Comparing the Iliad to the Odyssey

Comparing the Iliad and Odyssey on various traits	Iliad	Odyssey
Genre	Primary Epic - Realistic/Psychological	Primary Epic - Romantic, archetypal
Theme/Concerns	Serious Dramatic Portrayal of humans Study of human nature Conflicts between a person's own wishes and responsibility to community (choosing between the id and the superego)	Adventure, perhaps the greatest in literature Fantastic portrayal of world Exploration of monsters and dangers Conflict between a person's personal commitment and effort and the forces of fate and nature arrayed against him
Plot	Complicated and deep	Simple and episodic
Hero	Skill as warrior Reward of honor	Strength of will, purpose, and mind Reward for loyalty and faith
Moral issues	Complex characters who share a mixture of good and evil	Simple issues between binary oppositions of good and evil Heroes and villains
Characters	Aristocracy: Warriors, Priests, and Gods	Attention to others, especially servants and beggars Cross-section of Mycenaean world
Women	Prizes of honor	Women in position of power Penelope smart creative beautiful loyal Bed - tests for Odysseus
Divine Justice	Gods reward or punish by whim or personal bias	Divine justice exists Gods punish those who act improperly, even Odysseus

Developed by Linda Reaves. Revised by Bill Stifler, 2005