Odysseus Essay

Odysseus combines the self-assured individual with the distinctive qualities of a Homeric leader. Spirits favor him, and people both revere and fear him. Even Poseidon’s wrath cannot stop him from achieving his goal of returning home as a fighter. (Albersmeier and Anderson, 2009, P. 15). Odysseus faces the violent foe Poseidon, who makes every effort to thwart his quest. However, the goddess Athena rewards him for his bravery and cunning on the battlefield, and she gives him divine help when he is in need. Similarly, Erotokritos who is a member of the court and the son of the Kings adviser also stands out to be another hero to reckon with. He falls in love with Arethusa, but the love seems impossible due to the difference in status. The two try to keep their affair secret, but it comes to light and deteriorates the connection between the two families. The brave move by Erotokritos is apparent when he decides to return to Athens to fight for his country for the sake of his love. The objective of this paper is to compare and contrast between Odysseus and Erotocritos as Greek heroes and to evaluate to what extent the two demonstrate the impression of the conqueror as a product of the humanity in which it is shaped.

Comparison of Odysseus and Erotocritos

Odysseus and Erotocritos are both longing to get back home. In The Odysseus, Odysseus has been away for over fifteen years as he was at Trojan War for ten tears and it took him ten years more to get home (Burnouw, 2004, P. 24). He enjoys his luxurious life with Calypso but only to some point. Ultimately, he is yearning to go back home despite admitting the fact that his wife cannot compare to Calypso. He thinks of home throughout the time he spends with Phaeacians and also while on the island of Circe’s. According to Kornaros, Erotocritos goes away from his countries of origin Athens after things went contrary to his expectations and got disappointed. Realizing that he will never marry Aretousa, he lives the country as his her lover is imprisoned by her angry parents because he denied her father offer to marry the King of Byzantium. Erotocritos decides to go home after he receives the message that King of Vlachia has laid a siege on his countries of origin. King of Vlachia goes ahead to propose that matters be settled in a single battle having in mind that he has an invincible champion on his side who is Aristos. The King of Athens is desperate until Erotocitos offers to take Aristos head on and he emerges victorious in his homeland (Hirst, 2005, P. 34).

Among all the other Greek heroes, intellect and cunning nature of Odysseus cannot be underestimated. He comes up with a strategy that will save his men from the Sirens. He orders his troop to put wax in their ears so that they do not hear the Sirens (Newton, 1987, P.14). Another significant move that demonstrates the intelligence and cunning nature of Odysseus his when he orders his group to tie him to the post of the ship. He is able to hear the Sirens but cannot submit to their enticing because he is tied to the mast of the ship. Furthermore, another instance that proves his wittiness in the epic is when he was in the Island of Calypso. He decides not to tell her that he misses his wife since she will be bitter and she will not aid him get home (Newton, 1987, P. 19).

Similarly, the intellect of Erotocritos is also evident when he manages to convince his father and persuade him to approach the King on his behalf knowing that he could not persuade the King by himself to marry his daughter. After realizing that the King does not like the idea of marrying his daughter, he decides to take Aretousa and convince her to enter into a secret engagement. It demonstrated the intelligence of Erotocritos as later when the father tried to convince the daughter to marry another King she refuses even after she has been imprisoned by her parents. Another instance when Erotocritos proves that he is intelligent and canning is when he keeps Aretousa ignorant of his identity far longer than necessary. It is meant to test her fidelity and to some point making her believe that Erotocritos who is waiting for is no more (Beaton, 2012, P. 7).

Both Odysseus and Erotocritos emerge victorious as Warriors in their battles and branded heroes of their countries. Odysseus himself is motivated by his victory on the battlefield and wants to return home and now live well in Ithaca. However, each and each step along the way is an assessment and occasionally another encounter altogether. His concern with the triumph is cultural as well as practical. In Homer’s sphere where there is no law enforcement, the firm is deemed to succeed. Odysseus has only two choices which include either demise or conquest. Even if sometimes Athena intercedes on his behalf, the decisive failure or success is left to Odysseus. For example, for the duration of the encounter with the suitors, she could effortlessly and rapidly triumph, but she lives Odysseus earn the credit of success (Burnouw, 2004, P. 87).

