Exploring Death In The Odyssey

Exploring Death In The OdysseyIn Homers The Odyssey, many contrasting radicals and basiss into his epic, and this subject catches the attention of some(prenominal) critics death and rebirth. There are several examples of how a burial is non necessary for the people to make their pilgrimage to the underworld, such as Elpenor, who is unexpended behind by Odysseus and his men during the war. Also, a situation arises at the beginning of the epic where Telemachus does not know the condemn of his father, who has been absent from Ithaca for twenty years. Other examples include when Odysseus and his crew visit the realm of the Dead, Odysseus many hardships he has to endure, and when he fin exclusivelyy returns home from the Trojan War. The motif of death and rebirth is weaved intricately throughout Homers epic tale. This paper examines arrest XI for how this key theme is apparent when Odysseus is able to communicate with his consanguinity and fellow soldiers in the state of the Dead.In Book XI, Odysseus and his crew plane to the Kingdom of the Dead. This first soul he recognizes is that of Elpenor, his fallen comrade, and vividly retells the events that teach place in a flashback ideally first the ghost of Elpenor, my companion, came toward me. /Hed not been buried under the wide ways of earth, /not yet, wed odd his body in Circes house, /unwept, unburied-this other labor pressed us. /But I wept to see him now, pity touched my heart /and I called out a winged word to him there Elpenor, /how did you travel down to the world of night? /Faster on foot, I see, than I in the black ship. (XI. 56-64). This expiration explains how the Greeks thought burial to be an end of some sort, but this proves that Elpenor tranquillise makes it to the Kingdom of the Dead even though Odysseus did not give him a proper burial.He also recalls meeting the great warrior Achilles and praising him for his kleos But you, Achilles, /theres not a man in the world to a greater e xtent put forward than you- /there never has been, never leave be one. /Time was, when you were alive, we Argives / honor you as a god, and now down here, I see, /you lord it everyplace the dead in all your power. /So grieve no more at dying, great Achilles. I reassured the ghost, but he broke out, protesting, /No winning words about death to me, shining Odysseus /By god, Id rather slave on earth for another man- /some dirt-poor tenant farmer who scrapes to keep alive- /than rule down here over all the breathless dead (XI. 547-58). By Homer placing this warning to Odysseus from Achilles, it seems that Achilles wanted to set off that Odysseus needed to rethink how he wanted to be remembered glory was not everything it was cracked up to be. Odysseus and his crew return to the living world, . . . where Helios, the sun, makes his uprising . . . (XII. 4), symbolise their rebirth. Homer uses light and dark images to emphasize this rebirth. In this passage, the two heroes dig out i nto the variances between the two realms they now inhabit, and each perceives the grass to be greener on the opposite side. Odysseus is envious of Achilles strength and the glory he had won from it Achilles is overjealous of Odysseus for being alive. Homer also uses many light and dark references to express the death and rebirth theme in this epic novel-the darkness is emblematical of death, and the light represents life, and therefore, rebirth. Achilles informs Odysseus about his eventual return home whilst visiting the Kingdom of the Dead.The first example of how the motif of death and rebirth is evident in this poem is that of Telemachus uncertainty of his fathers fate. In Book I, he tells Athena, who is clothed as Menelaus, But now, no use, hes died a wretched death. /No comforts left for usnot even if /someone, somewhere, says hes coming home. /The day of his return impart never dawn (I. 193-5). This symbolizes the fact that Telemachus is dead in the sense that he does not have any desire to reclaim his house from the suitors. Athena, disguised as one of Odysseus friends, convinces Telemachus that Odysseus is not dead and to set out on his quest to receive his kleos. This is very significant because Homer shows how each fictitious character goes through a level of death and what happens after the fact. In appropriate XXIV, the last example of this motif is found. Upon realizing Odysseus return home, Laertes faints. Symbolically, this refers to the death of Laertes. He is basically reborn when he awakens, and is instilled with a new passion for life and no longer wishes to make his journey to the underworld. Overall, the death and rebirth theme makes a very significant impact in The Odyssey.Homer makes use of this theme for several reasons. One of the more important underlying themes in the entire book is that one should never give up on living, and this theme highlights that in several passages and scenes. In this epic, Homer emphasizes that, even though a situation may seem undefeatable, there is always a passage that will not only keep one alive, but will also provide some valuable lesson to learn from or insight. In this epic, the theme of death and rebirth is universal and proves The Odysseys timelessness and longevity.