Vengeance of the Gods :: essays research papers

What is an epos? An epic is an extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes and is written in a high style. The Odyssey, by mark, is in spades one of the greatest classic epics known to man. This tale contains numerous epic elements such as in media res or in the middle of things to clutch the readers attention and make the reader keep edition to get the full story. throughout the story, Homer included the epic element of presage intervention where the gods play a role in the outcome of actions of mortals. The theme of hospitality to strangers is also present in this celebrated epic. The Odyssey is worthy of being an epic because of these three conventions.Homer uses the epic element in media res to pull the reader in by starting in the middle of the story. The reader is thusly filled in by flashbacks or the main character re-telling his tale. By using this convention, Homer keeps the reader curious and interested and makes the reader kee p reading until he or she finishes understanding the whole plot. In The Odyssey, the reader does not know half of Odysseus journey until he enlightens Alkinoos and Arte as to what events took organize before he was washed ashore on Kalypsos Island. The reader always expects for the story to go directly to Odysseus, but instead the story follows the gods. Homer used in media res to show respect to the gods by starting the story In the bright hall of Zeus (I. 42). The author depicts conservation amidst Zeus and Athena about the fate of Odysseus to show that the gods always come first even before the main character. Homer uses the curiosity of the reader to his return by starting out Odysseus desire journey home in media res.Divine intervention is another major component of this epic. At the beginning, Homer determined the role of the gods to determine the fate of Odysseus. With this Athena left him/ as a bird rustles upward, off and gone. / But as she went she put new spirit in h im, / a new dream of his father (I. 368-371). Without the involvement of the grey-eyed goddess Athena, Telemakhos would never have gain the courage to journey out into the world to find the fate of his father. Throughout the epic, Athena appears on earth disguised as everything from a little girl to Odysseuss old friend Mentor to spin Odysseuss long journey home.