formal research project

Running Head: NOTEBOOK ENTRY 1

NOTEBOOK ENTRY 3

note book entry of Homer, The Odyssey for book 1-11

The narrator uses a muse to tell the story of the Odysseus. The story picks up ten years after the Trojan war which led to the fall of Troy. Odysseus was trying to get home and in the process him together with his shipmates they decided to have an adventure. In the process he found himself all alone in the island of Ogygia and he was stranded there for the past eight years. Odysseus becomes a haunted man when one of the gods decides that he is not going to get home safe and that he will face the wrath. While odyssey is trying to find his way home his friend travels to his home town of manor in Ithaca to marry Odysseus wife. Although the son of Odyssey disliked all the suitors that wanted to marry his mother, the son was known as Telemachus.

The wife of odyssey was cunning enough to avoid the suitor who has sought her hand in marriage and this was discovered and the suitors offered the son some condition either he agrees that the mother gets married or she will be sent away. Telemachus was able to call upon one of the eagles who come inform of an eagle and descended on the suitors who after this were not still shaken. Telemachus then moves for a traditional wedding and where is able to learn a lot about his father and his cunning nature that he employed during the war one of them involving him acting like a beggar so as to survive.

The gods finally decide to release Odysseus and he is offered gifts alongside with the freedom that he was provided he decides to make a shaft that he will use to sail with back home. In the process one of the gods was able to see that he was released and was surprised and thus decided to make the life of Odysseus hard, he causes a heavy storm which destabilizes the shaft which Odysseus was using. He knew that he was going to die. The god of Athena was gracious enough as he had instructed him to hold on to an oncoming rock-ledge.

To save Odysseus the gods instruct Phaecian princess who was the princess to go and wash the clothes, when Odysseus had of this he decided to go and get some help even though he was tidy and had some devilish look. The Princess assist Odysseus and offers him a shield from which he could walk using. Out of this help Odysseus was able to find his way home.

Upon reaching home, he was called upon to identify himself to everyone dismay when he said his name, he was thought of being dead long time ago and that the people had totally dies. His people were happy again to see the king and there lost warrior.

The Odyssey: 21-24 notebook entries

The Odyssey is a Greek ancient poem, composed by Homer, and is one of the major poems written by him, of the two there are. It is a form of advancement of the Iliad, also written by Homer. The Odyssey’s main focus is Odysseus, a Greek hero and the tale of his journey home after Troy’s famous downfall. This essay is a brief analysis of Book XXI to Book XXIV entries of The Odyssey.

The 21st notebook entry of The Odyssey is a brief episode that attempts to mark the ascendance of Odysseus and Telemachus, Watson, J. S. (Ed.). (1876). In this episode, the son increasingly becomes very authoritative, and orders Eumaeus in a sharp manner to confront the suitors that have lined up and in the process, asks Eumaeus to give Odysseus the bow. In the meantime, Odysseus takes his place as the rightful man of the house when he successfully beat the suitors who have joined the contest. From the event of the contest, it is somewhat clear that the suitors stand no chance against Odysseus, who displays great skill in handling weaponry.

In the 22nd notebook entry of The Odyssey, the climax of the contest kicks in. Odysseus kills the rich suitor who had earlier flung a cow’s hoof at him. Also, Melathios gets amputated in a graphic incident, Butler, S. (1944). In this episode, there are many deaths portrayed in an ironic manner, such as the death of Antinous, which Homer uses to remind us of his greedy ways. Another death in this episode is that of Eurymakhos. In a plot twist, Odysseus spares the lives of all suitors, except two, who he kills despite their begging cries to him.

The 23rd episode of The Odyssey is one that Homer uses to keep the audience engaged and ready for the final episode, where he promises a dramatic conflict in Odysseus’ final trial, which was prescribed by Tiresias, Watson, J. S. (Ed.). (1876). Homer uses this conflict to maintain the tension that follows after the climactic battle seen in Book XXII. Secondly, the reunion between Odysseus and Penelope is full of suspense, as Penelope had met many Odysseus impostors before, and her reaction to meeting the real Odysseus is unpredictable.

In the 24th episode, many loose ends get tied up in what could be termed as an uneven episode. Through this episode, Homer reminds us of the issue of fidelity, where Agamemnon contrasts Klytaimnestra and Penelope, Butler, S (1944). Also, Odysseus gets reunited with his father. Ultimately, the theme of the power of the gods dominates the episode, where we see that the gods have power over all that happens to the humans. They hold the key to the fate of humans. They can declare war and make peace.

Reference list

Butler, S. (1944). The odyssey of Homer. Walter J. Black, Incorporated.

Watson, J. S. (Ed.). (1876). The Odyssey of Homer. G. Bell.