On the other hand, the success of Erotokristos comes about when the King organizes a fight of joust in an attempt to please and entertain his daughter. Most distinguished aristocrats are called in this unique entertainment and Erotokristos is among the participants. He emerges victorious and takes the price of his victory by the hands of his beloved princess and dares to ask if he can marry the princess through his father. His real triumph comes about when he charges forward to save his homeland from the wrath of invaders. After drinking a magic liquid that changes his appearance, he comes to the rescue and causes enormous losses to the attackers and kills his primary opponent despite suffering from severe wounds. The turn of events leads to his ultimate marriage to the princess whom he has admired for a very long time hence proving his victory (Hirst, 2005, P. 39).

Contrast of Odysseus and Erotokristos

Despite the similarities in both the achievements and some of their characters, both men have many differences. For instance, Erotokristos is more focused on the task at hand while Odysseus is distracted from time to time. Odysseus and his men are on Circe’s island, and after he has saved his people from the clutches of Circe, they still hang around in the island for a year since Odysseus is sleeping with her. Odysseus has to be reminded of his men that it is time to go home because they have been on the island for a year. However, Erotokristos is very different in his approach when compared to Odysseus. Despite being dismissed from his country and his request to marry the princess is denied, he does not deviate from his primary purpose of marrying the love of his life. His focus makes him rise to the ladder of life as he marries the daughter of the king and he rises to the royal throne after years of despair and anguish hence demonstrating his focus as a leader (Valadakis, 2010, P. 21).

Odysseus has a massive strength that is useful only when one is on his side due to his anger. His temper is evident early on when he cannot help teasing Polyphemos (Montiglio, 2011, P. 43). He orders Polyphemos to tell anyone who asks him the person who inflicts the blindness on him he should not hesitate to point out that it is Odysseus. The boldness ad anger gives him the courage to let people lay claim to his name. It may be a prudent decision, but it makes him worthy of being a hero. After getting back home, he spends most of his time plotting revenge. He is angered when he sees some servants sneaking to make love with the suitors, and he is left wondering whether he should spring on them and kill them one at a time or just let them. He charges forward and tells them that upon them all terms of destruction are fastened which sounds like a warning to the suitors (Montiglio, 2011, P. 57).

Erotokristos, on the other hand, seems to be different as he manages to contain his anger under several circumstances. His father Pezosrato was dismissed by the king as his adviser after he attempted to persuade the king to allow his son to marry his daughter. Besides, he was sent away from the country due to the same incident. However, after getting a tip that his country is under attack, he comes to the aid of the King and restores his dignity without taking advantage of his situation. After rising to the throne, he does not care to take an act of revenge on the king but his happy with the fact that he is together with Aretousa. The act of composure highlights how is different from Odysseus who is crafty and full of anger (Mackridge, 2008, P. 117).

How Hero is a Product of Society

Odysseus

There are many aspects in the ideas of hero in the epic of Odyssey that demonstrates that a hero is a result of the humanity in which it is shaped. Odysseus stands out to be a perfect hero both tangibly and spiritually. In the physical logic, he is a boundless hero since he has all it takes to overcome extreme dangers in that he comes out alive after travelling for ten years and coming into contact with dangerous creatures and people. The author does not bluntly set up the fantastic voyage with all the strange encounters goes through but was to show that Odysseus was a great man and a hero of the Greek world (Mackridge, 2008, P. 63). Indeed, it would be impossible for Odysseus to accomplish the voyage if he was not one of the biggest heroes in the Greek society. In the divine sense, Odysseus is a protagonist because he remains faithful to his partner and household. Regardless of wondering away from home for close to twenty years, the thought of his wife and son that are waiting for him back home keeps him alive. He challenges the call of immortality two times on his expedition and embraces mortality, and that gives him hope to endure all the challenges that he surfaces.

