“The Odyssey” by Homer and Its Legacy: A Romantic Vision of the State Essay

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Introduction

Odysseus is known all over the world as one of the most outstanding models of leadership anthemed in the literature of the ancient world. This hero represents an idealistic vision of state Homer. In the following paper, Odysseus’ character shown by Homer in his immortal “The Odyssey” along with his ethics will be compared to an image of an idealistic ruler shown in Hollywood movies. Comparing and contrasting the two eidolons it becomes evident that differences between them are significant; however, evaluating these two portrays of leadership a conclusion can be still made that there exist numerous parallels between them which shows that the concept of ideal leadership does not change with the duration of time.

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Main body

The ancient hero Odysseus can be mentioned among the most famous rulers elegized in ancient literature. He possesses a row of the most important qualities which makes it possible for him to be a great example for the ruler of any existing state. Odysseus is shown as a good-looking and strong man of middle age. This man is full of practical wisdom who knows when to act, and how particularly to do this in order to attain his goals in the best way possible. Odysseus is a real hero brave and courageous enough to do his best for the well-being of his close ones and his citizens. The king is not only wise and intelligent; he is also cunning as he knows well how to organize the things around him in a way that helps solve urgent problems in the best way. He knows how to destroy his enemies to the extent when they will be crushed forever never to rise to act their terrible things again. He is also a wise economist knowing how to use his recourses in the most efficient way no matter how limited they are. More than this, Odysseus is also a man of incredible power having not many competitors able to be well-deserved corrivals for him. One more important and valued point about Odysseus is the fact that he is an exemplary family man loyal to his wife despite all the temptations and the other possible obstacles threatening their marriage happiness. All of this makes Odysseus a perfect image of the best ruler of all ages affecting people’s imagination even nowadays. For this reason, it is no wonder that the image of an idealized ruler shown in popular culture nowadays has so many parallels with Odysseus.

Modern-day culture has created its own portray of a perfect leader often shown in different pieces of modern art. Of course, the most “convenient” so to say a piece of modern art where humanity may learn about this image is film-making art. Numerous movies especially those produced in the genre of fantasy depict an ideal leader able to save humanity from different threats of global scale coming from the most varied sources such as natural disasters, epidemics, and even other civilizations. In these films, the image of the ruler greatly resembles the image of Odysseus. We usually see such a ruler as a handsome man of middle age full of energy and vigor which he incessantly uses until he solves the problem his people face. This man is intelligent and wise enough to develop the most complicated strategies and make the most important decisions as urgent as it is important for any particular situation. This man is known for his virtues as he is noble and kind. He is shown as an exemplary family man. He is also well-educated and knows all the important information necessary for his successful work ranging from economics to science. Overall, it is evident that this image resembles Odysseus to the fullest extent which appears to be very unusual judging from the point of view of the period of time to pass. Of course, there exist some slight deviations in the image of the modern ruler. For example, nowadays, he is not shown as having outstanding physical power, but this is not important reflecting on the technologies which became possible nowadays. As a result, the ruler needs to be intelligent rather than strong in order to accomplish one’s tasks.

More about The Odyssey

Evaluating the ethics purposed for guiding the ruler during Homer’s days and the one represented in modern-day culture it should be stated that it did not change greatly even after thousands of years to pass which is really remarkable. Odysseus’s ethics rests on the principles of democracy and liberation. He is ready to do his best to provide the people of his land with freedoms and rights making their life rewarding and meaningful. He does his best in order to organize the state system in such a way that will guarantee good living conditions for all the people of the land. Odysseus does not forget about the afflicted people. Whenever he hears about someone’s grief he is ready to give a helping hand. In modern-day culture, popular ethics for a governor also relies on democratic principles. It is expected that a good ruler will provide the representatives of all the social layers in his country with equal opportunities and rights. Such a ruler will also provide the basis for helping those oppressed and deprived on the reason of their personal circumstances. Odysseus’s ethics also reset on the basis of liberalism. As a result, his people feel respected and valued, they are free to develop their state helping it become one of the richest and the most developed Hellenic states. Similar characteristics are essential for the image of a modern-day ruler. This idealized image is shown as possessing all the necessary qualifications and organizing abilities that will help him develop equal conditions for all. Such a person is able to assist his people in making their lives rewarding and full of benefits. This ruler knows how the well-being of every particular citizen of his land is important for the prosperity of the whole country. Given these points, the ethics shown by Homer, and the ethics depicted in idealized movies of popular culture during our days have a lot in common which proves that Homer put eternal wisdom which never fades to his immortal piece of literary art.

Conclusion

Concluding on all the above-discussed information, it should be stated that Odysseus’s image depicted by Homer a few thousand years ago appears to be actually even nowadays. Comparing this image to the concepts shown in varied pieces of modern-day art it appears that it has numerous parallels with the idealistic image of a perfect ruler. Popular movies especially fantastic ones depict an excellent ruler just as Homer did in his ingenious “The Odyssey”.

References

H., & Lombardo, S. (2000). Odyssey (a ed.). Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

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"“The Odyssey” by Homer and Its Legacy: A Romantic Vision of the State." IvyPanda, 26 Aug. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-odyssey-by-homer-and-its-legacy/.

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IvyPanda. (2022) '“The Odyssey” by Homer and Its Legacy: A Romantic Vision of the State'. 26 August.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "“The Odyssey” by Homer and Its Legacy: A Romantic Vision of the State." August 26, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-odyssey-by-homer-and-its-legacy/.

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IvyPanda. "“The Odyssey” by Homer and Its Legacy: A Romantic Vision of the State." August 26, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-odyssey-by-homer-and-its-legacy/.

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