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.

             A journey to the underworld is often involved with a hero"s life. Odysseus visited the Underworld on his trip back to Ithaca, he speaks with the soul of her mother, but he feels bad because he can"t touch her. He also meets the dead Achilles, who was brought to the underworld by the connivance of the god Apollo. While Achilles didn"t come back from the Underworld, Odysseus did.

             Odysseus most well known enemy is the Cyclops Polyphemus. He defeated him by wisely changing his name to "nobody". Achilles killed Hector, and then he fought his last battle with Memnon, king of the Ethiopians. After this last battle, Achilles, who was tired of war, had fallen in love with Polyxena, sister of Hector. To win her in marriage he consented to ask the Greeks to make peace.

             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.

             Odysseus death is not detailed in the Oddysey, it is presumed he died in Ithaca. Achilles died in hands of Paris, who threw a poisoned sword to Achilles" only weakness, his heel. The god Apollo helped Paris, which symbolizes Achilles losing favor of the gods.

             Telemachus tries to follow on the steps of his father, he has always had the image of a strong and brave father.