In the story of Sisyphus, if existentialism is best defined as “existence precedes essence”, Sisyphus is an existential hero because of his existential viewpoint on his torture in the underworld and his ability to control his fate. Firstly, Sisyphus’ existential viewpoint on his torture supports his status as an existential hero because Sisyphus’ task of pushing the rock up the hill indefinitely is only considered torture when he acknowledges the desolate essence of his labor. For example, Sisyphus is portrayed as an existential hero in this case because if he chooses to view the boulder-rolling as a task that merely exists to be completed in the present, he is no longer burdened. Through his acknowledgement of the existence of the task and…
Since the beginning of recorded history, man has been telling grand adventure stories; exciting tales of heroes defeating enemies, seeking treasure, and experiencing perilous tribulations. “The Odyssey”, by the Greek poet Homer, is one of the most famous epics to date. It follows the adventures of the Greek king, Odysseus, as he travels through the Mediterranean, trying to return home. The protagonist of an epic is called the “epic hero”, and he must exhibit certain characteristics to fulfill this title: he must represent the values of his culture, be either aided or hindered by the gods, and demonstrate one or more character flaws. Because he meets all three criteria, Odysseus can be considered the definitive epic hero.…
Odysseus' perseverance is what kept him going on to live with happiness and success.…
In some ways, success can be negative because it heightens a person’s values to a fault. In The Odyssey, Odysseus becomes overconfident after he escapes Polyphemus and takes his search for Kleos too far. He shouts angrily, “Cyclops-/ if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so-say ODysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (9.558-562). In response, Polyphemus throws a boulder which nearly hits Odysseus's ship.…
Hercules, Athena, Dionysus, Hades; everyone from Ancient Greek into todays society has heard of these respectable names. These famous symbols being the Goddess or God of their respectful emotion or achievement (and others). But there is one Goddess who was not as notable as the others were. This Goddess had many great achievements just as any Greek God has, was respected for their kind nature, and helped any person who was drastically in need but had fallen from the top to rock bottom due to a controversy This Goddess was named Laticus. Laticus was the sister of Athena.…
He killed a lion with his bare hands, brought a boar alive back to King Eurystheus, and brought justice to a cruel barbaric king who fed human beings to his horses. These are just three of the amazing feats that this Greek hero accomplished. He was born of Zeus and a mortal woman. Hera tried to kill him twice, but it didn’t work out, even though he was driven insane and killed his wife and children. He worked for King Eurystheus for twelve years and was a great warrior.…
A true hero is somebody with courage or ability, he or she is admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities. As a reader, if you are reading the Odyssey then you will read about a character Odysseus. Reading the Odyssey you have to know what type of person Odysseus is. The reader has to determine whether Odysseus is a hero or a bad person. Odysseus is a hero because he disguised himself as a beggar to see how the suitors were treating his land and his wife, Penelope and he came home, traveling through horrible conditions, to be with his family once again, and to meet his son him and Penelope had before he went to the Trojan War.…
A hero to me is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself, in The Odyssey by Homer, there is an epic hero named Odysseus. An epic hero is someone who is: brave and a noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. Odysseus deserves the title as an epic hero for several reasons. Odysseus is an example for an epic hero for his courageousness, instinct, and cockiness during his adventures in the odyssey. There are many reasons why Odysseus is an epic hero.…
Epic Heroes: Odysseus and Harry Potter The Odyssey by Homer tells the story of Odysseus, a young man who spends twenty years of his life from the people he loves. After a ten-year war, he and his companions fight to come home to Ithaca, but are continuously stalled by ferocious monsters and captivating goddesses. Odysseus serves as the model for an epic hero.…
Every sentient being has someone that they look up to at some point in their life, whether it be a mother, father, sibling, or maybe even a friend or celebrity. This person can be considered a hero, but not in the same context as Odysseus from Homer’s Odyssey. In this epic poem, Odysseus travels home from his victory in the Trojan War. His journey will take almost a decade, and the dangers he encounters will be great. Even when he reaches home his journey continues.…
As a result, Wolf would most likely argue against Taylor’s claim that a change in Sisyphus’ attitude on rock-rolling makes his activity meaningful. To Wolf, attitude is not enough to make life meaningful or sustain meaning in life. If a life is devoted to doing the things that are good for only you, that is not living a meaningful life, but living life solipsistically. Wolf suggests that we instead live our lives by doing or caring for something not because of our “own psychologies... or our own desires, but in a fact about the world” (Wolf 12). In other words, we should live lives that are not just for ourselves.…
The famous epic poem by Homer, The Odyssey, tells of Odysseus’ tumultuous journey back to his home on the island of Ithaka. Odysseus, the main character in the epic poem, appears to be the hero slaying the monsters, but as his journey continues it becomes more difficult to distinguish who the monster really is. Upon closer inspection, the true monster is not one of the various mythical creates Odysseus faces, but is instead Odysseus himself. Passages from book nine and book 22 of The Odyssey, demonstrate how the true monster is actually Odysseus. Odysseus and his men arrive on an island, in book nine, and enter a cave seeking to steal any valuable loot they can find.…
Within this paper I will be exploring the many diverse aspects of the cult of Dionysus in Ancient Greece along the significance they had throughout its time, and the relevance of this religion in our present-day. This discussion will be divided into three sections reviewing, in order; the origins of the cult, the practices that took place within the religion, and comparisons between the cult with Christianity today. The opening section will address how Dionysus, the great God of wine, came to be, when and where this cult is speculated to have started and who participated in this worship. The next segment focuses on the festivities that took place, such as symposiums, and the compelling teachings these gatherings had. I will furthermore be…
The stories of Greek mythology have had many interpretations and many meanings throughout the years. There are also many similarities and differences between stories from the past; Just like in the plays Bacchae and Hippolytus. Both Aphrodite and Dionysus' motivation and behaviors in the plays Bacchae (Dionysus) and Hippolytus (Aphrodite) were similar, in that, they both wanted to restore honor to their names and they used the family to teach the one who disrespected them to show respect to a god/goddess. But on the other hand, the human perceptions of these gods were far different from each other. First off, the motivation for both gods is very similar, they both wanted to make sure they were well respected among the mortals and that the…
I don’t have a preference or agree with either idea of existentialism or Absurdum more because I think they are both equally necessary to live a happy life that you want to live. I appreciate the idea of existentialism because if I am existentialist I would think that I could do what I want in my life. Then I can determine what I am going to do next I can change my future. I am the one making my own happiness, I can be as happy as I want to be by doing what I want when ever I want to.…