Macbeth vs Odyssues Often in literature, the view we have on the strengths of a character is frequently stereotyped, some characteristics being seen as a strong leader who can defeat anyone with a single punch. However, this isn’t the case, there is more to strengths, including, intelligence, charisma, and cleverness, which allow individuals to be strong and overcome challenges without issues. In the epic of the Odyssey, written by Greek author Homer, the main character Odysseus follows this core example of showing intellect over strength. These characteristics allow Odyssey to overcome near death experiences and return to his home island of Ithica. As for the gullible king, Macbeth, he doesn’t follow any case of Odysseus. The Tragedy of Macbeth, …show more content…
These two characters from separate stories have their own strengths, however if they were challenged to a fight between each other Odysseus would undoubtedly win. In Homer's play, the Odyssey, Odysseus faced many challenges, most notable was his battle against the giant cyclops Polyphemus. This cyclops caught Odysseus and his crew by surprise, they were locked in a cave imprisoned until their incoming death by being devoured by Polyphemus. Recognizing the issue that Odysseus was in, he used his intelligence to escape. By using grape wine they had stored on their journey they would trick Polyphemus into drinking, who consequently consumed all the beverages and became intoxicated, before passing out. When Polyphemus passed out, Odysseus and his crew used a carved wooden plank to stab the cyclops in his only eye, making him blind. Odysseus and his men had made the cyclops blind, but they didn’t escape. They waited days, until the cyclops brought his sheep out of the cave for …show more content…
This effort showed his wife that he was honest and had the charismatic personality to convince her that he was the true Odysseus after nearly 10 years. Macbeth, on the other hand, would fail in this effort. Macbeth was neither trustworthy nor charismatic. In many ways Macbeth failed to share his honesty in the killing of Duncan and even failed to share personal details on the witches prophecy with his wife, Lady Macbeth. Showing both his weakness as a husband and as an individual. Opponents of the argument that Macbeth can beat Odysseus can argue that Odysseus suffers from “Hubris”, or an excess of self confidence in himself, which causes the deaths of all his crew, along with Odysseus suffering for ten years away from his island of Ithaca. One example of Odysseus’ weakness is after defeating the one eyed cyclops, polyphemus, Odysseus gives his name away to the cyclops. Not aware that Polyphemus was created by Poseidon, the god of the sea. Due to these weaknesses, opponents can claim that Macbeth can defeat Odysseus due to his excessive pride in