Zeus essay

Introduction:

The Odysseys is a historic writing attributed to Homer in other words it is a Greek mythology. Through it were experience the life of one (Zeus) who is associated to the Greek culture recognize themselves with him and some of his deeds as Heroic to them. The Odysseys is like a mythological collection of the Greeks belief or the reason why they posses some practices in their daily lifestyle so is the Zeus and his portraits or statues in the current Greek state. To understand him all discuss him relying on the questions as my guidelines.

What does he look like?

In art Zeus was represented as a bearded, dignified, and mature man of stalwart build; his most prominent symbols were the thunderbolt and the eagle. In most of his appearances in writings or his image portraits, usually represented as an older, vigorous bearded man. But representations of Zeus as a powerful young man also exist. Zeus was a god identical to the roman God Jupiter. The derivatives of his name comes from, the sky godDyausof the ancient Hindu Rigveda. How he looked like was mostly derived from what he used to do, in other words the responsibilities that he used to have. E. g. Lord of the Sky, Rain-God, Cloud-Gatherer, And Zeus of the Thunderbolt.

What are his basic personality traits or temperament?

Zeus was involved in a number of things that summed up his personality, from his deeds some personal traits were derived such as a highly powerful, strong, charming, persuasive person.  His powerfulness is seen when he was a young adult and was able to face his father in a battle field and overthrow his rule. This also carries his attribute of being stronger in that if at all he wasn’t he couldn’t have dared the battle against his father. His persuasive personality comes in his erotic escapades to lure either mortal and immortal women or the devious means to seduce the unsuspecting maidens resulting in the fathering of many mortals.

What is his role in the story?

Zeus can be said to be the ultimate savior of the mortals and immortals. The story talks about how the mother (Rhea) tricked Cronus the father and saved his life from the wrath of the father who was out to outdo a prophesy. This Rhea achieved by giving the father stone wrapped in a cloth instead of the Child Zeus. His main role is first experienced when he succeeds in regurgitating the father to vomit the five children he had previously swallowed who turn out to be Zeus brothers and sisters. After which he (Zeus) led the revolt against his father together with his brothers who were filled with the fury of being swallowed for all those years in overthrowing the father.

What does the character want?

Zeus main aim of overthrowing the father was to revenge on the death of his brothers and sisters. That is after the ordeal that the father killed the brothers and sisters with an aim of trying to block the fulfillment of a prophesy that was to come. And also Zeus, with the tricks of the mother, working under the father for a short period of time without knowledge of the father knowing his own son, is appointed the chief judge and peacemaker, but most importantly civic god. He brought peace in place of violence, His duties in this role were to maintain the laws, protect suppliants, to summon festivals and to give prophecies as the supreme deity Zeus oversaw the conduct of civilized life, and hence he was also driven by this to overthrow the father. In other words what he wants is to gain control of the universe.

What objectives do they pursue?

They were Gods hence a reflection of their personality is portrayed when they gang up together to fight up the titans and Cronus their father to wrest control of the universe.( Zeus and his brothers Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon). And they achieved their objective in the end by at long last having him and his brothers Poseidon and Hades divided up creation. Poseidon received the sea as his domain, Hades got the Underworld and Zeus took the sky. Zeus also was accorded supreme authority on earth and on Mount Olympus.

How are they a reflection of their personality?

Zeus and the brothers were gods and they exuded this when the regained their rightful positions after deposition of their father Cronus.

How do they get what they want?

Achieving their control of the universe at large did not only means revenging against the father only but also through conquering the mortals and gaining confidence over them and the achieved this by facing them in the battle field in the clash of the titans.

What does he do when he is faced with problems?

Later Zeus faces a problem of what the father also faced. That is a dilemma of a prophesy that one of His sons will overthrow him, and the similarity is seen when he repeats the mistake the father did, by starting to kill his sons by swallowing them. Unfortunately he is faced with the same consequences the father underwent when he took the option of killing the children as an option of trying to evade the wrath set forth by a prophesy.

What do other characters say about him?

What others have always emulated in him was lost, in other words they were brothers and they told him the reality of facing the same wrath their father underwent.

What is his status?

Zeus saw the fall of his father and went ahead and did a repetition of the same, hence he is bound to see some change as an immortal being in that what he thought will have to change, in other words his position as the supreme authority on earth and on Mount Olympus will change.

How does he reflect his status?

When it pounced on him that his status had indeed changed that is after his own fall he regretted doing what he had done, he did understand that pride comes before a fall.

What is expected of him?

As a ruler he had exuded himself to be, he was expected of him to admit his mistakes.

What does he represent and why did the Greeks remember him?

Through Zeus the Greeks believe that he was responsible from all his children he gave man all he needed to live life in an ordered and moral way. To the Greek people he truly represents the origin of Greek culture. And they remember him with all the arts, sculptures, preserving his temple known as the ‘ temple of Zeus’, which held the gold and ivory statue of the enthroned Zeus, sculpted by Phidias and hailed as one of the ” Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”. Including the Olympic Games were played in his honor.