women’s status with Medea’s vengeance. In either play, modern readers are granted the chance to delve into a whole different inspiring world and learn about how ancient Greeks struggle to explore human ethics and rules of the world better; just as Medea said, “Mortal fate is hard. You’d best get used to it.”

Works Cited

Euripides. Medea . Translated by Rex Warner, Dover Thrift Editions, 1993. Homer. The Odyssey . Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Books, 1996.

Some say Odysseus was a legend, but was he a hero? I believe he is a hero because, he is brave and intelligent, and he is a natural leader of men. He also gets help from gods such as Athena and Aeolus. Some also would say he wasn’t a hero because he had an “affair” with Calypso and delayed his journey by staying on her island.

One thing is that he is very brave and intelligent. He showed it when he had to figure a way to get out of the Cyclops’s lair, “My heart beat high now at the chance of action, and drawing the sharp sword from my hip I went to along his flank to stab him where the midriff holds the liver. I had touched the spot when sudden fear stayed me: if I killed him we perished as well, for we could never move his ponderous doorway slab aside” (Homer, 143-149). This shows that Odysseus was smart enough to know that they couldn’t have gotten out alive if they killed him.

Another instance was when they injured the Cyclops and blinded him and escaped under his sheep. “The Cyclops’s rams were handsome, fat, with heavy fleeces, a dark violet. I tied them silently together, twining cords of willow from the ogre’s bed; then slung a man under each middle one to ride there safely, shielded left and right” (Homer 285-288). Odysseus saw this as a way to escape, since the Cyclops was blind and blocked the entrance; he used his hands to search for people trying to escape. But when they hid under the sheep the Cyclops only felt the ram’s wool against his hand. In all this clearly states how Odysseus was very intelligent.

Another trait of an EPIC hero is that, the hero is a natural leader of men. Odysseus guides his men or leads them through many trials. Without Odysseus there to lead them, there would be no way his men would survive on their own. For example on the Lotus Eaters part, Odysseus handled the situation, “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches and called to the rest: ‘All hands aboard; come, clear the beach and no one taste the Lotus, or you will lose your hope of home”” (Homer 50-54). If Odysseus hadn’t warned them, they may never reach their homeland but instead stay on the land of the Lotus Eaters forever.

Another example of him taking charge and leading his men was when he was trying to encourage his men to not be scared of Scylla and Charybdis, “Well I walked up and down from bow to stern, trying to put heart into them, standing over every oarsman, saying gently, ‘Friends have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, then the Cyclops penned us in his cave? What power he had” (Homer 153-156). Odysseus knew that if one oarsman was afraid or stopped rowing, then others may join in and stop as well. He boosted their spirits by stating that the danger they faced was nothing compared to the Cyclops. Odysseus knew what to say to keep his men on task of rowing.

Another characteristic of an EPIC hero is that they get help from a supernatural being or in this case, gods. The first sign of this was when Aeolus agreed to help them by capturing the wild winds and only allowing the west winds to stay which were the winds heading towards Ithaca, “Finally, Aeolus sends Odysseus off, with the west wind blowing the ships toward Ithaca and a great bag holding all the unfavorable, stormy winds” (Fitzgerald 176).

Aeolus agrees to help him to get back at Poseidon who controlled the seas but now the wind. Some say that Odysseus wasn’t a hero because he stayed on Calypso’s island for more than 7 years, “During seven of Odysseus’ ten years on the Mediterranean Sea, he is held captive by the sorceress Calypso” (Fitzgerald 156). This is only because he would have no other way of escaping unless he slept with her, so it was all to get back to his homeland, Ithaca. “Odysseus finally persuades Calypso to let him go, and she helps him build a raft to leave her island” (Homer 176). Even though there are some accusations stating that he isn’t, there are many more supporting that, yes, indeed .

In conclusion, if to answer the question, “Is Odysseus an EPIC hero?” I say yes because, he is very intelligent, he gets gods to aid him on his journey, and last, he’s a natural leader of men. Odysseus proves himself an EPIC hero through many trials and tasks that the gods throw at him. Now for the final question, do you believe Odysseus is an Epic hero?

