Buy Essay Online: Odysseus’ Struggle Against the Sea in Homers Odyssey

Odysseus Struggle Against the ocean in Homers Odyssey The Greeks conception of the universe was anchored in the of all time presence of the sea and they imagined the farthest limits of the earth to be a all-inclusive expanse of water. While enabling them to be a sea-faring people, the ocean withal forced them to face the constant holy terror of becoming shipwrecked and dying at sea. In face of the threat posed by the sea, the Greeks sought to adjoin that the forces of nature must be endured by man, and more importantly, that these forces must also be overcome by his efforts, his action, and his intelligence. In Homers Odyssey, it is upon the medium of the sea that Odysseus faces his more or less dehumanizing struggles. At the onset of the epic, it is set forth that it is upon the ocean that Odysseus struggle takes place. On the ocean he Odysseus suffered many pains within his heart,/ Striving for his life. (1.4-5) His bout against the sea is literally a struggle against Pose idon. Odysseus must undergo such(prenominal) strife for many years at sea, for all the gods pitied him,/ Except Poseidon, who contended unremittingly/ With divine Odysseus, till the man reached his own land. (1.19-20). Poseidon pursues him with relentless malice for he the Great Compromiser enraged about the Cyclops whom Odysseus blinded in the eye,/ Godlike Polyphemos, who possesses the greatest strength/ Of all Cyclopes. The nymph Thoosa gave him birth,/ The daughter of Phorcys, ruler over the impec burn downt sea,/ In hollow caves, after she had lain with Poseidon. (1.67-73) Poseidon ensures that his element becomes a constant threat and obstacle to Odysseus because Odysseus not only blinded Polyphemos but also because he had the audacity to boast about it. Poseidons curse is a desire... ...the obstacles of the sea can be overcome for in reality, the sea is forever encroaching upon the litoral of civilization. Works Cited and ConsultedBloom, Harold , Homers Odyssey Edited a nd with an Introduction, NY, Chelsea House 1988Heubeck, Alfred, J.B. Hainsworth, et al. A commentary on Homers Odyssey. 3 Vols. Oxford PA4167 .H4813 1988Jones, Peter V. Homers Odyssey a companion to the translation of Richmond Lattimore. Carbondale, IL gray Illinois University Press, c1988. PA4167 .J66 1988Peradotto, John , Odysseus Struggle in the Odyssey, Princeton UP 1997Stanford, William Bedell. Homers Odyssey. 2 Vols. Macmillan Thalmann, William G., The Odyssey an epic of return. cutting York Twayne Publishers. PA4167 .T45 1992 Tracy, Stephen V., The story of the Odyssey. Princeton, N.J. Princeton University Press, c1990. PA4167 .T7 1990