Archetypes In The Odyssey Essay

In Homer’s The Odyssey numerous characters demonstrate multiple archetypes throughout the narrative, including Odysseus who acts as both a hero and a trickster. Odysseus’s heroic qualities can be seen when he and his crew reach the island of the Cyclopes. Here he proclaims, “...I’ll make the crossing / in my own ship, with my own company, / and find out what the mainland natives are” (Odyssey 9.71-73). He acts on behalf of his crew to help them survive along their journey.

Archetypes Ethan Sodikromo The Journey - The Odyssey (Homer) Background- Odysseus is a great Greek hero who was glorified in the Trojan War. However, on his return trip to his kingdom(of which he is king), he incurs the wrath of Poseidon, who leads his ship astray. He then spends 10 years trying to return home, fighting of many mythical beasts and incurring the wrath of a few more gods.

For example, when Odysseus has an affair with the Goddess Lady Circe or when his crew opens Aeolus’s Bag of Winds. One major theme in “The Odyssey” is the consequences of temptation and how that ultimately impacted Odysseus’ and his crews' journey back to Ithaca and the events of the Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey also played a major part in shaping how the characters behaved as well as the result of the narritave. The theme of the consequences of temptation is established throughout the story through the actions of Odysseus' crew, which ultimately resulted in their

Odysseus displays multiple examples of an archetype in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. His archetype helps develops the theme that bravery is an essential trait in people, by providing examples of the great skills of a warrior and the superhuman courage to face his enemies and return home. The first example of great skills as a warrior is when Odysseus and his men must attack a mythical foe, the Cyclops, to escape from the cave. They are in grave danger because the Cyclops has already eaten a few of Odysseus’s crewmates. So, they “[use a] pike of olive…sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye, and [Odysseus] leaned on it turning it…” so they could blind the Cyclops to escape (Homer 380).

With no regard for Penelope’s happiness nor her desire to be with Odysseus, the suitors pursue the principle they deem most important, political power; but this conflicts with Odysseus’ values to regain political stability and his desire to be with Penelope. Odysseus must then confront the suitors if he is to achieve his values, and decides he must slaughter all of the suitors. As the novel progresses, even Odysseus is found to prioritize his principles over others, as evident with his shipmates. When Odysseus’ ship must traverse past Scylla and Charybdis, he is faced with a decision, to either “mourn / six men” or “lose them all, and the ship, too” (Homer, Odyssey, 12.119). In this case, Odysseus must place his values of his return home and his life, over the lives of the six crew members.

Loyalty & Disloyalty in The Odyssey The Odyssey has many themes of loyalty in the story as well as themes of disloyalty. Throughout the story, Odysseus’ relationships with characters prove these motifs. Odysseus himself is a primary example of loyalty and he shows it in the interactions with the characters. Many of the disloyal interactions result in consequences that affect Odysseus in the form of the adversities he goes through in the story.

From the onset of the book, death is a recurring event, persistent throughout the entire poem. In many ways, the Odyssey is the story of the death of all of Odysseus’ friends and fellow fighters during their return home from conquering Troy. These deaths are particularly heartbreaking to Odysseus because, normally, one would expect that all dying would conclude with the end of the war against Troy. In this case, however, the anticipation of his return to his family at home became a series of tragedies. This sequence of events changes his view and molds Odysseus’ character in regard to his surviving friends and family.

Odysseus is truly loyal to Penelope because he leaves Ogygia (where he was trapped) as soon as possible, puts all of his effort into making it home to his wife, and even flirts with Princess Nausicaa to get him home. Even though Odysseus has been through

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.

Homer delivers very universal themes, such as loyalty is respected, but the epic also provides meaningful themes that are not as recognizable. The Odyssey is very focused on leadership and courage, as it centers on a hero's journey. There are many parts in the epic where Homer explains the actions of an admirable leader. In the Odyssey, Odysseus exemplifies the true meaning of being a leader through courage in the face of danger, which is shown by Circe, the Sirens, and the suitors. One might wonder why it takes Odysseus ten years to return to his homeland after he has achieved victory for Ithaca in the Trojan War.

The Odyssey, Homer, takes the reader on a man's journey back home after being faced with many struggles for 15 years. Throughout the epic poem, The Odyssey, several examples of epic concepts are shown, such as; epithets, epic similes, and archetypes. Epithets are most commonly seen throughout this epic poem. This is evident because there are many examples of epithets in each book of The Odyssey. For example when the gods and goddesses were discussing Odysseus' fate they used a epithet.

The Odyssey by Homer is a book that involves the Journey of Odysseus and his men and the Obstacles they come across. The Odyssey portrays many themes including vengeance, hospitality, courage, bravery and more. Odysseus experiences some good and bad during his journey. He comes across people who help him, but also comes across creatures who hold him back. Odysseus is an Epic hero because of his quick thinking skills, bravery, and confidence for himself and his men.

The epic characteristics include a vast setting, supernatural forces and superhuman courage. In The Odyssey, the central character Odysseus is a war hero who is travelling back home. He face many challenges in

A major theme in the Odyssey is reciprocity: people getting what they deserve. Reciprocity is an important theme in the Odyssey because it explains why Odysseus’ journey was very long and treacherous. Eurylochus, Antinous, and Odysseus all suffered consequences due to poorly made actions. Each of them made the wrong decisions which lead to death and a long/adventurous journey. Eurylochus was the first to be killed by Odysseus and his men due to his actions.

The Epic Hero of The Odyssey The Odyssey is a tale of a great hero trying to get home. An epic hero. An epic hero is a courageous and honorable person. Homer’s character Odysseus exemplifies this in many ways.