Essays on Homer

In Homer’s epic ballads The Iliad and The Odyssey, Achilles and Odysseus are the outstanding saints. Achilles battles Hector outside the dividers of Troy since Hector executed his closest companion, Patroclus. In the wake of battling in the Trojan War, Odysseus goes up against an...

An epic poem over 400 pages long. Yep a poem. The plot line details the return journey of Odysseus, a Greek warrior, and his encounters with civilizations and Greek Gods through his travels.Composed in 700BC, it is one of the earliest poems to ever exist....

Book VII and Book IX of Homer’s Iliad present opposing views on the significance of material wealth in relation to the heroic code, contrasting Hector and Achilles consecutively, who have already been established by the poet as polar in character. On one hand, in the...

Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus crosses countless borders, from the literal borders of kingdoms like Phaeacia and Ithaca, to the borders of life and death in Hades. However, there’s one border Odysseus seems to be unable, and perhaps even unwilling, to cross: The border between soldier...

INTRODUCTION The concept of the journey has beguiled respondents since the beginning of time. Stories about the movement of people and how these travels affected them resonant because they are universal, where the physical experiences make way for personal growth, or even operate metaphorically. When...

In the Odyssey pages 110 – 111 is like the beginning. It starts of with Odysseus talking about his tale with King Alcinious. They talk about odysseus’ troubles and where he has come from. From pages 110 – 111 we understand a bit more about...

Destiny has been a constant theme for authors, poets, dramatists and playwrights since time immemorial. The idea of destiny has been incorporated in many novels and plays. Human beings have always been intrigued by the power of moira and its ability to dominate the course...

In Homer’s poem called, “The Odyssey” the protagonist, Odysseus, endures a twenty year sentence of suffering condoned by the Greek god Poseidon as the result of the death of one of his beloved cyclops. Throughout the intriguing epic poem, Odysseus is thrown every obstacle from...

Homer’s epic poem “The Iliad” has many different types of characters and theme. It focuses on two main characters, who are Achilles and Hector. These two characters have completely different personalities and little to no similarities other than them being great warriors. In this epic...

The epic of The Iliad primarily focuses on the glory-seeking heroes within the Trojan and Akkhaian ranks, describing their varied attempts to immortalize themselves through gaining honor. Interestingly, while the heroes all possess this same aspiration for glory, there are quite obvious differences in the...

Death is commonly reflected in Greek mythology. Many epics, myths, and short stories include death in their plot or theme. For instance, the short story of Pyramus and Thisbe conveys the idea that when one dies, it does not mean the other should too. However,...

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, one Greek value explored is Kleos, otherwise known as glory. This value is not only explored in the Odyssey by the protagonist (Odysseus), but is also used to explore different themes through the protagonist reaching their Kleos....

The Odyssey by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald is a complex novel pertaining the main characters complicated journey home from Troy to his throne in Ithika. The Greek gods play a big part in his long 10-year journey back home. Are they to blame...

Reading The Odyssey by Homer is like entering a world infused by fantasy. Many important traits such as respect and hospitality are exemplified when read with a nonliteral mindset. Respect and hospitality is clearly seen in the real world. For obvious reasons, those traits are...

It is commonly known that the Ancient Grecians and Romans relied on the supernatural for many things; in fact, it was really just a way of life for them. They went to Oracles to hear their futures, performed certain rituals for luck or otherwise, and...

Do you believe that the journey outweighs the goal? For example, in the movie Moana, the main character sets out on an adventure that teachers her many things on the way to success. Heroes go on a journey that changes them for the better, in...

Of all the things highlighted in these ancient texts in our first unit of Culture and Expression, the concept that stood out to me the most is that of xenia. Xenia, or “guest friendship”, is the Greek practice of hospitality in which it is expected...

The Iliad by the Greek poet Homer is a patriarchal epic led by fearless men with a supporting cast of female characters. In Greek society, women are either a man’s prized possession or a man’s impediment and are the symbol of masculine pride. In the...

Revenge, justice, and destiny are three major themes intertwined in the Iliad. The book opens with the rage of Achilles in response to his dishonor, then immediately switches to an incident that occurred previously where a priest of the son of Zeus (Apollo) suffered a...