Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is a recognized and unsurpassed master of the Golden Age of Russian literature. His work “Poltava” is one of the most interesting and controversial examples of the classical lyric epic genre - poems. Surprisingly, this creation of Pushkin was not accepted by his contemporaries, and even current critics continue to have heated debates regarding the writer’s true views on the personalities of Peter I and Mazepa.
History of creation
Pushkin wrote his controversial poem during 1828. The title itself refers the reader to the Battle of Poltava, which took place in 1709. While working on the text, the author repeatedly turned to various historical documents, Moldavian legends, and Ukrainian folk songs. As a result, while studying the poem, one immediately feels the influence of song and fairy tale motifs, which largely help to reveal the personalities of the characters.
It is believed that “Poltava” has a personal dedication to the daughter of General Raevsky, Maria Volkonskaya. This woman is known for being one of those brave wives who went into exile after the Decembrists.
Initially, Pushkin called his work “Mazeppa”. The title was changed just a few days before the text went to print. The writer himself explained the reason for this change by saying that he was afraid that the poem would be perceived as plagiarism by Byron, who wrote a poem with the same name.
Analysis. Story line
The action of the poem takes place in the Ukrainian city of Poltava. According to compositional development, the work is divided into three songs:
- In the first song, the author talks about Maria, the daughter of Judge Kochubey and the goddaughter of Mazepa, the Ukrainian hetman. Ivan Mazepa wooes Maria, but the parents do not agree to this outcome of events, because they are not only relatives, but also people of different age categories. However, Maria herself is in love with the hetman and runs away to him. Her father wants revenge. This part of the poem also describes some parts of the Great Northern War.
- The second song tells about Kochubey’s attempt to eliminate Mazepa. Here the author touches on the fact that many Ukrainians wanted to go over to the side of Sweden and reject Russia. Mazepa was among these people. Having learned about the hetman's plans, Kochubey finds a potential informer and sends a message to Emperor Peter I. The ruler does not believe the denunciation, and Mazepa demands the execution of the slanderers. Kochubey ends up in prison and after some time he is executed, but Maria and her mother do not have time to prevent this sad event. The second part of the poem is based more than others on real materials, with the exception of the storyline with Mary herself.
- The third song opens the reader's eyes to Mazepa's agreement with the Swedes, which was perceived by the Russians as treason. Attention is also paid to the Poltava battle itself. The hetman understands that the forces with the enemy are not equal, but he does not want to return to Peter I, asking him for help. Having been defeated, Mazepa escapes, and after a while he encounters Maria, who has gone crazy. The hetman is sad, but moves on on his journey.
Main characters
The contradictory perception of “Poltava” by literary scholars is due to the fact that the presented images, the prototypes of which were real people, turned out to be quite one-sided. Mazepa is a villain and a traitor, and Peter I is a real hero. With all this, Pushkin’s own attitude towards the emperor was far from positive. Let's consider the psychological portraits of the main characters of the work:
Peter I
The Battle of Poltava is one of the most successful military campaigns during the reign of Peter the Great. According to the plot of the poem, the ruler’s actions are motivated solely by the interests of the state. The writer creates a great and clear image, while emphasizing the audacity and tension of the individual during hostilities. Throughout all the events, Peter maintains faith in victory and the inspiration given by his own country. Pushkin portrays the emperor as an intelligent commander and simply a noble man.
Considering the original title of the poem, it is logical to assume that the theme of national liberation is one of the dominant ones in the text. Mazepa is viewed in the work according to historical sources, that is, not as a patriot of his small homeland, but as a power-hungry person who actually fears real freedom. This is a traitor to the tsar, a selfish and cunning hetman, whose portrait is outlined by Pushkin literally from the first lines. Critics note that it was the image of Mazepa that was the first author’s character to be viewed exclusively from a negative point of view.
