Comparing The Illiad and The Odyssey in Genre, Language, and Structure - Essay Example

?A Comparative Study of Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey in Genre, Language, Characterization, Themes and Structure Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey are two classical epic poems. When one investigates the epic poetry genre, Homer’s language and similes, characterization of the protagonists, the prevailing themes and structure of the poem, one ultimately discovers a unity between both poems. The Iliad features the demi-god Achilles who goes out to war fighting against Troy. Odysseus also participates in the Trojan War. These warrior heroes manifest great strength and courage in war. They are largely undefeated and strive to accomplish their personal and national objectives. The epic poem pays homage to the Greco-Roman age when men and gods collaborate in waging warfare. One other particular trait in epic poems is the static nature of characters. Without character development, one sees the characters continue in their stubborn ways until destiny catches up with them. Epic poetry is the genre of both Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad. Epic poetry is a long discourse discussing the exploits of a famed warrior in Greco-Roman times. The poem dramatizes and poeticizes the narrative. It is a literary classic which forms part of oral tradition. The storyteller usually adds music to the poem to improve memorization. The heroes of epic poetry desire glory by their fightings and in the end procure it. They usually encounter capricious gods and goddesses who either work in their favor or disfavor. The main themes are usually about glorified warfare and an immortalized name for the hero; as a result the content primarily fixates on attaining to sublime and lofty goals. With these lofty ends in mind, the language is equally lofty, complex and codified. Odysseus is the protagonist of The Odyssey who overcomes all of his enemies who try to kill and lure him away from his home. He stands as a man who has an immense intellect and despite his leadership, is kind and sympathetic toward his men who accompany him on his mission. Odysseus has extraordinary strength and although he is not a god, he is able to penetrate the wiles of the gods. Odysseus is a faithful character because he does not neglect his family and cherishes his shipmates and fellow brothers-in-arms. His cunning, eloquence, disarming personality and self-knowledge help him evade the entrapments of his enemies. One can observe the perfectibility of Odysseus when at the beginning of the journey, he does not revere and respect the will of the gods as he should. As a consequence Odysseus undergoes man tragedies before he can realize that he cannot flout the gods and remain unscathed. Odysseus also on the onset has hubris which makes him think that he is invincible especially after coming away from the Trojan War with such honor and distinction. However, after many catastrophic events, he emerges more level-headed and aware of his own shortcomings and vulnerabilities. He is placed within the power and caprice of the gods such as Kalypso, Persepone and others and he must get rid of his hubris. Achilles is unlike Odysseus in several ways. Achilles stands out as a proud, overbearing, sometimes patriotic and ambitious protagonist of The Iliad. Achilles is bestowed with supernatural qualities because he descends from a nymph Thetis and Peleus, a god-king. Ironically in The Iliad, the Achilles heel of Achilles is not his vulnerable heel – it is his pride or hubris. While Odysseus would not dream of forsaking his loyal men or turn his back against his country, Achilles does without any remorse. He deliberately chooses to weaken his own kingdom as a means of retaliation against his king, exempting himself from war. He is not half as noble as Odysseus and is governed by passion than on careful scrutiny and judgment. The themes of The Odyssey focus on the home, hospitality, glorified warfare, the power of the gods, travelling/wandering, fidelity, disguise, storytelling and women as seductress. These themes are very pertinent to the play since they recount mainly the voyages of a lost-warrior, his adventures with seductive goddesses, the assistance and tyranny of gods on mankind’s fate, the skill of Odysseus and others to narrate stories and the overriding objective of Odysseus to return home after fighting at Troy. On the other hand, the thematic concerns of The Iliad include glorified war, the futility of life, the warrior’s honor, armor, hubris, the shield of Achilles, fire, burial/death and fate versus free will. These central subjects are the themes around which The Iliad revolves because Achilles, the protagonist is implicated in war, fights for honor, suffers intensely with hubris, and meets crossroads so that his decisions must either be founded in accordance with or contrary to the word and will of the gods. Homer used epithets unsparingly as he referred to his characters. Instead of repeating the names of the actors, he chooses epithets to connect the predominant qualities of his characters with their identities. For example, when alluding to the goddess, Circe, he calls her, “the great and cunning goddess.” Kalypso is known as “the great and powerful goddess,” Polypheides is “the greatest seer in the whole world,” and Odysseus is accoladed as “the wisest