Agamemnon:  lines 1-1031

Notes

Introduction

This section of the book starts with Agamemnon rebuking his wife because she had laid the carpet for him but only after indicating that if he was to walk on it, he may display some level of pride which could earn him the wrath of the gods. In his defense, he says that he is only human and therefore he can not do such a thing. This part brings out the relationship between the humans and gods, one would expect that exalted members of society can be used to as a link between the mere mortals and the gods, however the opposite is true because even those who are considered exalted also understand their position in society as being just commoners. The power of the mighty in the kingdom is also shown here when Agamemnon demands that special care should be accorded to Cassandra. He has used his position to take her-who is a Trajon princess to be his Concubine and slave.

There is a homecoming celebration for Agamemnon because he seems to have succeeded in restoring the order to the Argos. Despite the situation at hand, people are not free to express themselves in a free manner because the text states that there are some murmurs as well as lamentations. There is a lamentation because people have apparently lost hope. There is an element of Irony here because there should be ab actual celebration for the success of Agamemnon. The somber mood is compounded by the fact that Cassandra is ordered by Clytemnestra to be happy because she has good masters.

The tone of Clytemnestra may have sounded caring; however she is not happy with the king for his decision to bring Cassandra home.

Commentary

There is some good reason for the issues that have come from walking on the Carpet. This incident brings out the weakness of Agamemnon because he seems to fail to reign in Clytemnestra´s ability to degrade his roles and directions. There is a contrast in the events which happen at this stage, for example Agamemnon is seen giving out orders that Cassandra be treated in a certain way, this is seen as trying to portray him as a good natured and kind person, however this is just the opposite because he is known to be a cold hearted individual whose attitude towards his wife is seen as not being so warm. As a king who had just conquered his enemies and even captured a slave, he is supposed to show a strong character. Agamemnon has followed tradition by ensuring that he brings home a Concubine but still people find this to be disrespectful to his wife.

As the audience sympathizes with the queen due to Cassandra´s presence, the truth points to this as being baseless because she is not as innocent as she looked since her also had her own lover. This adds to the paradox that is typical of this play. The audience is left to ponder as to whether she deserves sympathy as a woman who has been scorned or she is a ruthless individual in search of revenge. The whole story seems to be thriving on falsehood.

Conclusion

There story revolves around a kingdom and the roles of the king. However the focus is not on the roles of a king to his subjects, rather it is about the king and his exploits and personal pride. The audience has been treated to the king´s ability to conquer the enemies. The element of personal pride comes in here when the king is seen to be keen o carrying out the tradition of ´capturing a slave who is to be made a concubine despite the fact that his wife is not happy about it.

Every one seems to be pre occupied with their problems. The Audience wonders where the needs of the subjects fall because even the queen herself has a lover but apparently she is unhappy when the husband brings home a Concubine. From the Carpet to the speeches, the audience are introduced to a ruthless and cold hearted king, however when he gives orders concerning Cassandra, his character changes and therefore people re able to se his soft side.

Reference:

Buscus, K.(1978). Book Summery : Aeschylus, Agamemnon: London: Macmillan

Francis, M.(2000). How to enter notes for a book. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Read Introduction to Virgil’s Aeneid Read Virgil, Aeneid, Books I-II

Virgil’s Aeneid

Virgil Aeneid’s poem is epic in the sense that it evaluates the conditions of Romans lives. Through the various illustrations, Virgil was able to present real human emotions pietas and impious furor (Conte, 1986).  The feelings were different from each other. The characters, such as Juno often consumed by their fury whereas Aeneas, the hero and central character are presented to be dutiful. Aeneas is obedient to God through his Roman journey. However, Aeneas is overpowered by rage ending up killing seeking vengeance. Virgil presented Aeneas as a pious individual giving Rome a glorious founding.

Virgil’s Aeneid clearly, overtly and obviously alludes to his prosecutor, Homer, drawn from “The Iliad”. Virgil first plots the story in prose then methodically. The story begins by focusing on Aeneas journey from Troy to Rome then switches to the victories the Trojans won over the Latin. The character of Aeneas is primarily to act as a role model. His heroic nature fights for truth and justice. Virgil uses Anchises in instructing Aeneas in fight against the proud and showing mercy for the captured. Through his eyes the Roman statue is highly recognized to be patriotic and respected by the citizens. Aeneas receives wisdom through a vision. The Trojan household is safe. Aeneas presents offerings to the “Lar of Troy". Importance of family and heritage precisely the role of the father is presented to the readers. Virgil used Aeneas to show how Romans were committed to their culture. Aeneas was committed towards the future of Rome. His long and cumbersome journey from Troy to Rome gave him an opportunity to grow and gave him a different perspective of the war. The storyline inspired and motivated Romans in moving away from their past and towards success as well as hope for a better future. Virgil was able to reawaken the Roman pride after bringing an end to all war (Seider, 2013). 

