Similarities and Differences between Achilles and Odysseus
If we use today's definition of hero, the one who risks his life trying to save somebody, or always does something dangerous, or the one with big muscles and big body, then most of the Greek heroes would not fit this profile. Most of them were selfish, and anti-social. Webster's definition of a hero is "In mythology and legend, a man or woman, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his or her bold exploits, and favored by the gods". Many adaptations have been made on the qualities a hero should have, but most of them share the same characteristics. This essay will try to make a comparison between Odysseus and Achilles, using for this purpose the heroic pattern found in Harris and Platzner text. Some of the characteristics don't apply to any of these warriors, and some apply to only one of them.Odysseus was the son of Laertes and Anticlea, his father Laertes was king of Ithaca. Anticlea, his mother, was daughter of Autolycus. Achilles was the son of Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons of Thessaly, and his mother was the goddess Thetis, a Nereid. In both cases the fathers are rulers, both are kings, but it is not told whether either of the women was a virgin.
Odysseus was already king of Ithaca, he only retook was has rightfully his. Achilles states that he would rather be a peasant alive, than king of all people dead. He now has to face the fact that he has chosen to live a short and glorious life, as opposed to his other option of a long and blase life. Achilles chooses an early death with glory and Odysseus prefers the opposite, a long, undistinguished life at home. The hero of an epic is a human being with characteristics a society admires and often wishes to emulate. The hero becomes tragic when some error or fault, often inborn, of his own making, brings about his own death and usually the destruction of others. Often the hero has insight and realizes before anyone else what his fate will be. However, for reasons of his own, he forges ahead. The hero is mortal and vulnerable, although Odysseus and Achilles don't fit perfectly into the heroic pattern, they are still considered epic heroes because of the courage and bravery they have shown, they have been protected by the gods, and most important because both of them are warriors and have succeeded in war, and are worthy of admiration and respect. Thetis hides Achilles among the daughters of Lycomedes, just so he wouldn't fight at the Trojan war, this way she thought she would outwit fate, which told her that Achilles was going to die at the war. Odysseus tries to hide himself, arguing madness, to prevent going to the Trojan War. Both of them don't want to go war maybe because they had a bad feeling about it, or simply because they knew that the war was of no concern of them. isputed, some traditions tell that his mother Anticlea, was seduced by Sisyphus, king of Corinth, and that later she married Laertes, other sources tell that he was son of Laertes. Achilles conception is also unusual because he was the son of a sea nymph, which usually these are just spiritual representations of nature. Not only is Achilles plagued and troubled by problems with his fellow soldiers,
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1341
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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