We arrived two days ago on this island from Telepyus, Land of the Laestrygonians with heavy hearts, grieving for the loss of our dear comrades. In our sorrow we lay on the shore for two days and two nights, wailing and crying at the pain and anguish we felt for our lost companions. But now I feel that I have to move for the sake of my remaining crew, otherwise I believe we will stay here forever, wallowing in our grief. I am going to leave the men here while set off alone to explore, it would be pointless trying to make the men move now.

Half of the crew and myself are now sat on the beach, awaiting the return of the other half of the crew. After my last entry I set off and came to a rocky height and as I became close to the top of it I could see a cloud of reddish smoke rising, as I got closer and closer to the top I saw that it was coming from the chimney of a house in the distance. I was unsure of how I felt at the sight, I was left in two minds, whether to press on forwards and investigate or not.

After some deep thought I made the decision n to go back to the shore and try to find some food on the way, the welfare of my men must come first, I would then split the men in to two halves and leave half on the shore and the I would send the other half to explore the island I think that it is best to only let half go incase of any danger, that way if any crew are lost it will only be half or less. I cannot risk loosing any more crew after what happened with Antiphates and the Cyclops.

On my way back the Gods must have been in my favour because I came across I stag, which I managed to kill and although it was a brute of a thing I could just manage to put it over my shoulder and drag it back to the shore where I greeted my men warmly and we ate the meal. The meal did seem to boost their morale, which is what I had hoped; I hoped that it might encourage them that we were going to be fine. After we ate we slept and this morning half of the men set off to explore led by Eurylochus.

Eurylochus returned alone, claiming that the rest of the men were turned into pigs by a witch named Circe. He told me that when he and his men had reached the Palace of Circe they had heard a beautiful voice singing while working on a loom, one man had said that whoever was inside must have been either a Goddess or woman, she called out to them and invited them inside. But Eurylochus, being a very suspicious man, suspected a trap and did not go in, so Polites led the men and in their innocence they followed him inside.

Then he told me that the men had been fed and given drinks of yellow honey with Pramnian wine which she tipped with a noxious drug. The men were then herded into a pigsty and fed acorns and forest nuts, they grunted like pigs but their minds were as human as before, but with no memory of their native land because of the drug. After hearing this news I threw my sword in its silver scabbard over my shoulder and grabbed my bow and told Eurylochus to take me back with him by the same way he had come.

But he threw his arms around my knees and begged me to let him stay where he was, so I let him stay because if I had pursued my order, it may have caused a mutiny because he would have disobeyed my order making me look like a bad leader, or and the rest of the crew may have been swayed to the point of view that I had bad judgement , after all my judgement wasn’t always perfect, I hadn’t been very cautious where the Cyclopes and Laestrygonians had been concerned and perhaps it may have been better if I had have been. So I let him stay and kept up a better image rather than risk looking unkind and uncompassionate.

But although Eurylochus will no be coming with me I still have to go on because I cannot loose any more men, so I am going on alone to retrieve my comrades, I’ll set off now. I have just returned back to the beach after my encounter with Circe. Soon after leaving the shore I was surprised to meet up with Hermes, who told me that I should eat a special herb called Moly which would stop Circe’s powers affecting me. He then instructed me to go on to the palace and accept Circe’s offerings, but when she strikes me with her stick I should rush at her with intent to kill her and she will beg for me to go to her bed.

He said that if I slept with her she might rob me of my courage and manhood so I should get her to swear an oath before hand so that she wouldn’t, and that after I had been in bed with her she would let my men go. I ate the herb and then went on to the palace and when I got outside I called to her and she let me in and fed me and then she offered me a goblet of yellow looking honeyed wine, but I knew that it was drugged, and just like Hermes had told me I drank it and it had no effect thanks to the Moly.

Next she hit me with her stick and shouted “Off to the pigsty and lie down with your friends”, so I snatched up my sword and rushed at her as if I meant to kill her, she slipped beneath my blade, grabbed my knees and burst into tears. She then asked me who I was and where I came from but before I could answer she said that I must be Odysseus because Hermes had once told her that a man named Odysseus would come to her palace and suffer no effects from her drug. She then asked me to join her in her bed and get to trust each other.