counselor in the world” (The Odyssey). Epithets continue to pervade The Iliad with labels used as indexes to pinpoint certain characters. These epithets are descriptive, detailed and accurate in naming characters. Cases in point are “my clubfooted son Vulcan…the godlike hero Maeon, son of Haemon, and Polyphontes” and “the silver-footed Thetis.” These epithets identify the characters, avoid repetition of characters’ names and maintain the tempo of the stanza in Homer’s epic poetry. Standard, formal and even flowery language is employed in Homer’s The Odyssey and also The Iliad. The characters hardly speak in conversation. Rather, they speechify as the plot advances. The theatrical propriety demanded the use of standard language. Similar to a Shakespearean soliloquy, Homer’s discourses have in-depth meaning and liberally utilize figurative language. The gods, goddesses and warriors communicate among one another in such a way that the learned and erudite can relate with the performance and poetic language. The Odyssey is an epic poem; therefore, one can expect the rhythmic flow of the language. Homer uses dactylic hexameter in his epic poetry. Dactylic hexameters are composed of five feet of dactyls and a spondee. Each line follows faithfully a mechanical six beat tone which gives the poem an almost musical quality. Indeed, the epic poetry culture of the day mandated the song like version of the lines. (Segal 336) notes that The Odyssey is more self-conscious than The Iliad about the commemorative function of poetry, as it is about all social contexts of song generally.” Homer’s The Iliad also flaunts some of Homer’s proficiency in song-writing and the retention of structure in his lines and stanza. “The meter of the Homeric epic, like all Greek epic meters was quantitative: that is not based on stress but on patterns of heavy and light syllables…there was a sequence with recognizable cadence” (Silk 12). The dactylic hexameter continues to come into play as Homer formats his epic poetry for musical accompaniment in oral presentation. Expanded similes or Homeric similes are frequent in Homer’s The Odyssey. With the use of ‘like’ and/or ‘as’ Homer draws elaborate and lengthy parallels for the actions and characterization of people and objects. For example, “She found Ulysses …bespattered with blood and filth like a lion that has just been devouring an ox, and his breast and both his cheeks are all bloody, so that he is a fearful sight; even so was Ulysses besmirched from head to foot with gore” and “the shirt that he wore next his skin, it was so soft that it fitted him like the skin of an onion.” One has to closely follow the adjectival allusions to not lose sight of the comparison. These similes are not simple, they are conflated and uniquely Homer’s in style. Homeric similes also are quite difficult to evade in Homer’s The Iliad. He artistically uses complex and elaborate techniques in making comparisons. A key example of a Homeric simile is “swift as the swoop of a black hunter-eagle which is the strongest and fleetest of all birds, even so did he spring forward” and “stretched like a worm upon the ground and watering the earth with the blood that flowed from his wound” (The Iliad). These similes are Homer’s peculiar literary fingerprint in his epic poetry. One element on which both The Odyssey and The Iliad share similarities is the glory of war or militarism. The stories are “set in a remote, heroic age… in which war and warrior leaders are the norm” (Silk 1). To preserve the welfare of the nation, to continue strengthening it, militarism was determined to be a way of survival and domination over other countries. Militarism is a concept which prevailed during Greco-Roman times as imperialistic leaders strive to extend their territories and subjugate other nations. It was an embattled period, beleaguered by war. War was encouraged and glorified as an enterprise by which one would determine the best and the supremest in physical and mental exertion. Heroism is a goal toward which soldiers worked. War also fosters unity and solidarity among fellowmen and conversely, sharpens conflict especially when warring gods and goddesses intervened. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey shows the connection between the religious and the militant as gods aid man to gain an advantage in war. These works also corroborates the tie which binds the macro and the micro and advocates “a just war” as the way to peace and order. In sum, Homer’s epic poetry is the only legacy of the heroes, passed down from age to age. Had there been no written or composed account, the narrative and the historical value would have been lost in oblivion. The key to understanding Homer lies in language usage, grasping the significance of the epic poetry and the time location. Attaining the end of appreciating Homer comes with taking careful note of the different facets of epic poetry (style, history, characterization, linguistic style, main concern and structure. The Trojan War is a landmark war which forms the base of the poem. Contextualization of the Trojan War within the Odyssey and the Iliad heightens the enjoyment of the play.   Works Cited: Segal, C. Song, Ritual, and Commemoration in Early Greek Poetry and Tragedy, Journal of Oral Tradition, 4(3), 1989, 330-346. Silk, M.S. Homer’s The Iliad, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004. Read More