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The use of caves in mythology to depict darkness and abandonment has
branded it as a symbol of chaos. From this perception other associations
are made which connect the cave to prejudices, malevolent spirits, burial
sites, sadness, resurrection and intimacy. It is a world to which only
few venture, and yet its mysticism has attracted the interest of
philosophers, religious figures and thinkers throughout history. These
myths are exemplified in Homer's "Odyssey," where the two worlds of
mortals and immortals unite in the eternal cave.
To Plato, the cave represents the confusion between reality and
falsehood. Individuals chained deep within the recesses of the cave
mistake their shadows for physical existence. These false perceptions,
and the escape from bonds held within the cave symbolize transition into
the a world of reality. Comparatively, in the Odyssey, Odysseus must
first break with Kalypso, and set himself free before he can return to......

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Approximate Word Count: 1740
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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