THE ODYSSEY

The Odyssey

Symbolism in “The Odyssey: The Hero's Journey”

Introduction

The myth of Ulysses could possibly be described as one of the most complex and one of the closest human beings, of all Greek antiquity has left us; throughout the poem, this myth recounts the journey of Odysseus.

Human, as for Ulysses, fight, suffer, because he loves, as human beings yearn for, fight, suffer, because he loves. His story is complex as we cannot separate the story of Odysseus of his wife Penelope, his son Telemachos his father Laertes; Anticlea his mother, dead of grief for his absence, of his mother Eurycleia, swineherd Eumaeus its, of his faithful dog Argos (Sanderson, 2006). They are all deeply human characters, including, if I could say, that creature that waited twenty years to catch a glimpse back to its owner, give a last token of love and death.

The whole history of Ulysses is even more complex than the stories of all those people close to him, who are also not simple. Because, as we know, there are a multitude of other beings that inhabit the wonderful poem called Odyssey. These are all, like them, a great symbolic meaning: the sorceress Circe, who turns men into animals, the nymph Calypso, who offers Odysseus immortality divine, the pure fresh Nausicaa, next to which Odysseus could have a peaceful new home in the country of men happy and peaceful, the Phaeacians. And what about those extra human beings whose hostility or whose temptations can lose Ulysses, and ultimately lost all his companions: Poseidon, Polyphemas, Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the Cicones, erratic rocks, the flowers of the Lotus-eaters, cows of the sun (Homer & Dawe, 2009).

Discussion

The Odyssey is an epic with two heroes: Odysseus, the champion of the Trojan war, and his son, Telemachos. Both these men face many tribulations on their heroic journeys. Each obstacle in the journey symbolizes one aspect of the heroes' nature that he must overcome in order to become more self-aware. The adventures of the heroes follow the basic chronological pattern presented in Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces; both quests are rich in symbolism (Browne, 2008).

At the start of the epic, Telemachos faces a difficult situation in the home of Peneloperia. Suitors are always present at Peneloppia's house; drinking, feasting, gambling and pursuing women. These suitors represent the world, specifically the materialistic pleasure-oriented philosophy of those who live solely in this present, with no interest in the pursuit of higher meaning. Telemachos does not join in the reveling. He holds himself back and grieves for his father, wishing that Odysseus would come and drive off the suitors. Because Telemachos not rooted in the world around him, he is easily persuaded to go on a quest. His freedom from worldly cares leaves him open to the challenge of seeking wisdom and knowledge. His call to adventure occurs when Athena appears to him. She says, "Indeed, you ought not to play about in the nursery any longer; your childhood days are done"(Lattimore 1967, ...