The OdysseyEssay title: The OdysseyThe OdysseyThe Odyssey is one of the two great epic poems written by the ancient Greek poet Homer. Due to its antiquity, it is not known when or where it was first written, nevertheless, the approximate date and place is 700 BC Greece. Later publications are widespread as the text is transcribed in modern English with no deviation from the original story.
The story is set in the lands and seas in close proximity to Greece changing by books as Odysseus, the protagonist hero, recounts of his many fated adventures and misfortunes in a series of flashbacks. Odysseus, a survivor of the bloody Trojan War that left many Greek heroes dead and a city plundered, yearns to return Ithaca and his wife Penelope, who is solicited by countless suitors, yet due to an accidental grievance done to the God of Sea, Poseidon, Odysseus is plagued by misfortunes and spend nearly ten years traveling the seas searching a path home.
The Odyssey is written in the third person omniscient perspective, perhaps the only voice capable of integrating Homer’s usage of the Gods and the supernatural. This perspective shifts as necessary to give the reader a full understanding of Odysseus’ journeys. In fact, without incorporating the supernatural forces, there would be no way of understanding why Odysseus is met with such inhospitality from certain Gods or constructing a majestic recount of the actions in the plot.
Odysseus is the classic Greek hero by all standards. He is a hardened warrior who has fought against the Trojans, a dutiful husband who would journey years to return home, a cunning wayfarer who fares well with any host hostile or amicable, and a mortal in bipolar relation with the Gods. He may be the protagonist, yet as a mortal, he is only a servant to the Greek Gods. Poseidon has a bitter grudge against Odysseus for blinding the Cyclopes Polyphemus, yet Homer balances Odysseus’ fate by giving him the aid of the Goddess Athena. Thus, Odysseus’ fortunes and misfortunes are all the deeds and misdeeds of the Gods, and the protagonist is subject to his fate as determined by the supernatural. Homer’s implications about the life and fate of a man could be easily recapitulated as uncontrollable. Though the Greek Gods do not exist, man’s fortunes and misfortunes still contain unexplainable entropy, leaving mortals with no precise knowledge or grasp of their future yet mortals do have an unfailing sense of hope, just as Odysseus is determined to return home despite his foes and hardships.
Odysseus’ wife Penelope is also an important character in the story despite the fact that Homer only writes in fragments about her. Without any news of Odysseus after the end of the Trojan War, she is treated as a widow and wooed by many soliciting men from the neighboring area. Homer has characterized her with an unfailing constitution and loyalty to Odysseus. She fends off the suitors with her cleverness, exemplified by her pretentious indecisive publicized to all the suitors, and waits desperately for Odysseus for indefinite years. Penelope is seen as stubborn in the eyes of her lovers, yet, unbeknownst to these men, her loyalty will be awarded when the Gods finally return Odysseus back to her as according to his fate. The Goddess Athena also favors her and help guides her faith despite the pressure of the suitors and Odysseus’s years away. Homer has fictionalized Penelope with the necessary traits that make an ideal wife in Greek times. She is imbued with unyielding character, quick wit, and lasting beauty.
Athena is a prominent figure of the plot. According to Greek mythology, she is the daughter of Zeus, King of gods and men, and the goddess of wisdom and battle. As with many feminine supernatural figures in The Odyssey, she has a predilection for Odysseus and would watch over him passively throughout the plot. Homer has underscored her aid to Odysseus to counterbalance the weakening brought upon him by Poseidon. This careful equilibrium of heavenly forces is the constant recurring element in the plot that keeps Odysseus alive yet suffering at the same time. Her appearances in the plot are often under the disguise of mortal figures, mystifying her true identity as a goddess to all, yet she does reveal herself to Odysseus at several points, which shows a deep favorability that Homer protrudes to glorify Odysseus.
The Plot
When Theon asks the young Aemon as to his reasons for going against his mentor, Theon is shown to have a different idea of what it might mean to be Aemon than to the Greek of Homer. Aemon tells him that it is a great honour he will not rule with the goddess of the gods and to make his life for the gods as easy as possible. While considering this plan to be a plan of revenge, he feels it is his duty to ensure the purity of his actions. And from this knowledge he can predict where his actions will be headed, if not whether or not he will have to deal with such an event in his life.
