The Odyssey

Introduction

The Odyssey, by Homer, entails characters with a strong sense of illusion and disguise. Illusions are a temporary image of what our minds are willing to see in reality. Illusions take us away from the real world, from what is happening around us. When these illusions encounter the reality, they get defeated. There are different characters in the book which create disguises. After a certain time, they completely forget their real identity and are in chaos that who they are.

Odysseus is a character in the book, who is the master of disguise among humans. He is the major character in the book that has been able to accept the disguise as his real self and a result, gets confused between who he is and who he pretends to be. He was the father of Prince Telemachus and husband of Queen Penelope. Initially, Odysseus has been introduced in the book as a very un heroic character. He was shown as sulking on the beach. He was alone desiring to reach home. The goddess, Polyphemus, had imprisoned Odysseus.

Discussion

The book has emphasized on the inner character of Odysseus. This character is shown as living with the feeling of confusion, loneliness and despair. The experiences of Odysseus have matured him. The experiences of Odysseus have been elaborated step by step along with his disguises. The character's goals behind those disguises have also been under review.

Odysseus was one of the most courageous soldiers of Greek army. He faced many hardships during the Trojan war. Even after the war, he went through many trials. It took him twenty years to return to his Kingdom, to his wife and son in Ithaca. This character is shown to be painful reality for long. Hence, he tries to get out of his veracity by his wit ...