Maria Kochubey
Of all the main characters, it is this girl that Pushkin describes in as much detail as possible in his poems. He pays attention to her appearance, and also accurately conveys the heroine’s emotional experiences. Maria is a sensible and modest girl who is aware of her strength and always strives for the real truth. Maria is ready to do great things for the sake of her love, although at the same time she has great respect for her parents. The impossibility of choice, immense suffering due to the difference in physical and mental feelings ends in tears for the heroine.
Kochubey
Maria's father acts as an antagonist to Mazepa. In the poem, Kochubey is not just a general judge, but also a father, whose actions are guided by strong emotions and a desire to achieve what he wants. Unable to cope with emotional experiences, Kochubey very quickly goes over to the dark side, constantly awaiting Mazepa's revenge. Despite this, the image of Kochubey evokes the reader’s sympathy and sympathy, because he experiences all his suffering nobly and humbly.
Charles XII - King of Sweden
Pushkin is shown as a brave man and an ambitious man who realizes his defeat in advance, but still strives to seize power. Essentially, he is a false hero who is irresponsible and cowardly.
Conclusion
The poem "Poltava" is considered one of Pushkin's most complex works from a stylistic, genre and linguistic point of view. In an original way, this text merges the epic and lyrical principles, romantic and state storylines. Alexander Sergeevich touches on such issues as the fate of the country and the relations of the people with Europeans in his text. It also touches on the problem of true patriotism, the unity of fraternal peoples. Being a brilliant master, Pushkin skillfully shows the war not as a political struggle for official territory, but also as a terrible event in the destinies of individuals.
The plots of the famous works “Iliad” and “Odyssey” are taken from a general collection of epic tales about the Trojan War. And each of these two poems represents a small sketch from a larger cycle. The main element in which the characters of the work “Iliad” operate is war, which is depicted not as a clash of the masses, but as the actions of individual characters.
Achilles
The main character of the Iliad is Achilles, a young hero, the son of Peleus and the goddess of the sea, Thetis. The word "Achilles" is translated as "swift-footed, like a god." Achilles is the central character of the work. He has an integral and noble character, which personifies real valor, as the Greeks then understood it. For Achilles there is nothing higher than duty and honor. He is ready to avenge the death of his friend by sacrificing his own life. At the same time, duplicity and cunning are alien to Achilles. Despite his honesty and sincerity, he acts as an impatient and very hot-tempered hero. He is sensitive in matters of honor - despite the serious consequences for the army, he refuses to continue the battle because of the insult caused to him. In the life of Achilles, the dictates of heaven and the passions of his own existence coincide. The hero dreams of fame, and for this he is also ready to sacrifice his own life.
Confrontation in the soul of the main character
Achilles, the main character of the Iliad, is used to commanding and managing, as he is aware of his strength. He is ready to destroy Agamemnon on the spot, who dared to insult him. And Achilles' anger manifests itself in a variety of forms. When he takes revenge on his enemies for Patroclus, he turns into a real demon-destroyer. Having filled the entire bank of the river with the corpses of his enemies, Achilles enters into battle with the god of this river himself. However, it is very interesting to see how Achilles' heart softens when he sees his father asking for his son's body. The old man reminds him of his own father, and the cruel warrior softens. Achilles also bitterly misses his friend and sobs at his mother. Nobility and the desire for revenge fight in the heart of Achilles.
Hector
Continuing to characterize the main characters of Homer's Iliad, it is worth dwelling in particular detail on the figure of Hector. The bravery and courage of this hero are the result of the good will prevailing in his consciousness. He knows the feeling of fear, like any other warrior. However, despite this, Hector learned to show courage in battles and overcome cowardice. With sadness in his heart, he leaves his parents, son and wife, as he is faithful to his duty - to protect the city of Troy.