I could not deny a Goddess, and it was for the sake of my crew, Hermes had told me to accept this offer and although I could not help but think about my wife in Ithaca I knew that to get back home to her I would have to sleep with Circe, so I followed her to her bed, but not before getting her to swear a solemn oath that while they were in bed she should not rob me of my courage and manhood. After I had slept with Circe she told me to return to the shore and collect my men and bring them back to the palace so she could offer them food, drink and fresh clothes, and she let the men out of the sty and turned them back.

I got to the shore and told my men the good news, that their friends were now human again and that we all had a feast waiting for us at Circe’s palace. But Eurylochus did not take this as good news; he told the men not to trust me and said that I had almost cost them their lives before and that it was my fault we had lost so many men before as it was me who always led the men into danger, like when I made the men go into the Cyclops cave and stay there, and when I lost the men on the Land of the Laestrygonians.

I was so enraged by his defiant outburst I considered drawing my sword and lopping his head off there and then but my men held me back and calmed me down. They said that they would come with me and Eurylochus could stay with the ship if he didn’t want to come, however he came anyway, if only through fear but we all knew that he was terrified of Circe’s Palace too. So now we are all going ahead to Circe’s Palace, although my blood is still boiling over what Eurylochus said.

I have just had the most difficult day of my journey so far, for after I collected my men and took them to the Palace of Circe, after some persuasion we when to the Palace where the two partied of men met and cried in joy at the sight of each other and we stayed there and ate and drank and bathed and rested for a whole year. It was so relieving to be able to rest and relax that I didn’t realise that we’d stayed that long, until the men came to me today and reminded me that we should be on our way because they wanted to get home.

I felt like a bad leader for getting so engrossed with this lifestyle that I forgot about their feelings and the time. We feasted for the rest of the day and then as night fell I went to Circe and clasped her knees in supplication and I told her what I felt and how the men felt and asked her to keep the promise she had once made me about sending me home.

That is when she told me this dreadful news; to get home I must first go down to the underworld, into the Halls of Hades and consult the soul of Teiresias, who was the only person who could tell me the way home. These terrible words struck me hard and my heart sank, I felt like I had no more reasons for living. But If I ever wanted to return home I had to do this, it was heart breaking but it had to be done. What would be worse was that I would have to tell the crew.

I found out from Circe that I would have to set up my mast and wait for the north wind to blow my ship on its way, she said I would come to a wild coast and Persephone’s Grove, I should go to the specific place she stated then dig a trench as long and wide as a mans forearm, I should go round the trench and pour offerings to the dead and after that I should sprinkle white barley and begin my prayers and make Teiresias a separate offering of a the finest jet black sheep of my flock. Then there would be more sacrifices of a ewe and ram and pray some more until I would be able to talk to Teiresias who could give me a route home.

As if this news hadn’t been hard enough I now had to tell my comrades the same thing and get them to agree. Then one of the younger men who had gotten drunk last night herd me calling the men to wake up and he leapt up and fell off the roof and broke his neck and went straight to Hades. Then I broke the news to the men, it was so had to tell them but I had to do it or we will never be able to return to our beloved homes. When I told them they were broken hearted and deeply upset and Circe put the animals for the sacrifice on the ship for me. The men have agreed to go on the next step of our journey home; I just hope that we will prevail.

You can say that Penelope Is the perfect representation of patience, loyalty and fidelity because thou knowing the true whereabouts of her husband she blindly trusts his return, and along the work we can see how rejected suitors presented In Its door. Here we can also see one of Its mall features, the cunning. And not only that, pride In her home and family, and features such as hospitality make her one of the most complete characters with Odysseus.

Penelope knows how to act in such a way that inadvertently marry any of the suitors, an idea how to deceive them, keep them in your door, and take advantage in some way all these gifts and favors that made him. The loom of the lord Alerts, is one of the representations of Penelope intelligence. She tells her suitors that when you finish this loom knitting, she will choose who he wants to marry. Carefully every night she undid everything she wove in the morning. With this trick was tricking her suitors three years. She said to us: My lords, my Suitors, though Odysseus is dead and you are eager for me to marry, have patience till I complete this work, I do not want it wasted, this shroud for noble Alerts, ready for when pitiless death’s cruel end overtakes him: since I fear some Achaean woman f this land would blame me, if he who won great wealth lay there without a shroud” (8. 11) We can see Penelope as a strong woman, she is the queen of Ithaca and knows the responsibility that entails, if she married another man, this would become the king of Ithaca.

