This is your host Danny and this is books Plus the Odyssey is an ancient Greek epic poem in 24 books attributed to the poet Homer it was probably composed in the 8th Century BC The Odyssey relates in 12,110 lines the perilous Adventures of Odus a Greek hero and king of Ithaca in Western Greece after the fall of Troy at
The end of the Trojan War odius is forced to wander for 10 years before returning home to his wife Penelope in itha you want to learn more join me in this book adventure to learn about the Odyssey by Homer in the sequel to The Iliad written probably when Homer was a mature man and sometime around 750 BC the poet follows the travels of odius a hero of the Trojan War doomed to travel 10 years after the end of the war before he can
Return to his home in itha the idea of an extended journey is a popular one in fiction and has never been exhausted for it offers a chance to symbolize inner Journeys in this case the dramatic journey of Odus from Troy to itha is a metaph physical Journey from Death to
Life for he returns to his home as a man who has been tested who has come through his personal right of passage and is now far more a man than when he left this idea of a hero’s journey has been a Perpetual theme in Western literature ever since Homer established it the
Formula in such Journeys is separation initiation and return the hero sets out from the world of familiarity and common experience into a region of Supernatural wonder he encounters terrific forces and must undergo terrible ordeals but he is Victorious he then returns from his adventures with new powers and insight
And becomes admired and respected by his fellow man this is the traditional pattern and it owes its roots to the Epic story you’ll learn about in this episode you became familiar with the background of this story in our last episode on The Iliad but let’s review a
Few important points odesus set out for the Trojan War unwillingly he’s been told by an oracle that if he went he wouldn’t return home for 20 years at first he tried to feain sanity but his trick was exposed and he had to join the other Greeks in their battle to win the
City of Troy he was a strong Warrior but was known more for his cunning and int intelligence than for his strength the battle for Troy lasted 10 years and at the end of that time although the Greeks were victorious odesus knew there were still 10 years remaining before the
Prophecy of his 20-year absence was fulfilled he was one of the few great warriors to survive the Trojan War yet he was deprived the opportunity to return home a hero there are many differences between the story of The Odyssey and that of The Iliad The Iliad
Honors the hero the man of Honor who stands out in battle because he performs better and he has more AR or Excellence than any other Warrior heroism in The Odyssey is another matter osus is not the young confident Warrior he and achilles once were he’s older tired
After 20 years of warfare and travel and he’s in Exile instead of strength or arite it is craftiness and resourcefulness that gets him by the ilad is the great epic of battles destruction and death The Odyssey is the great epic of Travel and Adventure The Iliad reflected the values and struggles
Of ancient Greek men but the odsy reflects the struggles of every man and every time this explains the enduring significance of the book by the 5th Century BC 300 years after Homer The Iliad and the Odyssey had become the old and New Testaments of the Greeks they were the strongest literary religious
And social forces in Greek life in the following centuries Homer would continue to be the inspiration for stories plots themes and mythology for other writers and philosophers and would disappear only for a time in areas where the Greek language was unknown Socrates quoted Homer in the famous trial for his life
Alexander the Great carried a copy of the ilot on his journeys Virgil duplicated the pattern of the Odyssey in his inaad almost to the point of plagiarism and or even homeric passages in the New Testament his influence continued through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and Beyond inspiring Dante choser Shakespeare Milton Byron
Keats Tennyson and others to numerous to mention in modern times the effect of his work is just as strong the two most famous Homer inspired books being James Joyce’s uises and Nikos Kazan zaki’s Odyssey films too have been profoundly influenced by Homer’s epics the most obvious example being Stanley Cub’s 2001
A Space Odyssey based on Arthur Clark’s novel that translated Homer’s poem of land and sea into a space journey the centuries of a claim that have followed Homer are only part of his success for he also gave the GRE Greeks of his time a national identity before Homer Greeks
Tended to identify their own region and Kingdom but it was his books that inspired in them a sense of unity and pride in being Greek for that he has always been especially admired and appreciated in his own Homeland The Odyssey is organized into three main parts and readers often find the