Hector is deprived of the help of the gods, so he is forced to give his own life for his city. He is also depicted as humane - he never reproaches Elena and forgives his brother. Hector does not hate them, despite the fact that they were the ones responsible for the outbreak of the Trojan War. There is no disdain for other people in the hero’s words; he does not express his superiority. The main difference between Hector and Achilles is humanity. This quality is contrasted with the excessive aggressiveness of the protagonist of the poem.
Achilles and Hector: comparison
A frequent task is also a comparative description of the main characters of the Iliad - Achilles and Hector. Homer gives the son of Priam more positive, humane traits than the main character. Hector knows what social responsibility is. He does not put his experiences above the lives of other people. In contrast, Achilles is the true personification of individualism. He elevates his conflict with Agamemnon to truly cosmic proportions. In Hector, the reader does not observe the bloodthirstiness that is inherent in Achilles. He is an opponent of war, he understands what a terrible disaster it turns out to be for people. The whole disgusting and terrible side of the war is clear to Hector. It is this hero who proposes not to fight with whole troops, but to field separate representatives from each side.
Hector is helped by the gods - Apollo and Artemis. However, he is very different from Achilles, who is the son of the goddess Thetis. Achilles is not exposed to weapons; his only weak point is the heel. In fact, he is a half-demon. When preparing for battle, he puts on the armor of Hephaestus himself. And Hector is a simple man who faces a terrible test. He realizes that he can only answer the challenge, because the goddess Athena is helping his enemy. the characters are very different. The Iliad begins with the name of Achilles, and ends with the name of Hector.
Element of heroes
A description of the main characters of Homer's poem "Iliad" would be incomplete without characterizing the environment in which the action of the poem takes place. As already indicated, such an environment is war. In many places in the poem, the exploits of individual characters are mentioned: Menelaus, Diomedes. However, the most significant feat is still the victory of Achilles over his opponent Hector.
The warrior also wants to know for sure who exactly he is dealing with. In some cases, the confrontation stops for a while, and to ensure freedom for the warriors, as well as non-interference by outsiders, the truce is consecrated with sacrifices. Homer, who lived in an environment of war and constant murder, expressively depicts the dying torment of the dying. The cruelty of the victors is no less vividly depicted in the poem.
Menelaus and Agamemnon
One of the main characters of the Iliad is the Mycenaean and Spartan ruler Menelaus. Homer portrays both as not the most attractive characters - both do not miss the opportunity to abuse their position, especially Agamemnon. It was his selfishness that caused the death of Achilles. And Menelaus’s interest in the attack was the reason that the war broke out.
Menelaus, whom the Achaeans supported in battles, was supposed to take the place of the Mycenaean ruler. However, he turns out to be unsuitable for this role, and this place turns out to be occupied by Agamemnon. Fighting with Paris, he gives vent to his anger, which has accumulated against his offender. However, as a warrior he is significantly inferior to the other heroes of the poem. His actions prove significant only in the process of saving the body of Patroclus.
Other heroes
One of the most charming main characters of the Iliad is the old man Nestor, who loves to constantly remember the years of his youth and give his instructions to young warriors. Also attractive is Ajax, who with his courage and strength surpasses everyone except Achilles. Patroclus, Achilles’s closest friend, who was raised with him under the same roof, also evokes admiration. While performing his exploits, he became too carried away by the dream of capturing Troy and died at the merciless hand of Hector.
An elderly Trojan ruler named Priam is not the main character of Homer's Iliad, but he has attractive features. He is a true patriarch who is surrounded by a large family. Having grown old, Priam cedes the right to command the army to his son, Hector. On behalf of all his people, the elder makes sacrifices to the gods. Priam is distinguished by such character traits as gentleness and courtesy. He even treats Elena, whom everyone hates, well. However, the old man is haunted by misfortune. All his sons die in battle at the hands of Achilles.
