Hero’s Journey Project Homer’s The Odyssey and Stan Lee’s Spiderman 3 By: Greg Hockaday

Departure: The Belly of the Whale (Homer’s The Odyssey) In Homer’s The Odyssey Odysseus enters the belly of the whale when he and his crew get stuck in the Cyclops cave and are unable to escape. This is shown when the Cyclops says “I would not let you go for fear of Zeus” (Book 9, 181). I think this shows how Odysseus was so stuck that not even Zeus the king of all gods could save him. The only way Odysseus could escape this was if he helped himself.

Initiation: Woman as the Temptress (Homer’s The Odyssey) Odysseus is tempted several times throughout The Odyssey but one the one that he fell for was when Calypso seduced him into staying with her for a multitude of years. This is shown when they describe Calypso “Divine Calypso, the mistress of the isle” (Book 5, 15-16). This epithet shows how Calypso is not only a goddess but a mistress at the same time so she is the ultimate temptress.

Return: Rescue from Without ( Homer’s The Odyssey) Odysseus has to be rescued from without by Zeus when he comes home because without the gods on his side no four men can defeat hundreds of suitors without the help of the gods. This help is shown when “Zeus thundered overhead, one loud crack for a sign” (Book 21, ). This is a clear sign that Odysseus has to have assistance from without (Zeus) in order to return back to his normal home life.

Departure: The Belly of the Whale (Stan Lee’s Spiderman 3) Peter Parker ends up in the belly of the whale when Mary Jane breaks up with him when he is intending to ask her to marry him. She does this when she brings him to the bridge and she says “Peter, this isn’t working out, you and me are over” (Spiderman 3). This shows how everything Peter Parker had was taken away from him and he had truly hit rock bottom.

In Spiderman 3, Spiderman is tempted not by a woman but by power. He shows this when he is talking about the new black suite “This feels good, I feel powerful” (Spiderman 3). This shows how even the best of people have trouble with temptation and all hero’s will be tempted by something whether it’s a girl power or both. Initiation: Woman as the Temptress (Stan Lee’s Spiderman 3)

Return: Rescue from Without (Stan Lee’s Spiderman 3) In order for Peter to complete his hero’s journey he required help from his best friend Harry to help him when he was on the verge of death. This is shown when the TV. reporter says “Amazing! When all hope seemed lost Spiderman gets help from some green man on a hover board” (Spiderman 3). This shows Spiderman needed help to complete his task because no one can do everything alone.

Works Cited Allen, Janet. "The Odyssey." Holt McDougal Literature: Texas Grade 9. Texas ed. Evanston, Ill.: Holt McDougal, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Print. Spiderman 3. Dir. Sam Raimi. Perf. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst. Columbia Pictures, DVD.