Moreover, Odysseus is incredibly intelligent as he was the man who saved the Greek people from the Trojan War and assisted them in winning this dreadful conflict that had lasted for over ten years. He came up with the idea of Trojan horse and that played a significant role in their victory. His heroic deed is also evident at the end of the story as he manages to reach Ithaca and make concord with the aid of Athena. Furthermore, in the end, he comes out spiritually clean as he has no conflict with any of the gods. Even his core enemy Poseidon is not angry with him, and this raises Odysseus to the ranks of great heroes of Greek.

Maybe the most important aspects that confirm the idea of a hero in Odyssey concerning the society are his encounter with Hercules in the Netherworld. Hercules points out to him that both of them are comparable (Flaumenhaft, 1982, P. 110). Undoubtedly, Hercules is the greatest hero that ever existed, and his legend goes on in the contemporary society. Listening to Hercules the great man comparing himself with Odysseus proves the argument. However, like all the other heroes in the community, Odysseus has some flaws that cannot be rejected. The first one comes when he loses his men in the battlefield and commits blasphemy towards Poseidon by mentioning that even the great Poseidon is unable to give back an eye that is lost. He is a mortal hero, and human heroes make mistakes that later influences them adversely in life (Flaumenhaft, 1982, P. 115).

Erotokristos

In the context of Erotokristos, it is clear that his heroism came due to the struggles that were eminent in the fall of Mycenaean civilization in the Dark Ages. The unexpected collapse of the civilization caused instability hence creating the need for defense (Carr, 2010, P. 137). The times were filled with strife hence the need for a defensive community that was strong. Therefore, the culture resulting from such communities was one that relied heavily on real warriors. Being a fearless warrior was equated to being a leader in the Dark Age of the Greece society, and that explains clearly when Erotokristos becomes a King after he became victorious in the battle. To rise to ranks as a leader of any given society, a leader had to continuously demonstrate his capability as a warrior and success on the battlefield was a straight ticket for a leader to rule. As true leaders and above all hero, Erotokristos is determined to go back and help his country from external aggression when they needed it most. He risks his life for his country by taking on the opponents head on. He also wants to make his friends and specially Aretousa proud hence giving the motivation to fight on until his victory despite getting injured in the process (Carr, 2010, P. 138).

Conclusion

Ideally, the concept of heroes has evolved over time through the centuries. For instance, in Dark Age in Greece, the qualities of a hero were well highlighted such as the capability to lead the people and excel in the battlefield. Physical strength was valued in the Ancient Greek as it strengthens the relationship between the mortal and the gods. These values reflect on what shaped Odysseus and Erotokristos to genuine and revered ancient Greek heroes. Despite numerous daunting challenges and tests that they faced, they were capable of rising to the occasion and leveling things with the demands of the society. Therefore a real leader and hero is the one that admits his faults just like Odysseus did and compassionated just like Erotokristos, and that defines their place as heroes in the society.

References

Albersmeier, S. and Anderson, M.J., 2009. Heroes: mortals and myths in ancient Greece. Walters Art Museum.

Barnouw, J., 2004. Odysseus, Hero of Practical Intelligence: Deliberation and Signs in Homer’s Odyssey.

Beaton, R., 2012. The medieval Greek romance. Routledge.

Carr, A.W., 2010. From Byzantium to Modern Greece: Medieval Texts and Their Modern Reception (review). Arthuriana, 20(2), pp.136-139.

Flaumenhaft, M., 1982. The undercover hero: Odysseus from dark to daylight.

Hirst, A., 2005. 05.03. 03, Kornaros, Erotokritos. The Medieval Review.

Mackridge, P., 2008. From neoclassical satire to romantic nationalism: Greek literary culture in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Greek World under Ottoman and Western Domination: 15th–19th Centuries, pp.115-125.

Montiglio, S., 2011. From villain to hero: Odysseus in ancient thought. University of Michigan Press.

Newton, R.M., 1987. Odysseus and Hephaestus in the“ Odyssey”. The classical journal, 83(1), pp.12-20.

Valadakis, K., 2010. Daughters out of line: the marriage plot in three paradigmatic texts of the Cretan Renaissance, Erotokritos, Panoria and Vasileus o Rodolinos (Doctoral dissertation, Rutgers University-Graduate School-New Brunswick