Odysseus and Samson

             In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer makes Odysseus seem real in his journey from Troy back to Ithaca, his homeland, by giving him good and bad traits. In the book of Judges, in the Bible, Samson, a judge over the nation of Israel, demonstrates both good and bad traits, also. Both Odysseus and Samson have supernatural strength, they both know they have received their strength from their God, and sometimes they both show a lack of self-control.
             Physically, Odysseus and Samson have something in common; they both have supernatural strength. God gave Samson the power to kill a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey. In The Odyssey, Athena gave Odysseus and his son the power to overcome more than one hundred men. Both defeated their enemies with supernatural strength given to them by their God.
             Another trait Odysseus and Samson have in common is they acknowledge the source of their incredible strength. They both give credit to their God for the amazing actions they are able to perform. In Judges 15: 18a Samson says to the Lord " '... You have given your servant this great victory...'" and Odysseus knows Athena helped him in his battle against the suitors. Athena says to Odysseus, " I shall not be far distant then, for I myself desire battle." So, both Odysseus and Samson recognize that they are not the only ones winning the battles, it is with supernatural help.
             Odysseus and Samson both have bad character traits, too. One they both demonstrate is a lack of self-control. Samson is very short tempered and impulsive. When his fiancee`, a Philistine, told the answer to a riddle Samson had wagered that his friend could not answer Samson leaves the wedding feast in anger and burns the Philistines' fields. Odysseus shows a lack of self-control when he boastfully taunts the Cyclops after he and his crew barely escape the monster. He angers the Cyclops and his journey is then curse...

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Odysseus and Samson. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:13, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/22714.html