"The Odyssey" is a literary classic, comprised of various events that teach the people of our generation many lessons and characteristics that the Greeks admired in the past. Homer emphasizes his ideas several times within the story using figures in a symbolic manner. These figures then appear before Odysseus as an obstacle while he continues his journey to Ithaca. Although these obstacles he encounters impede the continuation of his journey, he displays the lessons and characteristics Homer is trying to present to his audience. Therefore, The Odyssey illustrates many themes in Odysseus's journey to Ithaca.
The first illustrated theme is the idea that temptations are unavoidable. In some way or another, everyone has gained or received something they cannot let go of and tempts them to want more, which, at times, is hard to fight off. In Odysseus's case, Circe informed his men that "if you shout out and command them to let you loose, they must tie you tighter with a few more ropes" (Homer 150). Even after the warning, this did occur when the men reached the Sirens and tied Odysseus with more ropes, "So they sang in lovely tones. From the bottom of my heart I longed to listen, and I ordered my men to set me free, nodding my head but they simply went on pulling with a good swing" (153). The act of tying him down more shows us the restraints we must put upon ourselves to contain this temptation. Even if the temptation may help us, we must make restrictions in order to allow something better to come in the future. Without the restrictions, the temptation could take over our mind, causing us to fall off track and add complication in our lives. Therefore, Homer stresses the idea of the resistance of temptation as a theme we must learn from Odysseus's journey and apply it to our own lives. .
Another theme is that you can always hide from your true self, but disguises could never make you another person.
This is a theme that writers will use over the centuries. ... The Odyssey is a true love story. The Odyssey celebrates the love of a husband and wife. This is a theme that is timeless. ... These two selections also resounded through time as their stories and themes have been used by many writers and influenced many writers through the centuries. ...
In the ancient Greek society, like the society present in the book "The Odyssey," hospitality is exactly what was anticipated from the people. You can say that hospitality is kindness and hospitality is an important part of Homer's "The Odyssey." Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey" contains a reoccurring theme of hospitality. ... Not everyone is a gracious guest in "The Odyssey." ...
Sometimes they are merely backdrops to the human element of the story but in stories such as The Odyssey the gods play a prominent if not vital role to the central themes of the story. ... In The Odyssey both free will and fate occur. (Sparknotes) The Odyssey represents free will in that it gave choices. ... Works Cited Odyssey. ... (teacher) 2001 Odyssey Class Discussion Odyssey Plot Summation. ...
The Odyssey vs. ... In The Odyssey women were treated as slaves. ... A difference in this theme though is, that in Beowulf they only have one God but in The Odyssey, there are many Gods. In The Odyssey, there is a quote that supports this theme: "Hearing this land described by Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus who rules the veering stormwind." ... In conclusion, The Odyssey and Beowulf focus on the themes of women, character style, and religion. ...
In The Odyssey by Homer, there are many themes to be explored and enjoyed. ... For whatever reason, trickery is a main underlying theme of the Odyssey that is very interesting to delve into. ... Being able to veil ones true identity is a very important part of the theme of trickery in The Odyssey. ... It is clear through these examples that The Odyssey holds many instances of trickery within its theme. ... The Odyssey shows a new side to deception and how it can shape the events of a story and convey a particular theme....
In both epics there were a lot of major themes. In the Odyssey home and wandering were a couple of the main themes. ... Another theme is disguise. ... The main theme that was in both The Odyssey and Beowulf is heroism. ... One other theme in Beowulf is Christianity and fate. ...
Far removed from today's individualistic society, is the ancient Greece portrayed in Homer's The Odyssey, where hospitality and good-will were customary. ... Gestures of hospitality in The Odyssey were used as an instrument to tell the reader who were the protagonists and who were the antagonists. ... The ungrateful actions of the suitors, who abuse Penelope's hospitality through gluttony and arrogance, contribute to the exposure of Homer's theme. ... This further accentuates the theme that those who were hospitable in ancient Greece, also happened to be some of the most po...
., Homer wrote an extremely complex piece of literature called The Odyssey. ... Strong characters are very important in the lessons of The Odyssey. ... There are three main themes in The Odyssey. ... The last theme of the story is based on what happens after Telemachus finally finds his father, "Odysseus" return and vengeance." ... During the time The Odyssey was written Greece was not centralized under one empire. ...