Great Heaven and Earth bore Kottos and Gyes and Briarues, for example. Hesiod’s heaven is for the gods, born of Earth, “starry Heaven, first, to be an equal to herself, to cover her all over, and to be a resting-place, always secure, for all the blessed gods” (Hesiod, n.d., p. 56). Hesiod’s hell was not a place to go because of sin and therefore punishment but a place the Titans were sent to when they lost the war. Hesiod describes the gods as squabbling and fighting one
In conclusion, in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, we see the roles that gods and fate play in the lives of mortals. Odysseus is both aided and troubled the actions of Gods, but ultimately reaches his goal of returning home. Without the aid of the Gods, particularly Zeus and Athena, Odysseus would not have been able to reclaim his throne and return home to his wife, son, and palace. Persistence remains strong in Odysseus throughout the story, but only divine intervention and fate help him ward off troubles and conquer all
Looking at these events from a non-religious perspective the gods can be seen as symbols of Odysseus’ personality. Athena represents the strong-willed side of him, while Poseidon can be seen as his self-destructive tendencies. These conflicting characteristics are keeping him from reaching his final destination of Ithaca. Odysseus is cunning and witty but he can be pompous and arrogant at the same time. Self esteem is not a short coming for him.
This story also shows Odysseus’ resourceful attribute when he uses the rams for concealment. In the story of the Sirens he uses the wax from the ship to block the ears of his comrades, which shows resourcefulness. Additionally, the story of the Sirens shows that Odysseus is unable to endure the temptations of the sirens, as he struggles and calls to be released. From surviving this ultimate test of forbearance, Odysseus learns endurance and later, when he returns to Ithaca he will need this skill. His temper during these four books can be ungovernable, as he says: ‘Now when Eurylochus said that, I considered drawing the long sword from my sturdy side and lopping his head off to roll in the dust, but my men held me back and calmed me down’1.
However, Odysseus has good traits that an epic hero has, but he also have bad traits too, such as, being overconfident and angering gods. Lastly, he would have to overcome many challenges throughout his difficult journey in order to come home to Ithacha to reunite with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemacus, after twenty years lost at sea. When Odysseus was sailing away from Polyphemus, he declares the Cyclops, in book 9 (line 418-419),“ tell him Odysseus, raiders of cities, took your eye”. The city that Odysseus raided was Troy, since he was in the Trojan war just before he had to go on the journey to redeem himself. Likewise, during his journey, he had also been disloyal to his wife, Penelope.
The Odyssey is an epic story of Odysseus, his journey home, and the trials he encounters on his way. Due to a selfish statement against the gods he is punished and prevented from returning home. During his journey he is subjected to temptation and many obstacles that prevent his return. Odysseus uses his intellectual power to overcome situations still that relate to society today. After Odysseus leads the defeating blow to the Trojans he proclaims his superiority over the gods.
In Greek mythology there are a many stories that depict warriors that go out on these dangerous quests willing to sacrifice themselves and do whatever it takes for the goodness of mankind, completing extraordinary tasks that would be impossible for any mere man or woman to accomplish. Author and academic Lewis R. Farnell tells us “a hero in Greek religion is considered a famous person, who after his death, was worshiped as quasi-divine.” Which means one of the major elements that define a Greek hero is the way he is worshipped after death by the people he saved sacrificing himself in the process. Farnell also tells that the people worshipped the brave heroes in a different way to how they would attend and pray for the dead, differentiating the rituals heroes and mere men would receive, “In hero worship, as in the worship of all infernal powers, rituals were performed at night, black animals were sacrificed, and blood and other liquid offerings were poured beside the hero's tomb.” When we talk about Heroes in Greek mythology especially, they are usually accompanied by a number of different personal qualities and characteristics, the is always the protagonist in the myth fighting for justice and freedom against tyranny and showed great courage, strength, confidence and bravery when all things seemed to be hopeless and lost, which expressed a number of moral values. A Greek hero is usually half mortal half god (demi-god) where one of the parents would be mortal and the other divine. These traits are evident in the story of Perseus, one of the oldest and most celebrated heroes in Greek mythology, as we are told by Homer’s epic poem the Iliad, Perseus was a demi-god because he was son of Zeus and Danae princess of Argos, “Then
Terry’s transformation throughout the film is stemmed from his moral awakening due to the betrayal he feels from Johnny Friendly and his “henchmen”. Initially, he is determined to disregard his conscience yet as a result of the guilt & restlessness he feels in regards to his role in Joey’s murder, his conscience becomes distinguished. His guilt over the murder is juxtaposed against the carelessness of the mobsters who joke that Joey could “sing but he couldn’t fly”, it is here that the Kazan separates Terry from the mob as he conveys him as a vulnerable & sensitive character as his conscience begins to overpower his ‘tough guy’ act. Kazan’s use of mist and fog relentlessly suppressing Terry Mallow highlights the ambiguity in Terry’s conscience, which reflects he is only just beginning to initiate recognition to his morals
He loses himself in his emotions, but he struggles to control himself while “evolving the right way” (125) in order to survive. Gene feels guilty for losing himself, as a child would, when throwing a temper-tantrum. He does not mean to hurt people, especially the ones he cares for, he just does not know any better. Gene’s instincts kick in when he feels threatened, and he always regrets when they do. After Gene kicked Leper’s chair he says to Mrs. Lepellier, “I’m terribly-it was a mistake…he said something crazy.
He tied himself down but did not put wax in his ears because we was to curious. However he did tell his crew to put wax in there ears. Even though Odysseus was tied down the Sirens tricks and temptations were unavoidable. Also the plot had intensity to it. When Odysseus wanted to be set free and he could not control him self luckily he had his crew members to help him through it.