The Odyssey and The Ramayana
World Literature Online
Love Is All You Need
Love…..Love is one of the driving forces behind humanity, an emotion that transcends time and cultures. It’s no wonder that love is a theme often repeated in our literary works, such as The Odyssey and The Ramayana of Valmiki. The Odyssey and The Ramayana of Valmiki are two of the world’s earliest works of literature, so old in fact, they started out as oral traditions. These two epics have much in common, despite the fact that there is a thousand years of history and thousands of miles of geography separating them. They each recount a hero’s journey to reclaim their lost kingdom, and ultimately their wives. The Odyssey is the story about Odysseus, and the difficulties he faces on his twenty-year journey home after the Trojan War. Seven of those years he spent marooned on an island with the sea nymph Calypso. During his long absence many presume he is dead, so his house and wife Penelope, are plagued with suitors trying to take Odysseus’s place as husband and King. When he finally returns home he avenges his honor by killing the suitors and all those who failed to remain loyal to his house. The Ramayana of Valmiki details the story of Ramayana, a prince who is exiled to the Dandaka forest for a period of fourteen years. His wife Sita, and his brother Laksmana choose to follow him into exile. During their exile Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, an evil king that Rama must defeat before he can recover his wife and regain his kingdom. Odysseus and Ramayana were both depicted as the “ideal man” in their respective cultures. They were heroes of royal descent with character traits their cultures valued. Odysseus proudly declares: “I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, known to the world for every kind of craft-my fame has reached the skies….” (Homer 357) Odysseus is a skilled warrior who was witty as well as cunning, these traits saved his life more than once. Rama is described as being “equal to the god of gods, who
Love Is All You Need
Love…..Love is one of the driving forces behind humanity, an emotion that transcends time and cultures. It’s no wonder that love is a theme often repeated in our literary works, such as The Odyssey and The Ramayana of Valmiki. The Odyssey and The Ramayana of Valmiki are two of the world’s earliest works of literature, so old in fact, they started out as oral traditions. These two epics have much in common, despite the fact that there is a thousand years of history and thousands of miles of geography separating them. They each recount a hero’s journey to reclaim their lost kingdom, and ultimately their wives. The Odyssey is the story about Odysseus, and the difficulties he faces on his twenty-year journey home after the Trojan War. Seven of those years he spent marooned on an island with the sea nymph Calypso. During his long absence many presume he is dead, so his house and wife Penelope, are plagued with suitors trying to take Odysseus’s place as husband and King. When he finally returns home he avenges his honor by killing the suitors and all those who failed to remain loyal to his house. The Ramayana of Valmiki details the story of Ramayana, a prince who is exiled to the Dandaka forest for a period of fourteen years. His wife Sita, and his brother Laksmana choose to follow him into exile. During their exile Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, an evil king that Rama must defeat before he can recover his wife and regain his kingdom. Odysseus and Ramayana were both depicted as the “ideal man” in their respective cultures. They were heroes of royal descent with character traits their cultures valued. Odysseus proudly declares: “I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, known to the world for every kind of craft-my fame has reached the skies….” (Homer 357) Odysseus is a skilled warrior who was witty as well as cunning, these traits saved his life more than once. Rama is described as being “equal to the god of gods, who