Andromache
The main characters of the poem “Iliad” are warriors, but in the work you can also find many female characters. This is named Andromache, his mother Hecuba, as well as Helen and the captive Briseis. The reader first meets Andromache in the sixth canto, which tells of her meeting with her husband, who returned from the battlefield. Already at that moment, she intuitively senses Hector’s death and persuades him not to leave the city. But Hector does not heed her words.
Andromache is a faithful and loving wife who is forced to live in constant worry for her husband. The fate of this woman is filled with tragedy. When her hometown of Thebes was sacked, Andromache's mother and brothers were killed by enemies. After this event, her mother also dies, Andromache is left alone. Now the whole meaning of her existence is in her beloved husband. After she says goodbye to him, she mourns him along with the maids as if he had already died. After this, Andromache does not appear on the pages of the poem until the death of the hero. Sorrow is the main mood of the heroine. She foresees her bitter lot in advance. When Andromache hears screams on the wall and runs to find out what happened, she sees: Achilles dragging Hector’s body along the ground. She falls unconscious.
Heroes of the Odyssey
A common question asked to students in literature classes is to name the main characters of the Iliad and Odyssey. The poem “The Odyssey,” along with the “Iliad,” is considered to be the most important monument of the entire era of transition from the communal clan to the slave system.
The Odyssey describes even more mythological creatures than the Iliad. Gods, people, fairy-tale creatures - Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are full of a variety of characters. The main characters of the works are both people and gods. Moreover, the gods take an active part in the lives of mere mortals, helping them or taking away their power. The main character of the Odyssey is the Greek king Odysseus, who returns home after a battle. Among other characters, his patron, the goddess of wisdom Athena, stands out. Opposing the main character is the sea god Poseidon. An important figure is the faithful Penelope, the wife of Odysseus.
George Gordon Lord Byron(1788-1824) was in the first quarter of the 19th century the “ruler of thoughts”, the living personification of romanticism. He, like no one else, embodied the romantic ideal of the complete merging of biography and creativity, when the artist lives by the same laws by which his heroes live, and the events of his life immediately turn into the material of his works. The "Byronic Legend" is still alive today, and it is important to separate myth from fact.
Byron was born into an aristocratic family, at the age of ten he inherited the title of lord and family estate in the north of England, and was educated at privileged educational institutions - at Harrow School and the University of Cambridge. He was preparing for a career as a statesman and for a long time did not regard poetry as the main work of his life. Despite belonging to the ruling elite, he was a rebel by nature, and his whole life was a challenge to the conventions accepted in society. He considered English society inert and hypocritical, did not want to make any concessions to public opinion, and after a short period of fame in his homeland (1812-1816), he left England forever, settling in Italy. His life ended in Greece, where he took part in the national liberation struggle of the Greeks against the Turks.
Byron's poetic heritage is great and varied. Recognition came to him with the publication of the poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" (1812), where he created the first romantic hero in English literature and created the genre of romantic lyric-epic poem. Its forms were developed in the cycle of “Eastern Poems” (1813-1816), where romanticism reaches classical forms. With the move to Italy, his work is enriched in terms of genre (the drama “Manfred”, the mystery “Cain”, the poems “Beppo”, “Mazeppa”). The main work of Byron's last years of life remained unfinished - this is the novel in verse "Don Juan".
An example of Byron's romanticism can be poem "Corsair"(1814) from the cycle "Oriental Poems". In all six poems of the cycle, Byron draws on impressions of his southern journey, which he undertook through the Mediterranean countries in 1809-1811. For the first time, he presented pictures of southern nature to the reader in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, and this was one of the components of the success of this poem; the public expected new exotic landscapes from the young poet, and in “The Corsair” Byron develops the Orientalist motifs so characteristic of romanticism in general. The East in romantic art is contrasted with European civilization as a world of free, natural passions playing out against the backdrop of beautiful, fertile nature. But for Byron, the East is more than a conventional romantic background: the action in “The Corsair” takes place on the islands of the Greek archipelago and in coastal Greece, which is under the rule of the Turks (Seyid Pasha in the poem), and the routes of the pirate raids of the protagonist Conrad are topographically accurate, maybe be traced on the map, and in the descriptions of Greece at the beginning of the third song of the poem, Byron directly relies on his own impressions four years ago. Thus, behind the romantic landscape of the poem, pictures of nature and morals taken from life appear; Byron often gave an accurate reproduction of the historical and ethnographic environment in his poems.
