Complete 5 page APA formatted essay: Odysseus in the Iliad and The Odyssey.Download file to see previous pages... The main common themes of The Iliad and The Odyssey are life and death, destiny and th

Complete 5 page APA formatted essay: Odysseus in the Iliad and The Odyssey.

The main common themes of The Iliad and The Odyssey are life and death, destiny and the main heroes' ability to resist destiny and gods' will and achieve their own goals in spite of numerous obstacles. Odysseus is one of the main characters of The Iliad and the main hero of The Odyssey. Odysseus character, purposes and manner of action in both poems are different although there are also many similarities. The paper will discuss that the main difference of Odysseus in The Iliad and The Odyssey is that in The Iliad he, as well as many other characters of the poem, depended very much on gods' will and gods' actions, while in The Odyssey he mostly acted independently from the heaven forces. Other significant difference of Odysseus in the poems: in The Iliad he had no need to change and develop his character, he had other purposes, while in The Odyssey he had to act by himself, without any essential help of gods, he had a purpose to get home and to save his crew - his character changed, and his manner of acting was different than that in The Iliad. This paper will discuss these points of comparison between The Iliad and The Odyssey. In addition to that, appropriate examples from the poems will be given to developing the essay.

2. As was indicated above, in The Iliad Odysseus and many other important characters of the poem expected protection and help of such gods as Zeus, Aphrodite, Aiolos and Helios: "Then Odysseus, destroyer of cities, rose up, grasping the sceptre.At his side, bright-eyed Athena, looking like a herald, silenced troops, so Achaeans close by and far away could hear him and follow to his advice" (The Iliad, book 2, 330). In The Odyssey he, unlike his character in The Iliad, shows much more independence in his actions. In The Odyssey he had no support from Athena and Zeus, some gods prevented his way to Ithaca, and he suffered misfortunes while returning home, and these misfortunes strengthened his character: "Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted. moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home" (The Odyssey, book 1). All his adventures in The Odyssey prove that the most powerful gods didn't support Odysseus. and Poseidon, the sea god (Neptune in Latin), as Homer wrote, "persecuted him without ceasing and would not let him get home" (The Odyssey, book 1). In The Odyssey, Odysseus has to develop his character as he and his crew went through numerous problems and obstacles while returning to Ithaca. Otherwise, in The Iliad, his main purposes are to show his heroic and strategic ability that is reflected in different scenes, such as in a scene where Odysseus presents Agamemnon's offers to Achilles (The Iliad, book 9, 230). Odysseus didn't insist as he understood that the confrontation with Achilles can lead the fail of the mission and turn Achilles to a stronger position against Odysseus. Such Odysseus' character features as cunning and diplomacy also helped him to achieve his goals.

In The Iliad Odysseus' cunning and diplomatic character is better shown. For example, after the death of Patroklos he refused to rush into the battle until his soldiers eat: "Though you're a brave man, god-like Achilles, don't encourage Achaea's sons to fight against the Trojans on empty stomachs.&nbsp.