Category: Homer

Few myths from the Greek canon have enjoyed as long a life as Homers Odyssey. Though written centuries before the contemporary era, retellings of the work continue to exist. Other poets, such as Keats and Pound, make reference to the poem in their own work, and James Joyce, in his Ulysses, uses its thematic and…

The Odyssey, written by Homer, is one of two ancient Greek epic poems and was written near the end of the eighth century BC. The Odyssey tells the tale of the Greek hero Odysseus who has been missing for 10 years and is trying to return to his kingdom in Ithaca. Everyone, including Penelope (Odysseus…

The Illiad is a story detailing the consequences of the competition between the three goddesses Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera on who was the most beautiful and fairest of all the Gods. They decide to have Paris, the prince of Troy, decide who was the most beautiful. They decide to bribe him with gifts of swords…

Few myths from the Greek canon have enjoyed as long a life as Homers Odyssey. Though written centuries before the contemporary era, retellings of the work continue to exist. Other poets, such as Keats and Pound, make reference to the poem in their own work, and James Joyce, in his Ulysses, uses its thematic and…

There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism (Hamilton, 45). A Heros Journey is never an easy one, but what defines a Hero? The best way to define a hero is by looking at literary examples such as the Odyssey or the Illiad.…

Early in the Iliad, Homers epic poem about the legendary Trojan War, there occurs a famous digression known as the catalogue of ships, which names all the Greek leaders and contingents who came to fight at Troy. These verses reflect a central claim of epic poetry  that through the inspiration of the Muses, daughters…

Homer was an ancient Greek author and epic poet. He is the reputed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the two epic poems that are the foundational works of ancient Greek literature. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential authors of all time: for example, in Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy,…

Although the Aeneid shares many characteristics with the Homeric epic, as an epic it is different in important ways. For this reason, the Aeneid is referred to as a literary or secondary epic in order to differentiate it from primitive or primary epics such as the Homeric poems. This, should not be interpreted as value…

The Odyssey, a poem written by Homer, is a story about Odysseus’ journey home after the Trojan War. While he is away, his wife, Penelope is surrounded by these horrible suitors who eat all the food and destroy Odysseus’ home. While in the Inferno, written by Dante Alighieri, the poet and pilgrim Dante goes on…

Early in the Iliad, Homers epic poem about the legendary Trojan War, there occurs a famous digression known as the catalogue of ships, which names all the Greek leaders and contingents who came to fight at Troy. These verses reflect a central claim of epic poetry  that through the inspiration of the Muses, daughters…