She is able to take her house and her family by herself, demonstrating great courage and strength. I could say it’s in their own way, the other heroine of the Odyssey. In the work by comparing the story of Penelope and Odysseus with the story of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon see the obvious differences between the characters. Penelope and Clytemnestra were In the same situation, but react in completely opposite ways. While Clytemnestra betrays Agamemnon having being unfaithful and finally killing him, Penelope Is faithful to her husband, waiting for him not knowing If he will return.

This highlights even more the characteristics of Penelope, making It look Like a strong and sensible woman. “… Most plateful was the voice I heard of Prism’s daughter Cassandra, killed by treacherous Clytemnestra over me; but I lifted my hands and with them beat on the ground as I died upon the sword, but the sluttish woman turned away from me and was so hard hat her hands would not press shut my eyes and mouth though I was going to Hades’.

So there is nothing more deadly or more vile than a woman who stores her mind with acts that are of such sort, as this one did when she thought of this act of dishonor, and plotted the murder of her lawful husband. See, I had been thinking home, but she with thoughts surpassingly grisly splashed the shame on herself and the rest of her sex, on women still to come, even on the one whose acts are virtuous. ” (1 1. 21-434) The contradiction that we can find in the behavior of Penelope s precisely how she keeps her suitors waiting for her, but this is part of one of its main characteristics, which is the intelligence to handle the situation alone. While continuing to be faithful and loyal to Odysseus, get to take advantage of the suitors. If we focus on the position of women in society of ancient Greece, Penelope is represented as an ideal woman, example of charity, generosity, cunning and intelligence. Penelope takes an unprecedented role for this time, even though this behavior so we could get to find normal in our society.

Homer represents Penelope as a heroine of Greek society. Makes her everything a Greek woman should do, keep fidelity and loyalty to her husband, but this is 20 years without returning home. She’s at home, as a woman, but also we can see a man talking and arguing with them, something for which a Greek woman is not ready. This raises the idea that Penelope is partly oppressed by Greek customs but this is contradicted by his acting and bringing the situation, because she believes in the love she feels for Odysseus and that he will eventually return.

A woman in Greek society should not be allowed to play such positions, Odysseus could have given power to someone who was not Penelope, but it is she who is in charge of the kingdom. With that Homer shows us his vision of the ideal woman Greek. Another sign of cunning and intelligence of Penelope is when she thinks about testing the arc. As Chris Emily-Jones says in The Reunion of Penelope and Odysseus led by the intuition that the beggar was really Odysseus invents arc test, knowing that the only one who could use it was him. Penelope had the intuition that the beggar was Odysseus by his dreams and the attraction they felt for him.

The only thing that can make us doubt this situation is, why she gives up and wants to get married at that time? Why happened when Odysseus is there? Alex Cist in his article Penelope Role in the odyssey shows us a comparison with Calypso, Retreat makes Circe and through this comparison Penelope is represented as a woman and ideal lover: ;However, in the Odyssey, most women fall into one of two categories in regards to their personalities and relationships with men: they were either loyal wives (Retreat) or alluring seductresses (Calypso, Circe).

What makes Penelope special is that she possesses characteristics of both an ideal wife and an ideal lover”. According Cist, the idea of perfect love is took from the sentiment between Odysseus and Penelope, the union that exists between both makes this love a perfect love and the perfect union ; The unity of Their personalities, according to Odysseus, means they have a perfect love, their minds and hearts are unified”.

And one more time, as I have said before, Alex Cist shows us strong the idea of Penelope ability to handle her situation with the suitors: ;Penelope entrapment of her suitors despite constantly rejecting and spurning them shows that she has what it takes to steal a man’s heart. And important distinction, though, between the queen and other seductresses is that Penelope does not do this consciously. ” We can compare Penelope with Mary Bloom, its equivalent in the Ulysses written by James Joyce.

Molly would be the opposite figure of Penelope; her life is marked by a precocity in the final monologue of this work. On the other hand you can not criticize this attitude, because it conveys a message of naturalness and Molly’s character tries to get on with life despite having in his mind to her husband Finally, we can say that Penelope was a great woman, and an example of ideal woman n Greek society, that’s how Homer wanted to show it to us.