Chronology or order of events confusing the first part of the book tells the adventures of telarus the son of Odus telarus has been at home in itha awaiting his father’s return along with his mother and Odus faithful wife Penelope but shortly after the beginning of the book telarus sets out on a voyage
To see if he can learn news of his father in the second part of the book Homer relates to see adventures and travels of Odus himself as he relates them to his hosts the fans in the last part of the book odesus returns to Etha and must reestablish himself in his
Household which has been overrun by suitors seeking the hand of the loyal Penelope odesus is not present in the entire first third of the book although he is an indirect presence since the thoughts and actions of the other characters center around him the entire Odyssey takes place in less than 6 weeks
But in this 40-day framework Homer includes the history of the past 19 years through flashback and recollection we learn about the Trojan War the fate of its Heroes and the adventure of adus In the period that followed the war the actual Story begins at the end of ody
Deus’s wanderings 40 days before he returns home at this point he’s on the deserted island of calypso alone and weeping he’s already exper experienced Enchanted Isles oneeyed Giants sorceresses and cannibals Homer chooses this moment because it’s a pivotal point in the adventure odesus has been tested has triumphed and can return home reborn
Before we begin in the details of this Odyssey here’s a brief summary of the major characters in the story The Hero Odus is a native of Ithaca a veteran of the Trojan War a man short and strong in build known for his cleverness and Wilds it
Was he who thought up the idea of the famous Trojan Horse Gambit which gave the Greeks final victory over Troy he’s a favorite of Athena goddess of war wisdom and craft she is the shrewdest of gods he is the shrewdest of mortals odius can be unscrupulous and merciless
But he’s also resourceful skilled and has a curious inquiring mind Penelope is Odus is wife life and has become a symbol throughout the ages of fidelity she waits devotedly in Ithaca for 19 years for the return of her husband rejecting her many suitors and resisting the pressure of her community which
Would like her to marry again even her own doubts as to whether Odus is still alive can’t disuade her from her loyalty tacus is the son of Penelope and Odus at the beginning of the story he’s an adolesc but he proves his manhood later when he
Fights by his father’s side Yus and ulea are two servants in Odus household who both remained faithful to the family and to its absent Master Yus is a swine herd and will later help Odus slay Penelope suitors ulea is tacus nurse uracus is the leader of the suitors for Penelope’s
Hand he’s a Suave hypocritical liar lieres is Odus father in grief over his lost son he is withdrawn from the city and lives on a farm Poseidon is the god of the sea and a sworn enemy of odesus this is because odesus has blinded his son the Cyclops Cersei is a goddess who
Tries unsuccessfully to turn odesus and his crew into swine her charms keep Odus from leaving her for a year the cyclopses are a race of oneeyed giants Calypso is a minor goddess who keeps Odus on her island of ogia her name means concealer the Lotus Eaters are people who drug themselves by eating
Lotus and spend their time in complete withdrawal from reality and a permanent state of euphoria these are the characters mortal and Immortal natural and Supernatural who played key roles in the Odyssey now let’s begin the story after the Greeks had the defeated the Trojans at Troy and peace had been
Reestablished the Greek Heroes who survived returned home all except odesus who after Many Adventures had been taken captive by the goddess Calypso who loved him and kept him on her Island odesus longed for his wife Penelope and his son tacus unknown to him Penelope was surrounded by suitors who had moved into
Her Palace and who argued for her hand in marriage she’s also receiving pressure from the community of Etha which wants her to marry so they can have a king again now it’s the time ordained by the gods for ody Deus return they meet on Olympus except for Poseidon
Enemy of Odus who is absent Athena Odus friend and guardian asked Zeus to send a message to cypo saying she must release her captive then Athena herself goes to ith Odus Homeland to see his son Telus Athena adopts the disguise of a man and tells tachus she knows his father she
Says he’s still alive and advises Telus to send the suitors home and urge his mother to return to her father’s house there if she wants to marry again she can make the announcement and plan her wedding then T lakus should set sail to find his father’s former friends in