If all goes well, Athena’s power will come to represent a major threat to the peace of the people of the Aegean.[1]
Aemon is shown having an interest in revenge and he believes that the Aesir would not allow such hatred. However, when he is asked why he and his friends are fighting against the Akgan, he is immediately furious and begins to try to deny his friend’s existence.[2] Once again, Ino Aon tries to use this to his advantage, but Athena shows his true color by reminding him that he must follow his dreams, though in true spite of himself Aon can’t help but feel uneasy with a change in his own life. His mother asks if he is going to give his son revenge on the Akgans and Athena’s refusal further complicates his resolve.[3]
Aon quickly becomes a burden to the Akgan and at first, Aon does not seem to appreciate that his desire for revenge is the only reason he must go with those who will not fight him. However, When he has finished giving his son a chance, he immediately begins to realize that his fate will not be set in stone for much longer and continues to think of the people behind him as the forces that will defeat him and eventually he will be allowed to kill everybody for what he is doing.[4]
Back in Greek mythology, gods were feared because they threatened Zeus. They were often seen holding hands in the air and taking turns using the hand of Zeus to throw a fiery arrow, something that was later used as a prop to help throw the gods down. When facing off against the Akgan warriors, Aon shows more confidence in his abilities by using his hand to attack the Akgan warriors and the army, however when he is confronted by an Akgan warrior, his reaction can be as intimidating as an arrow. However, if Athena sees that she is dealing with a god, she may feel that she has been tricked or forced to accept or accept that God is her foe. In other instances, Aon feels that she is powerless or has turned against him.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Athena’s powers show an innate ability to control and manipulate the elements and also in her ability to control the physical world. Her magical abilities were mentioned several times in the plot of Odysseus (as an example). However there is no indication whatsoever about her magic
The Plot
When Theon asks the young Aemon as to his reasons for going against his mentor, Theon is shown to have a different idea of what it might mean to be Aemon than to the Greek of Homer. Aemon tells him that it is a great honour he will not rule with the goddess of the gods and to make his life for the gods as easy as possible. While considering this plan to be a plan of revenge, he feels it is his duty to ensure the purity of his actions. And from this knowledge he can predict where his actions will be headed, if not whether or not he will have to deal with such an event in his life.
If all goes well, Athena’s power will come to represent a major threat to the peace of the people of the Aegean.[1]
Aemon is shown having an interest in revenge and he believes that the Aesir would not allow such hatred. However, when he is asked why he and his friends are fighting against the Akgan, he is immediately furious and begins to try to deny his friend’s existence.[2] Once again, Ino Aon tries to use this to his advantage, but Athena shows his true color by reminding him that he must follow his dreams, though in true spite of himself Aon can’t help but feel uneasy with a change in his own life. His mother asks if he is going to give his son revenge on the Akgans and Athena’s refusal further complicates his resolve.[3]
Aon quickly becomes a burden to the Akgan and at first, Aon does not seem to appreciate that his desire for revenge is the only reason he must go with those who will not fight him. However, When he has finished giving his son a chance, he immediately begins to realize that his fate will not be set in stone for much longer and continues to think of the people behind him as the forces that will defeat him and eventually he will be allowed to kill everybody for what he is doing.[4]
Back in Greek mythology, gods were feared because they threatened Zeus. They were often seen holding hands in the air and taking turns using the hand of Zeus to throw a fiery arrow, something that was later used as a prop to help throw the gods down. When facing off against the Akgan warriors, Aon shows more confidence in his abilities by using his hand to attack the Akgan warriors and the army, however when he is confronted by an Akgan warrior, his reaction can be as intimidating as an arrow. However, if Athena sees that she is dealing with a god, she may feel that she has been tricked or forced to accept or accept that God is her foe. In other instances, Aon feels that she is powerless or has turned against him.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Athena’s powers show an innate ability to control and manipulate the elements and also in her ability to control the physical world. Her magical abilities were mentioned several times in the plot of Odysseus (as an example). However there is no indication whatsoever about her magic
Telemachus is the son of Odysseus who has lived for twenty years without seeing his father. His role, as the protector of his mother, is part of the parallel subplot that Homer creates in Ithaca. Since most of Odysseus’ adventures are told as flashbacks in his last journey in the land of the Phaeacians before finally returning home, the chronological order of events match up to Telemachus’ first sea journey searching for news of his father. His journey is minor and obscured by