Similarities Between The Odyssey And Hamlet

Throughout history there have been several moving works of literature that drive our inspiration and teach us valuable lessons about life. Moby Dick, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are just to name some of the many. While these three pieces of literature are no doubt moving, the two greatest pieces of work everyone ought to read are The Odyssey by Homer and Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Between these two stories we are taken on a journey through two men’s lives that seek action, adventure, and revenge. From these two great works of literature, The Odyssey and Hamlet, we can take away several literal, metaphorical, and moral values that can play a key role in how we live our lives today.
When looking at a piece
In The Odyssey the biggest metaphor presented is the idea of hospitality. Within this culture, hospitality is seen as a sacred duty that marks a society as being civilized. Whenever a stranger presents himself to a group of people he is to be anointed with oils, fed the best food, and dressed in the finest clothing. One example we can see of this is when Telemachus visits Menelaus’s kingdom to see if he had any news about his father Odysseus. When Telemachus arrived he and his men are treated with complete
During this time suicide was something that was looked upon as quite the taboo. In the play Hamlet gives his famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy that challenges this controversial idea (Shakespeare 697). In this soliloquy Hamlet contemplates “wheter ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against the sea of troubles, and by opposing end them” (Shakespeare 697). What Hamlet is questioning in this statement is whether we should put up with all of the horrible things thrown at us in life for the sake of satisfying what society expects? Or would it be easier to put an end to them once and for all? This kind of statement during the time period was almost unheard of. In fact, people who committed suicide were looked down upon by society. An example we can see of this is when one of Ophelia’s gravediggers asks “Is she really to be buried in Christian burial when she willfully seeks her own salvation?” (Shakespeare 735). The gravedigger is confused as to why this women is receiving proper treatment after taking her own life. This example gives us insight as to what society was like at the time, and also allows us to reflect on our society