Essay on Perseverance in ‘The Odyssey’

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My book was The Odyssey by Homer. The Odyssey is a widely popular ancient Greek epic poem written nearly 2500 years ago in Europe. It tells of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, on a long journey home after the Trojan War. It tells of his battles with monsters and encounters with gods, his son’s desperate attempt to bring him home to save their estate, and in the end their victory over power-hungry suitors.

The Odyssey is set in Ancient Greece during the Bronze Age. The protagonists include Odysseus, Telemachus, Penelope, and Athena. As for antagonists, the main ones are the suitors who are destroying the palace as they vie for Penelope’s hand in marriage. Odysseus is a round character as we know his background, his family, and all of his actions as well he is dynamic because through the book he changes into a far more patient and less prideful man who even demotes himself from king and takes bullying from his servants so he can win the battle against the suitors instead of his previous foolish and prideful self. Telemachus as well is round as we know his background, family, and actions throughout the book, and just like Odysseus he is dynamic, he develops throughout the book into a far more princely man who is ready to battle to protect his home. Penelope may be a major character in the book but she is flat as we know not much about her other than her loyalty to her husband and her cunningness to deceive the suitors, though she is flat she is very dynamic by the end of the book, she stops being a sad weeping presumed widow and is now able to be viewed as a loyal devoted wife. Athena is somewhere between a round and flat character, we know some about her but she is not nearly as developed as the other characters in the book, as well she is static throughout the whole book she just wants to assist Odysseus. As for the suitors they are both flat and static as we know nothing about them other than their intentions and they never change until they die at the end.

The Odyssey starts by telling of Telemachus and his mother Penelope and their troubles with suitors grappling for her former husband’s throne. Telemachus decides he must leave to find his lost father Odysseus so that he can aid him in fending off the men but he fails and is sent back home to Ithaca where he continues to try and find a solution. The climax of the story occurs when Odysseus with the help of the god of wisdom Athena returns home and fends off the mob of suitors. In the end, the news of the slaughter spreads across Ithaca and Odysseus regains his seat at the throne. The conflict in this story is external from the destruction dealt by the suitors to the monsters that Odysseus fights during his many journeys. Ultimately the conflict is solved with Odysseus’ return home and the murder of the suitors.

The major theme in The Odyssey is perseverance as displayed by Odysseus in his long treacherous journey home. As Well as bravery is also shown by Telemachus as he sets off to find his father. And finally, loyalty is exhibited by Penelope as she waits twenty long years for her husband to return from the war before finding a new suitor. Odysseus’ great bow is a symbol of the rightful place as king of Ithaca. When he strings it and completes the challenge after all the others have failed he shows he is the true king of Ithaca.

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