Battle perhaps they can give him Clues as to his father’s whereabouts she suggests Nester the elderly adviser to the Greek troops at Troy and minus the husband of Helen who was the whole cause of the Trojan War tacus has recognized the goddess and now he’s filled with
Hope and strength he scolds his mother for her lackness with the suitors and then summons a council to determine if the suitors should be sent home the suitors complain about this plan they say Penelope had promised to choose from among them once she completed a blanket she was weaving for Odus father lieres
All day she would weave but at night she would undo her work so the task was never completed now the suitors will be put off no longer yurus as their leader insisted Penelope make a decision but two Eagles Fly overhead and the men take it as an omen they seize their arguments
Ass s says the Eagles mean that Odus is about to return TELUS in spite of the mockery and jeers he received from others orders that a ship and crew be ready so he can search for news of his father Athena disguises herself again and orders a galley and orsman Telus
Nurse ulea helps him get the necessary Provisions with a disguised goddess beside him he sails from itha first tacus travels to pilos where Nester lives the old man tells him of the horrible fate of Agamemnon commander of the Greek forces of Troy when Agamemnon returned home his Unfaithful wife
Murdered him with help of her lover his own cousin but Nester has heard nothing of Odus since he sailed from Troy tacus leaves and travels by Chariot to Sparta where menus lives menus is entertaining at his home with his wife the famous Helen beside him he tells the young man
Sadly that his father is imprisoned on the Isle of ogia he heard this tale from a sea god tachus prepares to return to his ship when the people in itha realize tachus is missing one of the suitors sets out to whay him at the Straits Penelope weeps in fear for her son but
Athena comes to her in a dream and assures her of tela’s safety Athena then complains to Zeus that no messenger has yet been been sent to Calypso to demand Odus release Zeus finally sends Hermes down the island of Agia is very beautiful but Odus is immune to its
Beauty he sits on the beach dreaming of Home Calypso approaches him with a news that she’s received from Hermes the news is all joy to Odus and all sorrow to the goddess who loves him Odus builds a ship and heads out with Calypso’s directions to guide him but Poseidon the sea god
Who dislikes Odus raises a storm that destroys the ship Odus saves his life by clinging to a spar a cim takes pity on him and gives him a scarf that will keep him safe as long as he wears it but when he reaches Shore he must cast it back to
The Sea on the third day after the Shipwreck Odus lands on a strange Island and falls asleep exhausted on a bed of leaves the island belongs to the fishan a seafaring people the princess of the island who is named NAA has a strange dream about a marriage in which large
Amounts of linen are required so the next morning she sends her maidens to the shore so they can wash all the household Linens the maidens complete their task and then play ball their noise awakens odius who covers himself with an olive bow and approaches them now SAA is attracted to him and thinks
Would make just the right kind of husband so she takes him to the Palace of her father The King The King feeds and entertains Odus and orders games in his honor the people try to coax odius into playing and when this fails they goat him with insults finally he gets up
And plays his great skill shames the others then Odus asks the minstrel to sing of the siege of Troy and of the great wooden horse the minstrel agrees he sings of the final strategy of the Greeks how they built a vast horse of wood pretending it was an offering to
The gods then decamped and sailed away the Trojans dragged the great animal inside the walls of Troy a company of Greeks hidden in the belly of the creature poured forth during the night and opened up the gates for their returned comrades with them they burned and pillaged the proud City the BART
Sang that it was Odus who ConEd received the plan and who led the band inside the horse it was also he who stormed the house where Helen was held and restored her to her Greek husband minus Odus begins to cry as the poet sings so the
King stops the tale he asks why Odus is weeping and his guest replies I am Odus at that point the entire story of Odus wondering comes out he says he and his companions left Troy and landed on the shores of thce where they had plundered the local towns they feasted there until
Morning when they were surprised by a band of natives who killed many of them the survivors returned with Odus to the sea but they were soon caught in a storm that carried them off course for 10 days when they found land they discovered they were in The Strange Land of the
