Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth Essay

1. Hero introduced in his ordinary world Odysseus is a strong ruler of Ithaca (Greek city-state), however lacks experience in war. He is also the son of Là ¤ertes 2. The call to adventure  He wins the Trojan war through his guile nature. As his fleet left for Ithaca, strong winds sweep them off course 3. Hero is reluctant at first Odysseus and his men get a little afraid after realizing that they had no idea where they were heading for 4. Encouraged by the wise old man/woman Along the way, Odysseus obtains lots of advice of how he should carry on with his expedition from Circe the Enchantress 5. Hero passes the first threshold The first issue that Odysseus faces would be in the beginning of the Odyssey, where his fleet land on the city of Ismara, and plunder the Cicones inhabiting the region 6. Hero encounters tests & helpers Other hazards for Odysseus were: Polyphemus, The Lotus-Eaters, Hades, The Sirens, Scylla etc. 7. Hero reaches the innermost cave The largest issue ever faced by Odysseus’s fleet would be the Man-eating Cyclops named Polyphemus. Being the son of Poseidon, Odysseus’s trickery angered the God of the sea, which would cause much more implications on them. This would largely affect Odysseus’s quality to a greater extent 8. Hero endures the supreme ordeal Odysseus try to escape Polyphemus’s island first, but Odysseus hubris turns against their own people. Polyphemus attacks Odysseus’s men with boulders and rocks. With luck, they escape into the waters, out of reach from danger 9. Hero seizes the sword Odysseus finally defeats all enemies 10. The road back Unfortunately, as he does so, he loses all his men, when Poseidon strikes his  fleet with the power of the raging sea 11. Resurrection He alone gets away from the impending danger and realizes his mistakes. He finally reaches the Phaeacians, and tells them his story, since it had been more than 10 year since he had left for battle 12. Return with the treasure His â€Å"treasure† is more in a form of a lesson, where he realizes that greed is something that corrupts a man. His adventure is definitely an example, since with his greed came the loss of his men and valuables