1."Epic Heroes Are Admirable Even Though Their Actions At Times Bring Pain And Suffering To Others." Discuss This Statement With Reference To Homer's The Odyssey
Submitted by freefortermpapers on 06/24/2008 03:00 PM
- Category: Psychology
- Words: 385
- Pages: 2
- Views: 11
- Popularity Rank: 3023
1."Epic Heroes Are Admirable Even Though Their Actions At Times Bring Pain And Suffering To Others." Discuss This Statement With Reference To Homer's The Odyssey
Epic poetry writing was the first notable form of Greek literature. Greek hero's were considered admirable by the people of Ancient Greek times up until modern times, even though they often brought pain and suffering on others. The greatest Greek epic poet was Homer, who wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Odysseus is the main character of Homer's The Odyssey. Odysseus represents the form of a man of bravery and willpower, as well as strength and intellect. These character points were and are considered admirable qualities of a Greek Hero. Throughout the novel Odysseus never abandons his main goal, to return home to Ithaca to his Son Telemachus and his Wife Penelope. Odysseus is portrayed as the master of stratagems, as he was able to tell lies easily to ease himself out of trouble. These traits make Odysseus's personality admirable to some extent.
The other traits Odysseus possesses are typical for Greek Heroes, and these qualities often bring much pain and suffering onto others throughout The Odyssey.
In the Mycenaean times, honour was an important factor within the social structure. Many times throughout the epic Odysseus does things to better his fame, even at the expense of others. For instance, upon blinding the Cyclopes Polythemus, Odysseus with his glory in mind shouted his name for the Cyclopes to hear. Odysseus's actions here brought pain and suffering greatly upon others. By making his name known to Polthemus, Poseidon his father, took it upon himself to prolong Odysseus's journey home. This brought pain to Penelope and Telemachus, and it also brought suffering onto his men as they were all killed on the long journey home.
Another character in The Odyssey who brings pain and suffering onto others is Nestor. After the Trojan War, Nestor moved on to Egypt and plundered cities taking women, booty, food and wine. This brought pain upon the people of the cities he ransacked, especially the women and the...
You must Login to view the entire paper.
If you are not a member yet, Sign Up for free!
