Conflict in The Odyssey Essay - 998 Words

The epic of The Odyssey by Homer is the second oldest surviving Greek text. The story contains many conflicts such as man v god, man v himself, and man v society. This paper will explore some of the important conflicts in this classic tale. Man v god is the most important conflict in the story. Towards the beginning of the story Odysseus goes to war against the Trojans and wins. What he doesn’t know is that the great God Poseidon favored Odysseus and his army and helped them win the Trojan War. Poseidon becomes very angry with Odysseus’s choice in not thanking him and causes a great deal of troubles for Odysseus and his men at sea. Odysseus planned on going home but because he didn’t thank the great God of the Sea and he gets off†¦show more content†¦While Odysseus spends his time stranded on Calypso’s island he must battle his faith and stay true to Penelope. Although Calypso loves him and offers him such a marvelous gift, the gift of immo rtality, it challenges Odysseus true being. While the gift of immortality grants Odysseus with a life of no death he is tempted. He questions what he should do; he begins to see things with his heart and not with his head. He still knows he loves Penelope and she loves him but his thoughts of her being already remarried have worried Odysseus. Odysseus turns down the offer of immortality and decides to build a ship and return home to his wife. A second example of man v himself conflict is Penelope v faithfulness. While Odysseus is at sea for twenty years the suitors go to his home and demand that Penelope remarry because they tell her that Odysseus is dead. Because Penelope is true to her heart and feels that Odysseus will one day return she decides to weave a shroud that resembles a ship to give to Odysseus time to return home. When Odysseus finally returns home he kills all the suitors and finds out that he wasn’t the only one who stayed faithful but his wife Penelo pe also. Another type of conflict that pertains to The Odyssey is man v society. While Odysseus is at sea for 20 years the suitors go to his home and demand that Penelope remarry because they tell her that Odysseus is dead. Because Penelope is trueShow MoreRelatedThe Odyssey : An Adventure Of Obstacles And Conflicts1568 Words   |  7 Pageswasn’t always like that. This technology hasn’t existed until very recently in time. Since the start of humanity, our goals have been to evolve our ways of living. How far has this strive for intelligence reached? In the ancient story of Homer’s The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus travels from Troy to Ithica through an adventure of obstacles and strife. Since the setting takes place thousands of years ago, much of the technology is outdated and obsolete. 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