But the shift in connotation exemplifies differences in context. Guile has clearly undergone a shift in connotation since Homer used it. Guile, sly, and tact are the qualities most alluded to, and they were obviously respected. It is clear from these descriptions that Homer considered Odysseus an admirable man. Homer called Odysseus: "the noble and enduring man" (Homer 26.219), "the kingly man" (Homer 15.588), "that sly and guileful man" (Homer 14.457), "the great tactician" (Homer 11.438), and "the strategist" (Homer 5.223). As such, the characteristics he embodied had mainly positive connotations. As the author, Homer is closest to Odysseus and thus, when he describes Odysseus as "crafty Odysseus" or "Odysseus, the great tactician," the impression gained is more qualified and direct than the interpretations we may have looking from our own culture at Odysseus' dialogue. Before making a speech or in the middle of dialogue, Homer would use a number of adjectives to describe the character of the person about to speak, as it pertained to their response. Homer uses a number of techniques to characterize. I will start with the Odyssey because it is about Odysseus as he first appears in our history. It is in their works that you can see the shift in the definition of virtue and the abstractions that indicate virtue. Regardless of their different angles in seeing Odysseus, each shows a very human interest in maintaining integrity. And Tennyson, in the age of British colonization, looks at Odysseus as an adventurous hero with the strength and determination to persevere in the face of adversity. Dante, rather, coming from the Trojan/Roman side of the Trojan War portrays Ulysses as guileful and prideful, paralleling even Icarus in needing excess. The Odysseus of the Odyssey is portrayed as a hero who yearns to return home to his family after the Trojan War, but he endures countless struggles in the process. In this paper I will explore the characteristics most thematic in Odysseus' character as he returns home in the Odyssey, as he burns in hell in Dante's Inferno, and as he exemplifies perseverance and courage in Tennyson's "Ulysses." Because Odysseus recurs so often in western history, it seems that he is a sort of gauge of the beliefs of the culture. However, the contrasts between the Odysseus of ancient times, Medieval times, and the Victorian era communicate changing tensions within the context of the culture. Having recurred in the classic works of at least three poets-Homer's Odyssey, Dante's Inferno, and Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulysses"-he is clearly magnetic in his appeal to numerous cultures, regardless of the context. Odysseus/Ulysses is a classical figure who reappears historically in the poetry of numerous writers. To save his life, to bring his shipmates home." (Homer 1.1-10) In his deep heart at sea, while he fought only Of that man skilled in all ways of contending,Īnd learned the minds of many distant men,Īnd weathered many bitter nights and days
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