In Homer's epic ballads The Iliad and the Odyssey, Achilles and Odysseus are the outstanding saints. Achilles has been fighting Hector outside the walls of Troy ever since Hector executed his closest companion, Patroclus. Following the fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus undertakes an excursion to return to Ithaca to see his wife, Penelope, and his child, Telemachus. These epic stories concern the Mycenaean or Bronze Age Greeks, who flourished between 1600 and 1100 BC. There are many contrasts between the Iliad and the Odyssey that demonstrate incredible ideological changes between the last type of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay In the Iliad, Menelaus takes up residence in his own home, demonstrating a culture in which all work must be attempted in case it sparks a more remarkable opportunity. In the Odyssey we see a disposition that today gains toward hard work and submission. Flexibility was first seen as autonomy from others, but then it turned into the opposite of slavery. The Iliad tells the final section of the story of two remarkable Bronze Age "Greek" unions becoming involved with each other. It's a long, wandering epic, but it fundamentally revolves around "the exceptional Achilles'" battle to confront his pride and move toward refinement. The Iliad depicts the conflict between two equally splendid and excellent gatherings of "Greeks", and The Odyssey depicts contact with "Others", called beasts and witches. The Iliad is a story of eternal magnificence where courageous activities can reverberate across the ages, outliving the individuals who performed them. Achilles grasps this perfect, to the point of being summoned from Hades in the Odyssey, grasping a negative disposition toward death and transcendence. The Iliad is a work of military publicity which legitimizes Mycenaean control of the most profitable oceanic entrance of the time (the Bosporus), and the Odyssey legitimizes the colonization of Italy and Sicily towards the West . The Odyssey, conversely, takes place primarily outside of this core culture. and depicts contacts with pre-Mycenaean Mediterranean societies. The story focuses on Odysseus and his family's battle to recover from the late aftermath of the Trojan War and, primarily, Odysseus' battle to return home. The Odyssey is considered an epilogue or continuation of the Iliad and contains a large number of similar characters (Ulysses appears in both); huge contrasts however integrate the setting, i.e. the Iliad concerns war, while the Odyssey, peace in the outcome of war and reality, the Odyssey contains much more 'enchantment. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper from our expert now. writers.Get Custom Essay They are comparable in that the Trojan War is the common trait between them. There is also the way Homer composed the two epic sonnets and highlights two Greeks perceived as epic legends. Achilles is extraordinary, but comparable to Odysseus in that Achilles lives for himself and Odysseus is a family man - when he's not fooling around with the goddesses; in any case, they are both overflowing with pride, which costs them dearly. The greatest distinction is that Achilles bites the dust and Odysseus lives and returns home..