Lotus Eaters many of odys companions ate of the lotus and were drugged into such forget fullness and serenity that they had to be carried by force back to the ship there they had to be bound securely for they refused to leave this island the next stop was the island of the
Cyclops Fierce Giants with but one single eye in the center of their foreheads not knowing of this danger odesus and his men set out to explore the island they found a huge cave with vast stores of milk and cream and sat down to await the return of the owner
The owner was a cyclops a son of Poseidon and when he entered he imprisoned the men and then began to devour them two at a time at each meal luckily Odus had with him a skin of strong wine he gave it to the giant who drained it and asked odesus his name
Odus said it was no man and the Cyclops responded that since no man had been so kind no man would be the last to be Eden stay with us we’ll be right Back looking to enhance your English skills while exploring a world of knowledge then English plus podcast website is just for you dive into diverse topics ranging from science to literature history to business and myths to Modern insights each episode from our podcast or art article from our magazine
Is a journey of learning and Discovery designed to not only improve your language skills but also broaden your understanding of the world join us at English plus podcast where language meets Limitless learning tune in today and take your English to the next level visit English plusus podcast.com to
Start your journey English plus podcast language learning Enlightenment never stop learning with English Plus the wine had its effect and the Cyclops fell into a deep sleep Odus hardened a pointed stick of olive wood by charring it in the giant’s fire then he and the crew thrust it deep into the single eye of the Cyclops blinded and screaming with pain the Cyclops called
For help help and the neighboring Cyclops came running asking him who had injured him when the Cyclops replied no man they returned to their homes in disgust then the Cyclops rolled the huge Stone from his cave door so his sheep would run out he was sure the men would
Be hiding among them and that if he felt among the Sheep he would find them but Odus outwitted him he tied the Sheep three a breast and tied a man in under each middle sheep then he clung to the wall of a huge RAM and made his own
Escape when the Greeks reached the safety of their ship odesus yelled back at the Cyclops to taunt him the monster hurled a rock that barely missed the ship then odesus boastingly told the Cyclops his real name the Furious Beast invoked the Vengeance of his father Poseidon on this Mortal who had
Destroyed his sight forever the Greeks sailed on through unfamiliar Seas and at one point became the guest of the king of the Winds whose name was iolis when they left iolis gave odesus an oxhide bound with a silver cord inside were all the Winds of the world except Zephyr who
Would carry them right to home for nine days and nights they sailed towards itha and during that time it was always odesus at the helm at last they saw the rocky shore of their Homeland and iius overcome with fatigue fell asleep while he slept the crew became overwhelmed
With curiosity about the oxhide bag they were sure it held a rare treasure so they undid the cord winds rushed out at terrific speed and the ship was driven all the way back to iolis Odus pleaded with the king of the Winds to help him
Once more but his pleas were in vain the king said that the curse of the Gods must be on these Greeks and with severe words he drove them back on their way the next ordeal was at the hand of giant and ferocious cannibals called lonians they destroyed all the ships
Except the one with Odus on board and as the sailors swam for safety they speared them with only his one ship left odius reached the island that was home to Cersei daughter of the sun he sent his lieutenant and a portion of his crew to explore the interior of the island they
Found the Palace of Cersei all marble silver and gold deep in the woods Cersei welcomed them and offered them drugged wine all but the lieutenant entered and accepted the wine when the men were all drunk she struck them with her wand and though inside they were still human on
The outside they were now swine the lieutenant returned to odius on the ship and told him of this terrible event odesus set forth at once to save his men meeting on his way the God Hermes Hermes gave him a marvelous route that had the power to ward off cersei’s magic when
Odius entered the palace Cersei treated him the same as the others but her enchantments were powerless against the root in this way she recognized him for his arrival on her Island had been foretold although Odus could resist cersei’s magic he couldn’t resist her physical charms and he spent an entire
Year in her Palace forgetting Penelope completely but his comrades urged him to remember Ithaca and finally he asked Cersei to free his crew and allow them all to depart reluctantly she agreed but she warned him of dangers ahead and told him that if he wanted to know his future
