Odyssey By Homer Essay, Research Paper

In The Odyssey written by Homer and translated by Richard Lattimore,

several subjects are made apparent, conceived by the nature of the clip

period, and imposts of the Grecian people. These molded and shaped the

existent flow of events and results of the verse form. Beliefs of this

characteristic were represented by the sheer fear towards the Gods

and the humanistic disciplines the Grecian society exhibited, and are both profoundly

rooted within the narrative.

In the intricate and well-developed secret plan of The Odyssey, Homer

harmonized several topics. One of these, was the quest of Telemachos,

( titled & # 8220 ; Telemachy & # 8221 ; ) in correlativity with the journey of his male parent. In

this, he is developed from a infantile, inactive, and unseasoned male child, to a

immature adult male fixing to stand by his male parents side. This is straight

connected to the ocean trip of Odysseus, in that they both lead to the same

coda, and are both stepping rocks towards wisdom, manhood, and

scholarship. Through these ocean trips certain analogues are drawn refering

Odysseus and Telemachos: the physical journeys, the mental readyings

they have produced, and what their emotional position has resulted in.

These all partake a huge function in the manner the narrative is set up, stemming

from the intent of each character? s journey, their personal challenges,

and the troubles that surround them.

The narrative commences when Odysseus, a valorous hero of the Trojan war,

journeys back place. Together with his brave companions, and a several

vass, he set canvas for his fatherland Ithaca. Fated to roll for a full

ten old ages, Odysseus? s ships were instantly blown to Thrace by a

powerful storm. The expedition had begun.

Upon this bad luck, he and his work forces started a foray on the land of

the Cicones. However, this merely provided them with impermanent success. The

Cicones had struck back and defeated a huge bulk of Odysseus? s crew.

This was their first of many black experiences to come.

Storms so blew his ships to Libya and the land of the

Lotus-eaters, where the crew was given Lotus fruit from which most lost

their full memories from place. Odysseus, and the others who had non

tasted it, recovered the crewmans by force, and set canvas once more, due west,

this clip to the island of the Cyclops, a wild race of one-eyed giants.

Leaving most of his work forces in a sheltered cove, Odysseus so entered the

island with one crew merely. They wandered about, meeting, and

unwisely come ining an immense cave, expecting the proprietor. Moments subsequently, a

Cyclops named Polyphemos, boy of Poseidon, entered and pushed a immense

bolder covering the entryway to the cave. Upon this, he instantly ate

two crewmans, and promised to eat the others in due clip. The forenoon

came, and Polyphemos had quickly eaten two more mariners, against the will

of Zeus. Odysseus, shortly realized that killing him asleep would make no good

since the oral cavity of the cave was still ineluctable. The captain had so

devised a new program. When Polyphemos returned that eventide, Odysseus

showered the monster with vino until he had fallen under a drunken enchantment.

Then, with the aid of his comrades took a crisp pole and rammed it

into his big oculus, blinding him outright. As the crew sailed off

into the huge dimensions of the sea, Odysseus had foolishly revealed his

name in teasing the hapless animal, touting his inordinate pride. Polyphemos

so made a supplication to his male parent, inquiring to penalize the adult male who had caused

him this injury.

Several yearss subsequently Odysseus and his work forces arrived at the island of

Aeolus, keeper of the air currents. There, they stayed for about one month, and

departed, in sight of the long-awaited Ithaca. However, before they left,

Odysseus was presented with a container of air currents, transporting each but the

needed West air current. As Ithaca approached, the crew non cognizing the

contents of the & # 8220 ; skin & # 8221 ; , opened it up and released all of the air currents,

lodging the ships back at the island of Aeolus, who refused to assist

them any farther.

Puting canvas one time once more, the group headed back west, where they had

come across the Island of the Laesrtygonians, a barbarian race of man-eaters.

Everyone, but Odysseus, lined their ships at the seaport, covered with

stones. The full party was attacked and eaten by the Laestrygonians, who

had bombarded them with elephantine bowlders. Having but one vas left,

Odysseus sailed his ship to the Island of Dawn, inhabited by the

sorceress Circe.

A group of work forces were sent to research the island, who were so lured,

feasted, and the turned to swine by Circe. Knowing this Odysseus went

after her, and on his manner encountered Hermes who gave him a potion to

defy the enchantment. Circe tried, and so she failed. Odysseus had so

requested for his crew to be turned back to normal. She complied, and

finally housed Odysseus and his shipmates long plenty for him to

father three kids. Homesick and distraught, Odysseus was so advised

by Circe to seek the underworld for Teiresias, to state him his luck,

and how to pacify Poseidon.

