The Odyssey Free Essay Example, 2500 words

16 Nov Odysseus’ Odyssey: A Saga of Love and Devotion within a Tale of Hatred and War The Odyssey, one of Homer’s world acclaimed epics, popular for its portrayal of heroism and adventure, still remains unsurpassed in the annals of the history of literature. The story, a sequel to Homer’s other epic Iliad, narrates the saga of the journey of Odysseus after the 10 year long war of Troy. It takes him another 10 years of perilous journey through hostile oceans and battles with several monsters, to finally get back to his family. In the meanwhile, back at home, his wife Penelope waits for him, trying to fend off the ‘suitors’ who are vying to marry her and access their property. While this epic poem, in a general context, is perceived as a narrative of the adventurous journey of a legendary hero back to his home after a war, it appears that Homer actually intends to illustrate the â€Å"struggle for life and survival† of a person and thereby depi cts the struggle of all humanity through this great work of literature (Sisti 31). We will write a custom essay sample on The Odyssey or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now On the one hand, the author epitomizes the perils a human has to encounter in the course of a lifetime, through the voyage of a valiant hero and, on the other hand, he illustrates the values, virtues and ideals that humans must uphold in their lives. However, more important is the emotions that he deftly knits into the fabric of this epic tale to illustrate the love and devotion of Penelope for her husband Odysseus. Thus, on the surface level, it narrates a story of heroism and adventure of a legendary warrior, but on a subtle level it depicts the true love of a devoted wife, who waits for her husband ignoring all other allurements of life. Similarly apart from portraying an excellent story about adventure and love, Odyssey further contains characteristics that still make it relevant to the present generation youth. What makes a great classic is not merely the time period it was written in, but also how it can be related to the modern world and the modern people. In this same light, Odyssey also shows the coming of age of Odysseus’ son Telemachus, that is, the boy’s transformation into a â€Å"into a mature, responsible adult† (Allen 2). Without his father around, he is forced to fend for his mother and ward off the suitors who are trying to woo her. With help from the Goddess of war and wisdom, Athena, Telemachus sets on a journey determined to not only find his father, but also bring him back to the country. Reading epics like the Odyssey really require a lot of attention from the reader’s part as the story follows a wide range of characters, each with their own development as the tale evo lves.