At the heart of "The Corsair", as in all other "Eastern poems", is the conflict of the hero with the world; The plot is reduced to one dramatic situation - the struggle for love.
The hero of "Corsair" is the leader of the pirates Conrad, his beloved is the meek Medora. The action in the poem begins with the receipt of some news on the pirate island, which forces Conrad to say goodbye to Medora and give the order to urgently raise the sails. Where the pirates are going and what Conrad's plan is becomes clear from the second song of the poem. The leader of the pirates decides to forestall the blow of his longtime enemy Seid Pasha and, in the guise of a dervish pilgrim, makes his way to a feast in the Pasha's palace. He must strike the enemy in his house, while his pirates set fire to Seid Pasha's fleet on the eve of going to sea, but the fire in the bay begins earlier than agreed, a hot battle breaks out, in which Conrad rescues Seid's beloved wife from the burning seraglio. Pasha, Gulnar. But military fortune is fickle, and now the pirates are fleeing, and Conrad is captured and thrown into prison. In the third song of the poem, Seyid Pasha delays the execution of Conrad, inventing the most painful death for him. Meanwhile, Gulnar, grateful to Conrad and falling in love with him, offers to arrange his escape. At first, Conrad rejects her proposal: he does not want to owe his freedom to a woman whose love he cannot respond to, because he loves only Medora. But when Gulnar sneaks into his dungeon again, he sees a bloody stain on her forehead - she herself killed Seid Pasha, and together they board a ship heading to the pirate island. Upon his return, Conrad learns of Medora's death. The beloved could not bear the news of his captivity, and, having lost the meaning of life with her, Conrad disappears:
Everything is in vain - day after day rolls on, Conrad is gone, and there is no news about him, And there is no trace of his fate anywhere: Did he die or disappeared forever? The pirates cried for him alone... They erected a stone for Medora. A monument to Conrad has not been erected: Who knows, maybe he did not die - the Corsair, whose name again resurrects the Darkness of crimes and one love.
As in all "Eastern Poems", Conrad is a loner rebel who professes extreme individualism. Byron does not show his past, the poem only says that his innate virtues were so high that the world was jealous of him and slandered him:
He was pure until he began his battles with people and the Almighty; He was wise, but the world considered him stupid and spoiled him with his training; He was too proud to drag out his life, humbled, And too firm to fall into the dirt before the strong. Inspiring fear, slandered from a young age, Became a friend of Malice, but not of Humility, Considered the call of anger to be a call from the Divine To take revenge on the majority for the machinations of the minority.
Conrad is a strong, courageous nature, he rules the pirates with an iron fist, everyone respects and fears him for his unparalleled courage and success in business:
Around, on all the seas, the name alone sows fear in souls; He is stingy in speech - he knows only the order, The hand is firm, the eye is sharp and keen; He does not give their feasts any joy, But he is a favorite beyond reproaches.
Conrad's first appearance in the poem is typical of a romantic hero. He stands on the top of a cliff, leaning on a sword, looking at the waves, and his very position in space at this moment - he is higher than the others, pirates are rising up to him with a report - this spatial solution of the scene emphasizes the exclusivity of the hero. The same idea of exclusivity is carried out in the portrait of Conrad (ninth stanza of the first canto). This is a detailed portrait based on a combination of opposites, where each external feature becomes an expression of the character properties of the hero. Byron creates such a vivid portrait of a romantic hero that some of his features will forever become part of the characteristic appearance of a romantic literary character:
A tanned cheek, a white forehead, A wave of curls - like a crow's wing; The curl of the lip involuntarily reveals a secret passage to an arrogant thought; Although his voice is quiet, and his appearance is straight and bold, there is something in him that he would like to hide. Seeing the sharp features of the faces, you will be both captivated and embarrassed. It’s as if in him, in his soul, where the darkness has frozen, the work of terrible, vague forces is in full swing.
Contempt for people, cruelty, and the habit of violence did not completely dry out Conrad’s soul. For the first time in the history of world literature, when creating his romantic hero, Byron justifies in him actions and feelings that are far from the Christian ideal, and a substitution of moral values occurs - the author endows the criminal Conrad, who without hesitation sheds human blood, with irresistible charm. The only feeling connecting the hero with humanity, the last living string in his soul, which he therefore values so much, is love.
In love, the character of the romantic hero is most fully revealed; love in romanticism is an uncompromising passion, the highest value of life, therefore the romantic hero fights for love against any hostile forces. The plot in all “Eastern Poems” is based on that episode in the hero’s life where he enters into the last, fatal battle for love. Only death separates the hero of "Eastern Poems" from his beloved, like Conrad and Medora. Both female images of the poem - the meek Medora, who is all devotion and adoration, and the ardent Gulnar, capable of committing a crime for the sake of love - are contrasted with each other.
As in other Byronian poems, the main way to create the character of the hero is through action. Conrad is an active nature, his ideal is anarchic personal freedom, and the plot of the poem is characterized by increased drama. The reader is presented with a series of colorful, spectacular scenes, contrasted with each other on the principle of contrast: the song of pirates glorifying the sea space and freedom opens the poem; the opposite is the sad song of the lonely Medora; the picture of a feast in the luxurious palace of Seyid Pasha is replaced by a picture of a bloody battle; the despondency of Conrad in prison during a night visit to Gulnar and the cheerful freshness of the sea during their flight. The poem amazes with its richness of moods and colors.
The words of V.G. are quite applicable to Conrad and other heroes of “Eastern Poems”. Belinsky, what he said about the poet himself: “This is a human personality, indignant against the common and, in its proud rebellion, relying on itself.” A.S. also speaks about the same extreme individualism of Byron’s heroes. Pushkin:
Lord Byron, by a lucky whim, clothed himself in dull romanticism and hopeless selfishness...
And although Pushkin’s “Prisoner of the Caucasus” contains many elements directly borrowed from Byron, Pushkin does not exalt, but condemns the individualism of the romantic hero.
Thus, “The Corsair” is a lyric-epic poem in which the lyrical principle in the depiction of the central character and the epic, narrative principle are fused together, which manifests itself in the richness and variety of action. Conrad is a hero who represents the purest example of a romantic worldview in all of Byron's work, and the poetics of "The Corsair" is the most characteristic example of the construction of a romantic poem. The plot is based on the culminating episode from the hero’s life, which decides his fate; neither his past nor the further development of his life are described, and in this sense the poem is fragmentary. In addition, the plot is built as a chain of bright paintings-fragments, the cause-and-effect relationships between which are not always clearly stated in the poem, and fragmentation becomes the structure-forming principle of a romantic poem. The hero is taken at the moment of the highest tension of vital forces, in circumstances that are exceptional even for his life as a robber. At such moments, a person’s character is revealed to the end, and Conrad’s demonic, gloomy, majestic character is created in the poem using a variety of artistic means: a portrait, author’s characteristics, the attitude of the women who love him towards him, but mainly through the description of his actions. One of the leitmotif images of the poem is the image of the sea, so characteristic of all of Byron’s poetry; The free sea element becomes a symbol of freedom for him. The pirate song that opens the poem contains these words:
In the midst of the jubilation of dark blue waters, the thought is boundless, the soul is free to fly Above the foamy, endless wave - Here is our kingdom, here is our home!
