Question: How to similar events in the Ramayana and the Odyssey compare with each other?
It is very easy to compare these two epics given how both were literary texts that represented incredibly important cultures and civilizations. As a result, there are several events that are available for comparison in the two epics. For one, the actions of women in both epics are very important. In both the Ramayana and the Odyssey, the wives of the main male characters, Sita and Penelope, are tormented by individuals that want to take them for their own, even though both women are married. Despite their circumstances, both women choose to stay loyal to their husbands. This is not to say that both epics treat other events in similar fashion. For example, the Odyssey, the suitors that chase after Penelope are brutally murdered and not given burial after Odysseus comes home. However, in the Ramayana, while Sita’s kidnapper, Ravana, is eventually killed by Rama, Ravana is given a proper burial. Even during the story, Ravana is shown to be respected by Rama, despite his actions, contrasting heavily with the opinions of the public of the suitors. In general, key events like this show the key contrasts in the two epics and more so, the civilizations they were a part of.
I agree – both the Ramayana and the Odyssey revolve around the protagonist trying to get back home to their wives. Both women also remain extremely loyal to their husbands, never wavering even in the face of impossible and despairing odds. I found it interesting how you said both epics don’t treat events in the same way. At the end, Odysseus pretty much gets his wife without any problem, but in the Ramayana, Rama lets her die first, leading the reader to have a wtf moment first, then get the happy ending later on.