He should seek the realm of the dead and there speak to the great Seer tyresius so Odus traveled traveled on to the land of the Chans who lived in total darkness in a region at the edge of Hades the underworld he reached a spot where two
Rivers mix at the entrance to Hades and there he killed a black RAM and a u spilling their blood into a trench he dug immediately the Shadows of the Dead rushed forth attracted by the smell of the blood the prophet tyresius arrived and told Odus his future he said the
Flocks of the son were pasturing on the coast of Sicily if he and his companions injure them he alone would escape and would return home after long suffering if they did not harm the herds they would soon see Ithaca then Odus mother appeared and told him she had died of
Grief and that his father lieres was still living but in memories and bitterness after that came Agamemnon and achilles his two companions from the battle of Troy Achilles told him of the dark joyless life of Hades and Agamemnon told him of his wife’s betrayal when he returned from the war the ghosts crowded
In on Odus thousands and thousands of them and for once losing heart he raced back to his ship and sailed away as fast as he could the men then sailed with great caution near the island of the sirens these twin sisters lured men to their death by the spell of their
Irresistibly beautiful singing odesus had been warned for this by Cersei so he made the men plug their ears with wax then he had them tie him to the masted head and made them swear not to release him no matter what he said or how he acted this way he hoped to hear the
Magic of the siren songs without being destroyed as the song of the sirens reached him odius desperately tugged and pulled up the ropes that bound him but they held and he passed by the island safely next they sailed through the straight that divides Sicily from Italy
On one side was the monster Sila and on the other the monster caribdis six of the crew were destroyed but by following the instructions of Cersei Odus was able to save the rest finally they reached the land where the oxen herds of the sun were pastured Odus tried in vain to get
His men to push onward but they were weary and insisted on resting on Shore when their protests began to approach Mutiny odius gave in on the condition that no one must harm the sacred oxen they still had sufficient supplies of corn and wine given to them by Cersei
And there was no need for further food but then the weather turned bad and they were forced to stay a month the food ran out and they lived by catching fish and trapping Birds one day day while Odus slept the men slew some of the oxen and
Prepared to Feast on them but as they roasted The Oxen the meat groaned aloud on The Spits and the Skins came to life and cwed after the men the son in a rage demanded Vengeance or else he swore to never again light the heavens and to
Retire to Hades it was Zeus King of the Gods who exacted the Revenge as soon as the crew put out out to sea a terrible storm Rose and finally a lightning bolt shattered the ship tossing them all into the sea as prophesized only Odus survived he clung to the broken Mast and
Barely escaped caribdis one of the monsters guarding the straight he floated for 9 days and finally was cast ashore on the island of aesia where Calypso held him captive until the intercession of Athena who won him a pardon from Zeus now the tale Odus has been telling is at
An end he begs permission to depart for itha and the fans agreed to help they load him with gifts and put him abroad a galley that is leaving that evening and will arrive in Etha by morning when they reach their destination odesus is asleep they carry him onto Shore and leave him
Under an olive tree with his presence piled next to him Athena his Patron goddess SP spreads a Mist over the land so he won’t recognize it and then she takes the guise of a Shepherd boy when he awakes she asks him his story and is amused and proud when odesus makes up an
Elaborate lie then she reveals her true identity and fills him in on the situation in Ithaca to protect his identity she touches him with her wand and turns him into an old beggar clad in filthy rags in this disguise Odus seeks out his Old Faithful swi herd Yus Yus is
Of noble birth and in Odus absence has been acting as overseer of his estate not recognizing the absent Prince he treats him as a welcomed guest just the same and tells him about Penelope and her suitors and the absence of his Lord but he warns the beggar not to pretend
He has news of odius as so many others have in Hope of earning a reward the beggar tells a fan sful story saying he knew Odus well and even fought by his side and he Wagers that one day odesus will return Yus is not so hopeful and he
