Preview

How Is Odysseus Similar

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
814 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Is Odysseus Similar
Oedipus the King and The Odyssey share many similarities. The most important and significant similarity is that both epic poems are involved in a conflict when we first encounter the poems. In The Odyssey, we learn that the main character, Odysseus, has been held captive by the nymph Calypso for twenty years. We also learn that Odysseus had finished (and won) fighting a war against the city of Troy and has been held captive by Calypso ever since. During this time, Odysseus' son and wife, whom Odysseus left behind to fight in the war, have been patiently waiting for Odysseus' return to his palace in Ithaca in which Odysseus is king. Telemachus, Odysseus' son, has grown into a young man and he's constantly battling Suitors from destroying and wasting his father's wealth while looking to marry Penelope, Odysseus' wife. In Oedipus the King, a wild plague has been killing a big population of the city-state of Thebes . This was a big conflict that the people in Thebes turned to King Oedipus to solve. He helped the city before by solving the riddle of the Sphinx and they needed help from him once more. During this plague, blight on the crops was present, children stillborn, women dying after giving birth, and cattle were sickened. The main characters in both epic poems were also very similar. Both King Oedipus and …show more content…
These gods controlled the humans' every move like if the people were puppets on puppet strings. In other words, gods controlled the fate of the humans. In The Odyssey, Zeus was pretty much in charge of everything including the search for the god- like Odysseus. Poseidon, the sea-god who had a grudge on Odysseus, was testing Odysseus' fate by making him undergo a wide variety of torments. Oedipus on the other hand, was living out a prophecy that the gods assigned his family that led to Oedipus' banishment from his own

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The character of Odysseus from “the Odyssey” and the character of Everett from “O Brother, Where Art Thou” are similar. Both of these men go on great adventures full of many challenges. For instance, Everett and his friends encountered Big Dan, the women at the creek, and many more. Another instance, Odysseus and his men meet the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, Aeolia, Aeaea, the Sirens, and other dangerous creatures. Certainly, both characters overcame danger.…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though Odysseus had many adventures, the most important quality is that he was very smart about the strategies that he would use to complete his tasks at hand. This resourcefulness is important because it helped him survive his encounter with the Cyclops and Circe when she tried to keep him for her own.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Did Odysseus Change

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Now that Odysseus knows what the gods are capable of he starts to pray to them. This making his life take a huge turn because he never really respected the gods, now he knows what they can do. After dedication and help from the gods, Odysseus finally reaches…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people have noticed the similarities between The Odyssey by Homer, and O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? by the Coen Brothers. Both characters exhibit perseverance at great lengths and many other things throughout their journeys. There are many things in common between the two main characters. Both are away from their homes for a long time and are leaving loved ones behind. Their journeys were very similar but different at the same time. Two things may be very similar but things are bound to be different.…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus. A name known by some as a glorious hero and known by others as a trickster who uses intricate schemes. During the story of The “Cyclops”, and many stories before it, Odysseus goes on a many adventures and creates many sticky situations for himself in which he finds ways to gets out of. “In the next land [what] we found were Cyclopes, giants, louts, without a law to bless them” (1050). Odysseus knows that the cavemen are uncouth and aggressive, yet he chooses to enter the cave- endangering himself and his men. A man who jeopardizes his crew's safety and does many other tricks, is a man who is not a true ideal.…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The gods in the Odyssey, though they are gods, do not always act in ways showing they are of a higher power then the mortals. They act out in anger and make rash decisions just like any mortal would. Except for the fact that they have powers way beyond that of any mere mortal, and their actions can have monstrous effects on civilizations. It seems as though they try to fairly dish out punishments to those deserving of them and act in ways befitting of gods, but yet at the same time they still rely on basic emotions and are easily influenced to do things that often create disaster.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On his way home, Odysseus faces a plethora of challenges that extend his voyages. One such example that stands out is his ordeal in a cave with a vicious Cyclops. During this short but life-threatening period, Odysseus and his crew find themselves trapped in the cave with the beast, who had already “lunged out with his hands toward my men and snatching two at once, rapping them on the ground / he knocked them dead like pups - / their brains gushed out all over, soaked the floor - / and ripping them limb from limb to fix his meal / he bolted them down like a mountain - lion, left no scrap” (Homer 9 324-329). Homer creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind, using words like “limb to limb” and “dead like pups” to form an unsavory situation. The…

    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Odyssey And O Brother

    • 676 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The strongest connection between The Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou is the seducing call of the Sirens and the powers of the witch goddess Circe. This connection is the strongest similarity because each story that describes the Sirens is the same. Odysseus and Ulysses both use wax to avoid the Sirens. Ulysses hair smelling like wax and Odysseus telling his men to put wax in their ears is enough to avoid the Sirens mystical song in each movie. Avoiding the Sirens allows Odysseus and Ulysses to continue on their journey to get home. Another similarity is the witch goddess Circe. In The Odyssey, Circe turns a man from Odysseus crew into a pig which is similar to O Brother, Where Art Thou because one of Ulysses men was supposedly turned into a frog.…

    • 676 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every story needs a hero. In the Odyssey, the characters face challenge after challenge and they had a leader that helped them overcome every obstacle. Odysseus was this leader and he is considered the hero of the story. He is considered the hero because of how he handled the situation with Polyphemus. His journey was dangerous and hard but he persevered through it and was able to overcome every obstacle that was put in his way.…

    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Odyssey” , by Homer is an epic poem telling the journey of Odysseus on his way back home to Ithaca. Homer wrote the Odyssey to show how heroic Odysseus is and how he served as a model for all his people. His message to the people was that it takes more than just strength to be a hero. All heroes have different qualities that define them and Odysseus had the traits of a H…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus is an epic hero because of all the challenging obstacles he had to overcome. He is strong and brave by never giving up, but rather determined to fulfill his accomplishments as a young and adventurous man. Odysseus was also very cunning, knowing how to create and form the ideal way to sabotage the Trojans. Such a bold hero and great father that seeks to win the 10 year war with the Trojans and succeeds. Although, weaknesses lye in every man as a human necessity and even this 'Hero' has one.…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus played both the hero and villain role in The Odyssey; it all depends on whose perspective you see him through. Penelope saw her husband as a hero who fought hard to get back home to her. To Polyphemus, Odysseus was a villain who tricked him and blinded him. During the Trojan War he expressed an enormous amount of hero traits, but later in his journey, especially in books 9-12 his heroic behavior diminished.…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Odyssey, I think the Gods role was to function as spiritual guides and as support for the hero. Examples being Hermes warning Odysseus of Circe's witchcraft and then Circe giving him directions. Yet, I also feel as if they punish for poor behavior. An example of this being Poseidon delaying Odysses's boat journey with challenges/weather for blinding his son, the cyclops, and then bragging about how great he was.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the Epic, Odyssey by Homer Odysseus has to save his men and get them home. Odysseus is a modern day hero hero. He qualifies for the job because first he is brave, cunning, and determined. He made smart decisions and knows how to get out of sticky situations. Second he is brave and he is ready for whatever comes his way. Although the ancient greeks consider odysseus a hero epic hero, according Modern day to Ethos and Logos he fails to measure by modern standards.…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Theban Trilogy

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Oedipus plays have many things in common. Characters, metaphors, and the gods affect on the peoples daily lives. Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone all base themselves around prophecy; the undeniable god said future that the greeks believed above all else.…

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays