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After spending a year on Aiaia, the island of Kirke, Odysseus and his crew were ready to leave, and go home to Ithaca. He asked Kirke for help on how to get home and she told him to go to the land of the dead, so that he could speak to Tiresais. Tiresias is a prophet who lives in the land of the dead, and he allows Odysseus to speak to the souls of people who have died. While in the land of the dead Odysseus get to talk to three important people, including his mother, achilles and agamemnon.
All of these people told odysseus how they died and gave him advice, although when hearing these stories, odysseus starts to build up internal conflict. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus faces internal conflict in the form of guilt, loyalty to family, and the value of life, when talking to his mother, Achillies and Agmamonon.
The first major character Odysseus encounters and talk to in the land of the dead is his mother.
Odysseus wondered how his mother died, if it from health problems, or mild arrows. His mother replied, “Only my loneliness for you, Odysseus, for your kind heart and counsel, gentle Odysseus, took my own life away. The quote can explain that Odysseus was a kind man, and when he was gone, and not there for his mother, she couldn't take being alone, so she died. Odysseus replied to this by saying, “Now this embittered all the pain I bore, and I cried in the darkness”.
This quote from odysseus depicts that when Odysseus found out that he was the cause of his mother's death, he began to feel guilty. Odysseus could have tried to make it back sooner by spending less time with Kirke, but decided to stay with her, consequently, his mother died of loneliness. Odyssuses learned from his mother, that being asbetence from another person's life, it affects multiple people, which was the case in odysseus mother's death.
As Odysseus was in the land of the dead he also had an in depth conversation with Agamemnon. During their conversation Amgamom explains to odysseus that while he was at war in troy his wife had fallen in love with someone else, and killed agmenom upon his return home from Troy. Agamomon gives advice to Odysseus saying, “Let it be a warning even to you. Indulge a women never, and never tell her all you know. Some things a man may tell, some he should cover up”. This quote shows that advice amgaon is giving to odysseus but pointing out that Odysseus should not tell his wife that he had been sleeping around with another woman or all of the details that happened while he was gone. This is all to protect Odysseus from being murdered by his wife, is she found out he had been sleeping around. Agamomon is also encouraging Odysseus to be loyal to his wife, and not to fall in love with other women. Odysseus learns to be more loyal to his family, as you never know how they can react to what you tell them.
The final major character Odysseus meets his Achilles, he says to achillies, “We ranked you with immortals in your lifetime, we Argives did, and here your power is royal among the dead mens shades. Think, then, Akhilleus: you need not be so pained by death”. During the trojan war Achilles was the best fighter on the greeks side, so when he died, he became a very important figure in the land of the dead. Achillies says to Odysseus, “Let me hear no smooth talk of death from you, Odysseus, light of councils. Better, I say, to break sod as a farm hand for some poor country man, on iron rations, than lord it over all the exasused dead”. This quote explains how achilles would rather be a poor man living in the country, than to be the ruler of the derpredded dead. He tells this to odysseus so that Odysseus will not take his life for granted. Odysseus learned to cherish every moment of your life because when it ends it is not fun.
The Major Character Of The Odyssey by Homer. (2024, Feb 14). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-major-character-of-the-odyssey-by-homer-essay
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