Odysseus agreed and made a trip to the underworld, where he

discovered many of his dead comrades from Troy, and most significantly,

Teiresias. With his new cognition, he returned to Circe, which had

provided him with merely the information he needed to go through the Sirens. They

so departed from the island and continued on there journey, ears

filled with wax.

What Odysseus was about to meet following would be a really hard

undertaking. He needed to direct his ship through a consecutive, between two

drops, on one side the vortex Charybdis, on the other, a monster

Scylla. Trying difficult to avoid Charybdis Odysseus came excessively close to Scylla,

and six members of his ship suffered the effects. As the journey

continued the Island of Helios stood in way. Helios was the sun-god, and

nurturer of the cowss of the Gods. Knowing this, but at the same clip

inordinately hungry, Odysseus waited for his sea-mates to fall asleep

and slaughtered several of the cowss. This was much considered a deficiency of

regard non merely to Helios, but to the remainder of the Gods every bit good.

Zeus, angered by his gesture, struck his ship with boom,

destructing the full thing and killing the remainder of the crew except for

Odysseus, which floated off to the Island of Ogygia, where he would there

pass the following seven old ages, made a lover, by the sea nymph Calypso. Upon

Poseidon? s going to Ethiopia, Zeus had so ordered that Calypso

release Odysseus, who gave him an ax. With this, he constructed a float,

and continued his expedition. Back from his trip, Poseidon, saw Odysseus

drifting in the ocean and felt compelled to submerge him, which he about

did, if it was non for the goddess Ino, who had spared him a thaumaturgy head covering.

He tied this to his waist, and swam to a beach where he instantly fell

asleep.

The following forenoon he was awoken by maidens playing ball after making

the wash. There he saw Nausikaa, girl of king Alkinoos. Odysseus

gently supplicated to the princess. She foremost took him to the dwellers

of the island, the Phaiakians, and so Alkinoos, the male monarch. There he

listened to Odysseus? s narratives, and presented him with munificent gifts and a

furnished ship back to Ithaca. Resenting this fact, Poseidon turned the

new crew into rock for their generousness.

This is the clip, about twenty old ages after his male parents going,

Athene sagely advises the disquieted, and still immature Telemachos to travel in

hunt of his male parent. Telemachos agrees with her orders, and before his

depar

ture he makes it clear to the suers ( robbing his place and

suggesting matrimony to his female parent Penelope ) that he wants them all out of

his house.

He so requested a ship and 20 work forces, and sailed away to the

Island of Pylos. There he was instantly greeted by Nestor, in the

center of offering 81 bulls to Poseidon. Peisistratos, boy of Nestor,

so offered some bowels to Telemachos and Athene every bit far as

giving it in hopes of a safe journey. This was dry since in

world, Athene was commanding his journey, and on the other manus,

minutes ago, Poseidon, was in fact destructing the journey of his male parent.

Nestor, one time seeing that his invitees were finished banqueting, asked of

their individualities. Once he was recognized, Telemachos asked Nestor about

his male parent. Nestor rambled on and said nil of existent importance to

Telemachos. At this point Telemachos became pessimistic, and Athene

reassured him with an analogy of Agamemnon? s short journey, and it? s

effects. Still emotionally unstable, Telemachos used this

chance to talk of Menaleus, Agamemnon? s brother.

Nestor agreed that Menaleus may be more knowing that he, and

kindly provided him with a chariot, so that he could go to Sparta to

speak with him, accompanied by Peisistratos. He arrived at Sparta two

yearss subsequently, kiping in the house of Diocles the first dark, and

geting by nightfall the 2nd twenty-four hours. He reached the island merely in the

center of a dual matrimony ceremonial of Menaleus? s girl and boy.

At this point, Homer smartly compared Menaleus to Odysseus in the

reader? s head by proposing the similarities between the both in

background, and & # 8220 ; doubtless & # 8221 ; endurance. He besides used this scene to

stress Telemachos? s emotional instability as he burst out shouting at

the reference of his male parent? s name. The dark ended and Telemachos was

eventually noticed to be Odysseus? s boy by Helen, Menaleus? s married woman. Once this

took topographic point, he once and for all mentioned his intent in sing: To happen

information about his male parent. Menaleus answered Telemachos by speech production of

his journey from Troy, and reassuring Telemachos of his male parent? s humor and

inventiveness, and about certain endurance.

After the work forces finished speaking, Menaleus showered him with

complements and gifts ( one refused, one accepted ) , and so Telemachos

left, experiencing good about himself one time once more.

