Odyssey :: essays research papers

In Homer&8217s epic, The Odyssey, various aspects of the past classics atomic number 18 revealed through the actions, characters, plot, and wording. Homer uses his skill as a playwright, poet, and philosopher to inform the reference of the history, prides, and achievements of the ancient Greeks, and, also, to tell of the more values and the multi-faceted culture of the ancient Greek caste. The Greeks had numerous values and customs, of which the primary principles argon the mental characteristics of an individual, the physical characteristics of an individual, the recreations and pastimes the Greeks enjoyed, the bureau in which a host treats a guest, the religious aspects, and finally, the Greeks&8217 view on life, revealed in The Odyssey which shows and defines their cultureOne of the most prominent of the mental characteristics the ancient Greeks valued was the cleverness and the wit of an individual. This can be discerned from The Odyssey because of many instances and events in which Odysseus uses his brain&8217s wit and other tricks to get himself out of a risky situation. Examples of this are when he tells Polyphemos the Cyclopes that his name is Nobody, when he overcomes Circe&8217s magic with the help of moly, when he fills his men&8217s ears with wax and ties himself to a post so that he and his men can get by the Sirens safely, and when he disguises himself as a mendicant and reveals his true identity to few. Odysseus is by &8220far the best of mortal men for counsel and stories (Bk. XIII, 297 &8211 298). Also, Odysseus is said to be able to match a god in wits and slickness (Bk. XIII, 291 &8211 295). Penelope, Odysseus&8217 wife also uses her wit and trickery to get herself out of situations. An face of this is when she pretends to be weaving a shroud for Laertes, but actually undoes at night as much as she had done in the morning. Athene, the goddess of wisdom, provides some other example of the usage of wit and tricks. Athene disguises Ody sseus as a beggar and also surrounds him with a mist numerous times so that his actor acquaintances will not see or recognize him.Other probatory mental characteristics that the Greeks valued are faithfulness and loyalty. There are many, many examples of loyalty and faithfulness in The Odyssey. The four most significant examples are Penelope, Eumaios, Philoitois, and Argos.