The lyrical element that permeates the poem is most clearly revealed in the end-to-end image of the sea.
Homer was born around the 12th-7th century BC, the exact years of his life are not known. Such famous works as the Iliad and the Odyssey are attributed to him. Ancient legends say that the poet was a blind wandering singer, and also knew these two poems by heart. But we will analyze only the second book, which tells about the adventures of the cunning Greek king, the lucky favorite of the gods Odysseus.
The plot of the Odyssey is constructed using such an artistic means as retrospection. The story begins in the middle, and the reader learns about all the events later, from the stories of the main character.
The story is based on the return of the king of Ithaca to his homeland after victory in the Trojan War. The cunning ruler spent ten years in the war and for the same amount of time he sailed home. From the revelations of the wise warrior, we learn that at the beginning of his journey he fell into the hands of the Cyclops Polyphemus, who devoured travelers. In order to get out of the clutches of the one-eyed villain, Odysseus got him drunk and pierced his eye, which angered the Cyclops. The enraged giant appealed to Poseidon and begged him to take revenge on the offender.
The king of Ithaca also tells how he came to the island of Kirk, who turned all his friends into pigs. The hero had to remain Kirka's lover for exactly a year. After this, he descends into underground Hades to talk with the soothsayer Tiresias.
Odysseus sails past the Sirens, who are trying to destroy the sailors with their singing. It also passes between Scylla and Charybdis. Soon the hero loses his ship and floats onto the island of Calypso, who was forcibly captured for seven years.
History of creation
The poem was written in hexameter - this is the meter of heroic poetry from the times of ancient Greece. It is divided into 24 songs, according to the number of letters in the Greek alphabet. It is believed that this book had no ancestors, but before the creation of the work, many tales and songs had already arisen, on the basis of which “Odysseus” was created.
The language of the work is not similar to any dialect of the Greek language. Often there are inflectional forms that were never used in the living ancient language.
Main characters
- The main character of the poem is Odysseus, the king of Ithaca. The main traits of his character, oddly enough, are considered not heroism and courage, but intelligence, cunning and resourcefulness. His only desire is to return home to his beloved wife and son, whom he has not seen for about 20 years. Throughout the entire story, the hero is patronized by the goddess of wisdom - Athena.
Odysseus appears before the reader in different roles: a navigator, a robber, a brave warrior, a beggar wanderer, etc. However, no matter who he is, he still passionately longs to return home and sincerely suffers for his fallen friends. - Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, sister of Helen of Troy. She is modest and reserved, her moral character is impeccable. Loves handicrafts and home comfort. He is distinguished by his cunning, as he manages to deceive suitors for more than one year. An exceptionally decent woman.
- Telemachus is the son of Odysseus. A brave and courageous fighter, a man of exceptional honor. He loves his family and honors the duty of the heir to the throne.
- Homer reflected many themes in his heroic message. The main theme of the work is an adventurous journey full of adventures - the return of the king of Ithaca from the Trojan battle. Odysseus's colorful stories completely immerse the reader in the atmosphere of the book.
- The stories of his arrival on the island of Calypso, how he sailed between Scylla and Charybdis, the Sirens and other stories of the Lord of Ithaca are imbued with the theme of love. The hero sincerely loves his family and does not agree to change them to a paradise island with a goddess as his mistress.
- Also, the strength of feeling is expressed in the image of Penelope. With its help, the author reveals the theme of marital fidelity. She was cunning with all her might so as not to get to someone else. The woman believed in his return, even when no one believed.
- The theme of fate appears in every episode of the work. Homer shows the rebellion of the individual against destiny, against the gods, leaning toward the idea that he is useless and criminal. Fatum even foresees these movements of the soul; all of them have already been calculated and drawn by the Moirai in the form of a thread of life.
- Honor and dishonor are also a topic for the poet’s reflection. Telemachus considers it his duty to find his father and restore the former greatness of the house. Penelope thinks that moral failure is cheating on her husband. Odysseus believes that it would be dishonorable to give up and not try to return to his homeland.