Odysseus and Supernatural Beings Throughout Homer’s Odyssey, there are many supernatural beings that interact with Odysseus. These beings play an important role as either advisors, temptations or foes to Odysseus. Throughout his journey he is confronted with conflicts where he is either helped or hindered by these supernatural beings. Below are some examples of the beings that either helped or hindered Odysseus during his journey. The goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, is the most powerful intelligent and influential woman in Odysseus’s life. She is always at his side.

She speaks on behalf of Odysseus, telling Zeus, her father, that her heart breaks for forlorn Odysseus. Odysseus longs to see the curls of smoke rising from his home fires in Ithaca, she says, but Calypso will not loosen her hold on him. She reminds Zeus that Odysseus dedicated many burnt offerings to him at Troy. Swayed by her words, Zeus sends the messenger god, Hermes, to Calypso’s island with a command to release Odysseus. Athena aids Odysseus in many ways throughout his entire journey, like when she changes the course of events that take place when he first meets the princess Nausicaa of Phaeacia.

Athena changes the course of the ball that the girls are throwing so that it falls on Odysseus and wakes him up, leading him to meet Nausicaa. Many times Athena convinces Zeus and the other Gods that Odysseus is worth saving. Perhaps the most formidable foe of Odysseus is the sea god Poseidon, who continually attempts to thwart the efforts of Odysseus to make a safe journey home. On one of Odysseus adventures he angers the great sea god, Poseidon, by blinding his son, Polyphemus, king of a race of one-eyed giants who inhabit the island of Sicily.

In retaliation, Poseidon relentlessly torments Odysseus after he leaves Sicily, imperiling his voyage at every turn. He is aware that he cannot kill nor stop Odysseus but continues his efforts to make Odysseus journey throughout the story full of peril. An example of Poseidon’s wrath is seen as soon as he arrives back from Ethiopia and spots Odysseus making passage towards Phaeacia, he says, “Just look at him there, nearing Phaeacia’s shores where he’s fated to escape his noose of pain that’s held him until now.

Still my hopes ride high-I’ll give that man his swamping fill of trouble,” Poseidon attacks Odysseus with a giant wave, and destroys his newly crafted raft. Odysseus survives with the help of the sea nymph Ino . The beautiful goddess Calypso who falls in love with Odysseus after he washes ashore on her island. Calypso, by means of enchantment, holds him prisoner there for seven years. Calypso used trickery and deceit to have possession over Odysseus. She was a beautiful nymph with a wonderful voice.

Calypso uses these advantages to get what she wants. Calypso tries to make Odysseus her husband and asks him if he would want to be immortal by staying on the island with her. Odysseus tells her “I each day I long for home, long for the sight of home…. ” In the end, the Gods overpower Calypso into letting him go, but she still demonstrates the god’s idea as if it was her own. She tells him “O forlorn man, be still. Here you need grieve no more; you need not feel your life consumed here; I have pondered it, and I shall help you go…. In the end, she helps Odysseus after releasing him by providing him a raft and provisions to help him on his way without incident if the gods wish it. In conclusion, Odysseus, a mortal, is both helped and hindered by these supernatural beings. He encounters the wrath of Poseidon numerous times throughout his travels. He was held captive by Calypso on her island while longing for home. The Goddess Athena guided and protected him the most throughout his travels. Without the aid of these supernatural beings, the journey of Odysseus would not have been the brave, courageous, and risky adventure that it was.

Glory! In Homer’s 8th century BC epic poem The Odyssey and Sophocles’ 3rd century play Antigone, the leaders Odysseus and Creon display both similar and different leadership qualities. Odysseus is a leader of a crew he’s taking back home from a journey, but has many unexpected encounters on the way back. Creon is the heir to Oedpius’ thrown, and is King of Thebes. Both are important, however Creon proves to be the better King, seeing as Odysseus’ crew dies. The qualities of both leaders are what in turn lead to their results. Odysseus must lead his men back to Ithaca.

