The Odyssey is one of the most famous pieces of western literature to date, originating from the Ancient Greek civilization. The Odyssey, along with its prequel, the Iliad, was written by Homer, and centers on the adventures of Odysseus on his return home from the Trojan War. Odysseus journeys through unthinkable trials to reach his home, Ithaca, where after purifying his house of the suitors who had been seeking the hand of his wife, Penelope, in marriage in his absence, lived the rest of his life peacefully and happily.
The fame of the Odyssey is beyond conception. Almost everyone at some point in their lives have heard of the majestic epics of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Even if they have not, common terms such as “Trojan” sourced from the two epics have made it into our vocabulary. The Iliad and the Odyssey have also promoted knowledge of Greek Mythology in our modern society, and caused a plethora of everyday words to be named after entities and stories in the Greek Pantheon. One of the reasons the Odyssey is so famous is because it is the first known example of western literature. It differed drastically from other works at the time, and is one of the first few documentations of extended, fictional tales in history. The Odyssey also stems from Ancient Greece itself, the birthplace of democratic ideas, and is hence ingrained in our minds. Another part of the reason comes from the mythology included within it. Greek mythology, unlike current mythology (commonly christianity) today, is not drab and dull. Perfection is quite practically considered impossible, and even the gods have human flaws, much unlike the unrealistic conception of a perfect God in christian beliefs. This makes Greek mythology friendly to the ears of the common folk, and causes mythological legends to spread like popular gossip.
The Odyssey is also quite well written, and builds upon the imagination of many generations of Greek legend-tellers and mythological beliefs. The story focuses on Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, returning home from the Trojan War. Odysseus and his crew on the return home accidentally alights on the island of the Cyclops, and in their escape was forced to blind Polyphemus, a son of Poseidon. This incurred the wrath of Poseidon against Odysseus, causing the rest of his adventures to be shadowed in sorrow and suffering. His journey was extended to an extreme duration of 10 years. However, through numerous trials, he finally alights on the island of the Phaecenians, where he is sent to Ithaca, his home. There, he disguises himself as a beggar, and when the time was right, slaughtered the suitors plaguing his house, and lived happily with his family. The Odyssey is special in the way that the journeys of Odysseus were not at all essential to the story and could be almost completely cut down if it wasn’t for the ineptness of the crew. However, in most modern literature stories, the journey is often important to the plot, and cannot be removed. In the Odyssey, Odysseus gains fame through his journeys, while in most popular literature pieces, the journey stands in the way of a character gaining fame. From this we see the uniqueness of the Odyssey, and part of the reason it has developed into such a phenomenal work as it is today.
A very important part of the Odyssey focuses on kleos, or fame and glory, which is extremely important to the warrior population of Ancient Greece. Glory is commonly an extremely important part of Ancient Greek legends, commonly outshining the importance of life. However, in Homer’s Odyssey, radical thoughts are brought up to contradict this, with characters envying life more than glory. Most prominent of the characters include Homer’s interpretation of Achilleas. Homer depicts Achilleas in the underworld as a man looked up to by his peers, but Achilleas still vies for life, even if it meant forsaking his place as the king of the underworld and becoming a servant in the land of the living. Odysseus also embodies this trait, sending his men ahead of him whenever he felt like he was risking his life.
The Odyssey is one of the most entertaining examples of western literature found in today’s society, propelled into the limelight by its unique spirit, importance in history, and the uniqueness of Greek Mythology. It, along with its prequel, the Iliad, also helped Greek Mythology keep its place in today’s world, ingraining fantastical legends and stories of trials and conquest in our minds.
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