After this event, the scene changes back to Ithaca where the suers

were be aftering their ambuscade on the immature prince. Telemachos went back

place, merely to happen out that his male parent had already arrived before him.

This sets Odysseus ( disguised as a mendicant ) and Telemachos up for the large

scene against the suers, where male parent and boy, side by side, rid Ithaca

of its cancerous cells, and reunite the & # 8220 ; royal & # 8221 ; household. Odysseus so

appeased and sacrificed to the God Poseidon in the name of his

misbehaviour.

As Homer makes it evident, there are other implicit in subjects

embedded in the narrative that would merely confound the reader if they were non

at that place. An illustration of this is the emotional facets of both characters. If

one does non understand this cardinal component, their is no manner that the

sequence of events would cling. & # 8220 ; Why didn? t Telemachos expression for his

male parent earlier? Why did Penelope delay twenty old ages to see

remarrying? How did this affect Odysseus in his journey? & # 8221 ; . These are

inquiries that would travel unreciprocated unless the reader reaches within the

emotions of the character.

In the instance of Telemachos, his emotions shaped his well being. For

illustration, had it non been for Athene giving him assurance, by no agencies

would he of all time have thought of taking such a ocean trip, hence, Telemachos

would hold ne’er participated in his & # 8220 ; concluding trial & # 8221 ; against the suers

either. His sorrow and choler from the loss of his male parent and his female parent

invariably being attacked and proposed to by piranha-like suers were

besides driving forces towards his journey. Some of these are brought out in

different state of affairss, both positive and negative, such as Menaleus? s

reference of his male parent, which caused a sudden out-burst of cryings, and

the proud and accomplished feeling he received from go forthing Sparta..

Odysseus? s state of affairs was merely somewhat different. He, like

Telemachos had his concerns about family-life, and his land at interest,

but besides had concerns about his married woman, perchance triggered by the reference

of Agamemnon? s by Proteus, who was killed by the custodies of his ain married woman.

These factors likely had taken their toll on Odysseus. At the same clip

he had the wrath of Poseidon to postulate with. Another factor which could

hold besides lead to this hurt could hold been his visit to the

underworld, and in his full journey, losing friends and companions

on a regular basis.

The last object of these journeys and perchance the most of import

to the reader, is groking how these travels really led to the

concluding trial: The conflict against the suers. This is considered the verse form? s

mental position. Odysseus had many things to get the better of before he would

be ready to take on this duty. His journey prepared him for

that. For one, if he had non have perfected his tolerance abroad and

finely tuned his hubris jobs at that place would hold been no possible manner

for him to set about a function such as the mendicant, where he must be

invariably digesting both verbal and physical onslaughts. There is besides no

manner that Odysseus could hold sacrificed and begged forgiveness to the

sea-god Poseidon if he had non learned his lesson about regard from

Polyphemos and Zeus ( eating Helios? s cowss ) . These factors play an

huge function in the result of the verse form. If it had non been for these

events, the narrative could ne’er hold taken topographic point.

The same fortunes applied for Telemachos every bit good. His end was

to make a degree of maturity and to stand by his male parent? s side, to

mature into a adult male, and most significantly to derive regard, and to keep back

and protect household kleos. This happened when at first Athene inspired him

to travel in hunt of his male parent. At that phase he was an inactive, and

boylike immature prince. When the challenges rose, nevertheless ( assisted by

Athene ) , Telemachos rose to run into those challenges. His first points of

concern were to put the suers straight at place. Although he was non

wholly effectual, he surprised them a great trade with his authorization,

and even his ain female parent in ulterior books. That proved that Telemachos was

deriving a new consciousness, non merely about his male parent, but about the

land, his female parent, and the function he needed to partake. By the terminal of his

long emotional journey, Telemachos realized what it took to be a adult male,

which could non hold been possible without his adventures to Pylos and

Sparta.

In The Odyssey, Homer created a analogue for readers, between

Odysseus and Telemachos, male parent and boy. Telemachos was purportedly

larning the function of his male parent, the male monarch of Ithaca, to follow in the

footfalls. The two are compared in the verse form from every facet. However,

in analysing The Odyssey, one may besides assume that Homer had non

intended for the Telemachos to be every bit great a hero as his male parent. This may

be due to the fact that, for illustration, he ne’er had a Trojan War to contend,

his scene is in a clip of peace unlike his male parent? s, and more notably-

although matured, Telemachus ne’er truly learned true leading or

gallantry as did his male parent. Homer has presented the universe with poesy so

alone and authoritative, so outstanding and amazing, that generations to come

will dispute themselves construing them until the terminal of clip.