Introduction
The poems The Iliad and The Odyssey were created in the eighth and early seventh centuries B.C. They reflected the worldview, the ideal of human behavior, and man’s place in nature and society. The protagonists of the poems are leaders who stand out for their bravery and strength. Homer pays tribute to them precisely because they can defend the interests of their people and take on the most decisive blows of the enemy.
Comparison of The Iliad and The Odyssey
Prominent Heroes of Homeric Epics
The poem The Iliad depicts many prominent warriors, including Diomedes, Ajax, and Patroclus, but the central role the author of the poem gives to Achilles. He is the youngest hero of the poem The Iliad and, simultaneously, the strongest warrior of the Greeks. At the same time, The Odyssey is a poem whose main character is the courageous Odysseus. Achilles and Odysseus are two courageous warriors and true heroes, but despite the seemingly inherent courage and tenacity, cunning is Odysseus’s unique characteristic that sets him apart.
Shifting Structures in Homeric Narrative
The development of the Iliad’s and the Odyssey’s plots shows that the Homeric epic has undergone significant changes and is moving from a more straightforward composition to a more sophisticated one. The Iliad and the Odyssey are linked by the unity of Homer’s idea of a heroic world. The Odyssey’s protagonist says, “Men are dissimilar: they love one thing and others another” (Homer, 1919). This seemingly simple truth makes it possible for the ancient poet to create heroes entirely different from each other and find something unique in each of them, thus breaking the old notions of traditionalism and uniformity of participants in the epic narrative.
Honor Versus Strategy: Contrasting Achilles and Odysseus
Thus, despite certain era similarities, each hero has the same and unique qualities. Achilles is the poem’s central figure, the bravest of the Achaean warriors, the son of the Thessalian king Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis (Homer, 1950). In particular, the poem notes that he is short-lived, destined for great glory and speedy death.
Achilles is portrayed as a mighty hero, and the Trojan enemies are afraid to leave the city walls (Homer, 1950). In the Iliad, the motif of Achilles’ invulnerability is not essential; the hero’s invincibility comes from his inner qualities. Achilles, the most potent and magnificent warrior among the Greeks, is an invincible hero, doomed to die in the prime of life.
No less significant character is embodied by Homer in Odysseus – a brave warrior, a clever warlord, skilled and competent in many professions. Odysseus is a great athlete, a brave sailor, a skilled carpenter, a cunning hunter, and even a poet who knows much about art. However, simultaneously, in Odysseus’s life, another man lives, ready to lie, pretend, and take on different images.
Odysseus is the most striking figure of the Ionian epic, not just a diplomat and practitioner, and indeed not just a cunning hypocrite. Odysseus is adventurous and devious, and he lies even when there is no need for it, but the patronizing Athena praises him for it (Barnes‐Holmes & Harte, 2022). While hunting down suitors, he chooses an opportune moment to massacre them and fills the whole palace with their corpses. The sacrificial bridegroom begs his pardon, but he blows his head off. After this savage massacre, as if nothing had happened, Odysseus embraces the maids and even sheds tears, followed by a happy meeting with his wife.
At the same time, Achilles is a true hero who values honor above all else. Achilles perceives that Agamemnon taking his prisoner violates his honor (Homer, 1950). Therefore, neither the author of the poem nor the Greeks accuse him of betrayal: Achilles’ self-abasement is perceived as a defense of honor (Clarke, 2019).
However, while cunning is a natural trait of Odysseus, his courage, endurance, and perseverance have been tested during the long and arduous wanderings that have hardened his body and soul. Everyone Odysseus meets during the long years of the Trojan War and then during the journey is subdued by his intelligence, judgment, courage, and bravery (Barnes‐Holmes & Harte, 2022). Even the sorceress Kirk, whose potion did not prevent Odysseus, is impressed by his fortitude. Even the goddess Athena recognizes his intelligence and foresight, saying that even a god would be hard-pressed to match Odysseus in cunning.
Conclusion
Thus, the poems The Iliad and The Odyssey are the most outstanding images, in the first – the spear, in the other – the oar. Achilles is the personification of courage and bravery, which is how the hero of a poem about war should be. However, these traits are few and far between in peacetime, and their lack is embodied in the character of Odysseus.
Homer’s Odysseus is the deepest patriot, the bravest warrior, the sufferer, the diplomat, the merchant, the entrepreneur, the dodgy adventurer, the womanizer, the beautiful family man, and the cruel executioner. He, like Achilles, can be called a true warrior, a courageous individual. However, Odysseus’s approach is different, and cunning, not honor, is his hallmark. Homer’s poem is the age-old wisdom of the people, presented in a language that all people of all times understand – the language of the tale. That is why everyone who gets acquainted with the characters of Homer remembers these vivid images of courage, bravery, and human reason forever.
References
Barnes‐Holmes, D., & Harte, C. (2022). Relational frame theory 20 years on: The Odysseus voyage and beyond. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 117(2), 240-266.
Homer. (1919). The Odyssey. London: New York: W. Heinemann; G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
Homer. (1950). The Iliad. New York, Modern Library.
Clarke, M. (2019). Achilles beside Gilgamesh: Mortality and wisdom in early epic poetry. Cambridge University Press.