Listens to the beggar story with skepticism but he nevertheless makes his guest comfortable offering him a place by the fire in the meantime Odus son telemachus has been so well entertained by manalus and Helen that he stayed with them a month Athena comes to him in a dream and scolds him for his
Procrastination telling him Penelope is under much pressure from her suitors especially the wealthiest uracus jolted into action tacus leaves the next morning and as he departs he sees an eagle fly overhead with a white goose in its Talons Helen interprets The Omen to mean Odus is returning from afar and
Will wreak a terrible Vengeance Telus arrives in Ithaca and travels by foot to the L of Yus for he knows an ambush awaits him the swin herd is joyous to see his young Lord and Odus must exercise great self-control and not revealing his true identity telarus
Sends umus to tell Penelope of his safe return Then when father and son are alone Athena appears although she can only be seen by Odus she tells him to make himself known the rags Odus are wearing fall to the ground and Royal robes clothe him and he is once more his
Imposing and Noble self for a while both father and son are so overcome with emotion that neither can speak then they tell their stories and they begin to plot they consider who among the household has been faithful and who will help them slay the suitors for adus will
Be satisfied with nothing else tacus returns to the Palace where he’s greeted by the suitors with a pretend of courtesy youus follows with Odus who has once more dawned the disguise of a beggar but although the disguise conceals his identity for men it does not fool his old dog Argus who
Recognizes him at once and feebly wags his tail the faithfulness of his old hunting dog brings tears to Odus eyes stay with us we’ll be right back unlock the marvels of mology and take a journey of deep Discovery into the Divine lordof spore.com has 21 unique varieties of magic mushroom spores that
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Master but the effort is too much and he dies Odus enters the hall and begs some food from each Suitor they all refuse except for one named anois who hurls a stool at the beggar this is such a blatant violation of Greek Hospitality that the others rebuke him then another
Beggar appears a brwy man who threatens to drive Odus from the hall with one great blow odesus breaks the jaw of his rival and then drags him out into the courtyard the suitors mock the Beggars and present Odus with a sham Victory prize of minced meat and blood one of
Them a gentle young man is kind to him and Odus is moved by the Fate which awaits this you now Penelope enters the hall and speaks to the beggar who tells her odesus is on his way to Ithaca happy and grateful for this news she orders that the beggar be
Taken to the baths and treated with great courtesy he refuses however to have anyone attend him except ulea a maid servant who has remained loyal in his absence while bathing his feet the elderly nurse notices a scar on his thigh and recognizes is her master the
Scar was caused by a boore on one of his early Hunting Expeditions as a Young Man Odus stifles her scream of surprise and swears her to secrecy the next day is the Festival of Apollo the suitors all come to the hall to make rry and they
Continue to make fun of the beggar a Seer warns the guests that portents of Doom are evident but they jeer at him and tell him he’s as unwelcome as the beggar Penelope enters carrying Odus bow which he left behind when he left for Troy she tells old present that her
Husband could drive an arrow through the hollow rings of 12 ax heads set in a straight line she says that if any Suitor present can duplicate this feet he will have her hand in marriage each of the rivals makes the effort but none can even bend the bow when the beggar
Announces he will try all the men laugh but he picks up the bow bends it easily and sends an arrow directly to the Target barely even taking time to aim now it is time for his Vengeance the rags fall from the beggar and there stands odius king of itha first he
Drives an arrow through the neck of anois the Suitor who threw a stool at him when he first appeared as a beggar then with the help of his son tachus and his swine herd Yus and one other servant he fight the entire assembly killing each man present one by one he grants
Mercy only to two one is a messenger who is considered neutral and one is a Bard then he asked that the Unfaithful serving women be brought to him 12 had become Mistresses to the suitors and these he takes outside and has hung by the neck so they will suffer before they
Die now his vengeance is complete and Odus is satisfied Penelope had returned to her chamber before the slaughter began but when she hears of it from the devoted nurse Ura she rushes down she believes what ulea has said about the suitors being killed but she’s doubtful about the nurse’s
Story that it’s odius who killed them too many years of waiting and false rumors have made her skeptical even when she sees Odus and recognizes him she is still doubtful so odius bathes and dresses himself in the same Splendor Athena had put on him then he returns to