Mythology about Odysseus
Based on myths, we learn that the hero was the son of King Laertes and Artemis’s companion Anticlea. He was also the husband of Penelope and the father of Telemachus.
Being one of Elena's suitors, he chose her cousin Penelope over the most beautiful earthly woman.
He became famous thanks to his participation in the Trojan War. In addition, he was one of the key characters not only in the Odyssey, but also in the Iliad. He was not only brave, but also cunning, in honor of which he was given the nickname “cunning.” Thanks to his resourcefulness, he manages to escape from all troubles.
Odysseus' homeland is Ithaca, an island in the Ionian Ocean. There he was born and raised, and soon replaced his father, becoming king in his place. While the hero was swimming in the sea, trying to return home, the suitors who wooed his wife captured the city. They constantly plundered his palace and held feasts.
The king's son, unable to bear such a long absence of his father, prompted by Athena, goes in search of him.
Returning to his homeland, the cunning warrior finds out what happened in the city during his wanderings.
main idea
The cunning and dexterous fighter was too arrogant, which angered the Gods, or rather Poseidon. In a fit of narcissism, he exclaimed that he could choose his own destiny. This Deity was not forgiven him. Thus, the meaning of the work is that one should not indulge in pride and follow its lead. As mentioned above, the ruler of Ithaca deprived the son of the sea ruler of his sight, and was very self-confident, believing that the mercy of fate was based on his merits and imaginary superiority. His conceit went beyond all limits, for which God sent a curse on him and forced him to swim in the sea until he realized his guilt.
Homer in his poem showed that a person who considered himself the arbiter of his destiny and the crown of creation could suffer from this, and quite seriously. Even the king did not cease to have an inflated ego. In addition, the religious motive is strong: the poet, like all people of his time, believed that nothing in this world depends on the subject, everything is predetermined in advance.
Subjects
Issues
- Since the poem tells about the ten-year wanderings of the main character, his countless exploits, brave deeds and, finally, a successful return home, the first place in the work is the fabulously-adventurous issues: the tyranny of the gods, the pride of Odysseus, the crisis of power in Ithaca, etc. d.
- Ten years have passed since the king sailed from Ithaca to Troy, all the participants in the battle returned home, and only one he still does not come. He becomes a hostage to the depths of the sea. His problem is that he loses faith in his own strength and experiences despair. But no matter how deep it is, the hero still goes towards his goal, and the thorns on his path only fuel his passion. The exploits and adventures described in the poem occupy most of the narrative and are its core basis.
- The problem of divine intervention in the destinies of people is also acute in the work. They control people like puppets, depriving them of self-confidence. The inhabitants of Olympus also resolve conflicts among themselves through a person, so sometimes he finds himself hostage to a situation for which he is not at all to blame.
Composition and genre
A poem is a large work written in poetic form. It combines lyrical and epic principles. Homer wrote the Odyssey in this genre - a lyric epic poem.
The composition is built on old techniques. A very typical plot for that time is about how a husband returns home, unrecognized by anyone, and ends up at his wife’s wedding. There are also widespread stories about a son who went in search of his father
The Iliad and the Odyssey differ in structure: thus, in the first book the story is presented sequentially, in the second this sequence is shifted. It was previously mentioned that this artistic method is called retrospection.
How did it end?
After ten years of Odysseus's voyage, the Gods took mercy and decided to let him go to land. But the king of Ithaca, before returning home, asks the Gods to turn him into an old man in order to find out who was waiting for him.
The hero meets his son and conspires with him against Penelope's suitors. The cunning ruler's plan works. The faithful wife recognizes the old man as her husband, who tells her one secret known only to them. After which Telemachus and his father brutally deal with those who had the courage to dare and create chaos in his palace in the absence of the king.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!