References

Conte, G. B. (1986). The rhetoric of imitation: genre and poetic memory in Virgil and other Latin poets. Cornell University Press.

Seider, A. M. (2013). Memory in Vergil's Aeneid. Cambridge University Press.

Read Virgil, Aeneid, Books VIII (ll. 788-955), X (ll. 609-702), XII Read the excerpt from Homer, The Iliad: “Achilles’ Shield”

The Trojan troop led by Aeneas and the Arcadians lead by their king Evander have a common enemy the Latin. The god of the river Tiberinus advices Aeneas to form an alliance with the Arcadians so that they fight the Latin as a team, Aeneas approaches the king so that this alliance works and the king accepts his suggestion. The three gods Tiberinus, Venus and Vulcan offer to help Aeneas (Horsfall, 2014). Venus asks her husband Vulcan to prepare the weapons for Aeneas and her husband orders his workers to make the weapons and the armor for Aeneas. Venus presents strong and beautifully crafted weapons and armor to Aeneas they included helmet, corselet, sword, spear, and shield. These were to show him that the gods were with him and his army and with the help of the neighboring armies he was ready to go to war with Latin.

The Trojans and Aeneas suffered for some time during war and Venus blamed this suffering on another got Jupiter who was in support of their enemy. Another king provides Aeneas with a fleet of ship along with other great warriors in order to enforce his army. Pallas leads the Arcadians as they fight in favor of the Trojans but unfortunately Pallas is killed by Turnus and his belt taken off as a price. Aeneas hears about this death and rages through Latin looking for Turnus and aiming at avenging Pallas’ death. In the process he mercilessly slaughters several Latin soldiers and after Jupiter’s plea he spares Turnus who disappears to another shore. During his absence another warrior take over the Latin troop and manages to slain several brave warriors from Troy (Horsfall, 2014). Aeneas kills his only son, this rages him and he confronts Aeneas who kills him in the long run. In this battle there was no intervention by any of the gods men were left to lead on their own.

Turnus returns and wants to go to war with Aeneas in order to earn some honor. Juno is convinced that Aeneas is likely to outmatch Turnus therefore opts to use his sister to protect him. Juturna Turnus’ sister disguises herself as a noble officer and tries to stop the war but this was never successful. A stray arrow hits one of the Trojan soldiers and this even stirs the war. Aeneas efforts to stop his men were also not fruitful as he also gets a stray arrow hitting his legs forcing him to retreat. His retreat encourages Turnus to continue fighting but after he gets treated of his wound he returns to the battle field and takes Turnus down killing him by the sword.

Aeneas emerges a hero in Troy but in the Iliad he is one of the minor characters. Achilles shield summarizes the story of Achaeans and their fight against the Trojans. It depicts the two cities and what used to happen within the two cities. The cities of Greece and Troy are the two cities represented in the shield (Taplin, 1980). From the shield one city is filled with men dancing and singing and brides marching through the streets while the other is surrounded by an army. The shield generally acts as a guide for the reader to understand what really happened between the Trojans and the Achaeans with a flashback of what had happened and what was likely to lead to the fall of troy.

References

Taplin, O. (1980). The shield of Achilles within the Iliad. Greece & Rome, 27(1), 1-21.

Horsfall, N. (2014). Virgil," Aeneid" 6: a commentary. Walter de Gruyter.

The Divine Comedy: Hell (Cantos I-IX) by Dante Alighieri

In Canto 1, the 35 years old Dante is shown to be in the darkest forest to the point of abandoning the true-path in the fearful valley. However, at the high hilltop, Dante can see some light but faces an obstacle as leopard and lion appeared followed by a she-wolf as he tried to find a new path leading to the city of God. In Canto 2, Dante expressed what he saw and the concerns of the journey ahead. Dante asks Virgil how he can manage to travel to the deathless world while alive. According to Virgil, cowardice was the biggest challenge making Dante continue towards gates of hell.

Canto 3 explores how Dante realized the inscriptions that were on the gates of hell assuring great suffering in the city. There are numerous aspects from Ante-Inferno that made Dante scared, but Virgil advised him to leave all fears behind and go on. However, Dante felt unconscious after violent wind and earthquake. Canto 4 shows Dante being awakened by the loud thunder and accompanied Virgil into the circle of Hell. Dante could see many people who were sorrowful, but they seemed not tormented and followed Virgil to the darkness.

In Canto 5, Dante enters the second circle that is small and cramped. Hurricane-like winds are experienced to lament the sinners, especially who lust overcame their reasoning. The famous people were being punished in that circle. At this point, Dante faints as he spoke with some famous people in the circle and developed pity for them. In Canto 6, Dante wakes up again after fainting. He was not at the third circle in Hell where he was surrounded by spirits suffering as filthy rain punished them. Dante and Virgil left the third circle while talking about the future and is likely to happen for those in Hell.