Penelope in all appearances he is just the same as he was 20 years ago when he left itha for Troy now Penelope knows it appears to be him but she wonders if a God has taken on his appearance to trick her so she comes up with a plan for
Uncovering the truth she knows that odesus bed was built around a live Olive Tree by he himself and that it Can’t Be Moved she also knows that only she odesus and Ura know this so in front of Odus she bids a servant to bring the Lord his own bed from their Bridal
Chamber odesus annoyed by this command yells out that no one could move that bed he has passed the test Penelope’s doubts are erased and she takes him in her arms then they retired to their chamber where they filled each other in on the last 20 years
In order to give them more time Athena delays the sunrise the next morning Odus sets out to his father’s Farm meanwhile in Hades Hermes arrives with the souls of the Dead suitors there are over a hundred of them Agamemnon asks about the circumstances of their deaths and when
He hears about the slaughter in ithaca’s Royal Hall he’s greatly impressed by Odus prowess and by Penelope’s Fidelity in Etha Odus arrives at his father’s house and identifies himself the old man is joyful at the same time relatives of the Dead suitors are planning Revenge have taken up arms and are heading for
Liar’s Farm on Olympus Athena confers with Zeus he decides that Odus Revenge was just and gives Athena permission to interfere as she Wills when the angry Kinsmen arrive at the farm Odus leads out his small party to meet them but PES Odus telemachus and their supporters
Kill several in the group and the rest flee in panic Athena arrives and orders an end to the conflict Zeus sends down a thunderbolt that sanctifies this command and the battle ends later Athena establishes peace between the factions and Odus resumed his reign as king over
A happy and peaceful Kingdom at the end of The Odyssey it seems that the troubles and conflicts of odys are finally over at least for the time being yet these struggles Have Been instrumental in the growth and development of his character and seem even to be his lifeblood for ody Deus is
A man who can only truly be involved in life through conflict he is a man who would languish unhappily on a beautiful island of calypso which other men would consider a paradise involvement in life and with men must contain struggle to this hero or it has no value he
Willingly faces every test of width and strength and even seeks these tests when they don’t readily appear in this sense Odus is an example of the new man who was developing in the homeric age the individual and more specifically the individual who was in conflict with the old communal order even though the
Community of Ithaca would like their Queen to remarry and establish order in the land Odus comes charging in and upsets those plans with the sheer force of his will Odus is also a strong contrast to his crew which functions as a community and one that is dependent on
Their leader odesus stands alone and independent the goal of the hero of the Odyssey like the hero of the Iliad is to lead a glorious life and thus defeat death such a life should involve struggle and the knowledge of one’s Mor ity the knowledge that one is not a god
This is not a discovery that necessarily should bring despair since Homer clearly shows the superiority of The Mortals in both books the gods were neither just nor merciful they were God simply because they were Immortal and possessed special powers Homer gives a glimpse into what life would be like without
Struggles and conflict when he introduces us to the Society of the lotus eaters who are drugged into an almost inanimate state next to Odus with his striving questioning and battling they seem like death in life the struggles of Odus are key to the typical hero’s journey he must first experience
Several periods of danger and near death before he is reborn and can live life as a fully formed man with inner awareness and strength his wanderings became a symbol of the wanderings of his soul the quest for understanding insight and Truth there are many obstacles on this journey and each requires Great courage
And Faith but the reward is great for when the hero has been steadfast and has remained true to his dream he reaches his final and ultimate destination he is delivered Home so that will be all for our books plus episode I hope you learned something new I hope you like the book we picked for today and I hope you enjoyed the episode don’t forget that you can find a lot more on our website English plusus podcast.com you can find
The link in the description of the episode with that being said this is your host Denny I would like to thank you very much for listening to books plus I will see you next Time
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