Odyssey means trouble: giving and receiving in kind, while inferno is symbolic for hell. This paper reviews the two poems, written centuries apart. The odyssey and inferno are about the journey of two men. In the two poems, the main character is given guidance by another character aiding them in their travel. Athena is the protector of Odysseus on his journey back from the Trojan War to his family in Ithaca.
Dante on the other hand was led by vigil through hell in order to save his soul. In Dante’s inferno, there is a struggle between good and evil setting up the theme of the poem.The journey through hell is symbolic; the presentation of the soul towards God. The two characters, Athena and vigil, can be perceived as escorts in the journeys, both leading them into different endings. Athena is regarded as a goddess of wisdom in the Greek mythologies. She uses her wisdom to guide Odysseus form Calypsos Island.
Poseidon, enraged by her acts, sends a wave to wreck the ship but she helps him survive. “But Zeus’s daughter Athena countered him at once.The rest of the winds she stopped right in their tracks, commanding them all to hush now, go to sleep. All but the boisterous North-she whipped him up and the goddess beat the breakers flat before Odysseus, dear to Zeus, so he could reach the Phaeacians, mingle with men who love their long oars and escape his death at last. The theme of maturation usually is reserved for young people maturing into adults.
Odysseus and vigil are adults already but the son to Odysseus, Telemachus, is coming of age. Athena also guides Telemachus on his journey to find his father. Giving him wisdom and hope which helps him become a mature young man. She helps Telemachus find himself as vigil helps Dante's.They both are mentors as they also let them find themselves.
Dante’s journey through hell represents the different evils that identify with humanity. Each sinner will be punished in capacity befitting their crimes: the chief sin committed is endowed for eternity. All sins are represented in nine circles in the inferno. Dante’s poem was written at a time when the earth was undergoing a revolution of Christian majority. The inferno is therefore symbolic of a Christian hell.
Perceived religion interpretation is what has shaped the morals and cultures of the people on earth.One important difference that cannot be overlooked is the religious differences of the time in the two poems. Ancient Greece belief at the time was polytheism; the existence of different gods for different aspects of nature and humanity. These gods affected the livelihood of people on earth. Dantes inferno was written when the world was approaching a Christian majority. The roles of the women in both epics are notable elements in the influence they have on the event's occurrence.
The main reason to why they took the journey was based on longing for love from the past. Odyssey longed to see his family while Dante longed for his love Beatrice.Odyssey seeks news about his wife from the underworld: “Still with her child indeed she is, poor heart, /still in your palace hall. Forlorn her nights and days go by, her life used up in weeping”. Both Homer and Dante include the thought that women play a submissive role in life, focally varying the degree of the subservience.
The roles of the women in both epics are notable elements in the influence they have on the event's occurrence. Odysseus is a hero who represents strength, courage and empathy while Dante’s heroism is manifest in testing his inner strength, courage and the suffering that he likens to humans.Their journeys and heroism come in the form of humanity; they face challenges that all humans struggle with. Dantes courage was tested through his travel in the nine rings of hell. Unlike Odysseus, Dante's courage does not include physical fights; he exudes his strength by testing his inner strength. Dante writes, “Therefore look carefully; you’ll see such things as would deprive my speech of all belief” As much as the odyssey was mostly about physical strength and courage, the use of words and literal speech cannot be overlooked.
While fighting off his wife’s suitors, for example, Odysseus was quoted saying, “You yellow dogs, you thought I’d never make it home from the land of Troy. You took my house to plunder, twisted my maids to serve your beds. You dared bid for my wife while I was still alive”. Dante’s in the inferno does not quote lingering speeches or at least as grand as those by Homers odyssey. Both poems can be reviewed to correspond to challenges that mortals undergo in the modern world.
They choose to believe in anything that mimics the true power of God, thus falling prey to evil according to Dante.Caution, however, is given to sinners since the intensity of the punishment are a true representation of their sins while they were living. In the inferno, even the saints will be punished since they did not play any relevance, good or evil. Humans are identified to be quite prone to deceptions and misguided truths.
Humans should stand for something in their lifetime as seen by the struggles of the two characters. Christianity also does not change; it is the people themselves who like to twist the message to serve their purpose
