The Good Life in Epic Narratives :: Odyssey Iliad Essays

The full Life in Epic NarrativesClassic literature juxtaposes two ways of life that illustrate the poles of true happiness a life of adventure, exemplified by Odysseus (The Odyssey), and the life at home, which poets and farmers represent. In The Iliad, Achilleus chooses to live a short, glorious life, notwithstanding though he could have chosen to live a long life in anonymity. Arguments have been put forth that the life of adventure is a living hell, as Achilleus testifies from Hades after his death - in hindsight, he would have settled for the life of a slave and attached up his glory, if only he could have lived longer. Alternately, the life of the (metaphorical) farmer has been contemn as simple and ordinary, when true immortality is only attained with great accomplishments, much(prenominal) as sacking Troy or surviving heroic adventures which are then recorded. In a modern day autobiography of the 1996 mounting of Mt. Everest (Sagarmatha to the Nepalis, or goddes s of the sky), Jon Krakauer reveals the human motivation behind adventure and tells the write up of the men and women who lived and died on the expeditions to the summit during that spring (Into Thin Air). With epic literature and a recent epic, I will illuminate the values of a reflective life as well as the life of adventure, and dig into the necessary components of the good life.The Choice of AchilleusI carry two sorts of hazard toward the day of my death. Either,if I stay here and fight beside the city of the Trojans,my check home is gone, scarce my glory shall be everlastingbut if I return home to the beloved land of my fathers,the excellence of my glory is gone, but there will be a long life leftover for me, and my end in death will not come to me quickly. -Achilleus (Iliad, IX.411)The conclusiveness of Achilleus is a crucial moment in understanding how fate working in epic (Homerian) literature. Thetis tells Achilleus of his opportunity to seduce renown as the great warrior of all time, earning glory through his fearless acts in battle against a foe who is sure to overcome the Achaians. The fate of ten years of set upon on Troy hinge upon the decision of Achilleus, who is given the choice to win glory for the Achaians and, more importantly, himself.