Along the way they stop at an island where all his men are enchanted by fruits. He must do all he can to get them to return to the ship. In another encounter Odysseus’ dead crew member’s soul comes back and talks to Odysseus. He asks him to give his body a proper burial. Odysseus does this proving that he is not only loyal to his crew, but to his word as well. Odysseus however learns of a prophecy, one, which tells that if, his men eat the cattle on the island of Helios they will die. He cannot prevent his men from eating these cattle and they all suffer for their actions.

They all die, and Odysseus fails as a leader. Creon’s takes an interesting approach to his leadership. He is stubborn and compassionate, hot and cold. Creon vows to do everything for the people, and anybody who breaks the law breaks his heart. Creon also makes numerous threats to the criminal who would dare to burry the betraying brother. But when he discovers that his own niece Antigone, his own flesh and blood, is the one defiling the law, he cannot stand it. His whole world starts to deteriorate and he cannot stop it before its too late.

1. Gilgamesh, as a ruler, has portrayed a character that stirred up the necessity of having a leader who does not just have the time but also the passion for service. He drew his strength in leadership from his intelligence, bravery and respect. It was his skills that encouraged social consciousness among his people that heightened their aspirations to search for answers for the freedom of his city. Amidst his many battles, he has been grateful to God for the skills that he has.

The image of a warrior and a soldier being an epitome of discipline and bravery among all the people in his city appealed to Gilgamesh greatly. Gilgamesh has shown his strength when he made it to the top of double cliff of Mt. Mashu on his way to Utnapishtim. Apparently, this is just one of the rather resilient moments of Gilgamesh. The ruler, who, at all times, exhibited instances of valor, made his journey while holding characteristics of a true hero. 2. The Odyssey was a great epic led by the main character, Odysseus who holds a group of men for more than years.

He led the group for years and all this he did with an innate love for his country, his crew and his self. The inevitable fact however comes with its entire weakness when Odysseus pursued his plan of getting through the walls of the Trojans by making a giant wooden horse. Odysseus had one man to present the giant horse to the Trojans as a sign of peace. Not knowing what’s inside the horse, King Priam of Troy, freely accepted the gift and had merriment together with his people.

After such, when everybody was falling asleep, Odysseus and his men sneaked out from the wooden horse and murdered every man in the palace, including the King. Odysseus was known for his bravery and brilliant minds. But like any other ordinary hero, he too, has his own weaknesses. As a leader, Odysseus demonstrated a deceitful act towards the Trojans and seldom reserved his humble personality because of his pride.

Despite everything though, he was able to portray the good traits of a true leader – clever and gallant, that is. . Augustine, a man of “mystical piety and great philosophical acumen” was always hungry for knowledge. And this carnivorous-like desire entrapped him to be enamored with different philosophies and works – Manichaeism, Platonism, and Cicero’s Hortensius. These might have influenced him to write the greatest of his writings – Confessiones, De Trinitate, and De Civitate Dei – but they don’t hold a candle to what move most believers, Augustine’s conversion. Augustine’s faith was not handed to him on a silver platter.

It was a faith earned even if it took all his life to achieve it. He was rather free in choosing his own religion. But in August of 386, Augustine was subjected to incessant pressure from the stern ethical demands of the preaching Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan. Augustine was worried and was carried by anger to his own self for rejecting the will of God and for not entering into His covenant (Confessions 8. 8). And as he stood there in the garden, he heard the voice of a child saying, “Tolle lege,” which means take it and read.

Augustine took the Bible and read the first passage he came upon, Romans 13:13-14. And after reading such passage, he underwent a dramatic metanoia, a profound life-transforming experience wherein all his human desires were completely surrendered to God. 4. Oedipus’ being a King is no surprise for he was born as a prince. The people of Thebes had seen evidence of that. He was raised as a leader in a group of men who were happy during his time of leadership. He took responsibility on his people and was doing well on it. But what weaken him most were his low temperance and his pride.

He couldn’t take hold of it for long that sometimes it was the only thing that was pulling him down. One instance that described how low-tempered Oedipus, was the time when he crossed the highway and had a group of people before him. He wanted to go ahead of them and because of his impulsiveness; he jumped off and killed the group excluding one man who was leading it. With the scene, it can be concluded that despite his being a good leader and a king to his people, he too, can be as evil as any wicked beast could be to anyone who may break off before him.