...Odysseus from Homer's The Odyssey is not a good role model. At times, Odysseus' curiosity can lead to some extreme situations and endanger the lives of his crew. Odysseus can also be very prideful of his clever work or achievements, causing unnecessary trouble later on. Furthermore, although Odysseus says that he misses his kingdom, wife, and son, and wishes to return to them dearly, he doesn't stay faithful to his wife. Book IX of The Odyssey provides an example of Odysseus' bad curiosity as it trapped him and his crew in the cyclops' cave. When Odysseus and his crew reach the island of the cyclops, they discover the cyclops, Polyphemus' cave. Odysseus, curious to see what the beast looks like, waits with his crew in the cave. When...
Words: 705 - Pages: 3
...Odysseus has everything he needs in order to take on the role of hero throughout his journey. In Odysseus’s personality, he possesses the ability to strategize. The protection and care that Odysseus gives to his men help in portraying him as a hero. Odysseus has a goal-oriented mindset, the work and effort he puts into achieving his goal shows the heroic side of him. The character traits worn by Odysseus’s personality make it easy to see the hero inside of him. Odysseus possesses character traits amongst a wide variety that make him a hero in Homer’s, The Odyssey. Having the ability to strategize in all aspects of life aids in the characterization of Odysseus as a hero; Odysseus clearly displays his abilities through his decisions over the...
Words: 1237 - Pages: 5
...virtue”). In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, father of one son, and husband of a noble wife. After leaving Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a short journey home, in which he makes bad decisions that cause him to take much longer to arrive back in Ithaca than he should have. Odysseus’s selfishness, disloyalty, and mercilessness eliminated any chances he had of being a hero. Some may argue that Odysseus was a hero because of his extreme cleverness or cunning ways. Yes, Odysseus was clever and cunning, but in most situations he did not apply those skills correctly. Therefore, Odysseus was most definitely not a hero. To begin with, Odysseus’s selfishness is made obvious during his encounter with Polyphemus. Everything he does is for the good of himself. Every action he takes is only taken to build onto his ego. If Odysseus had not decided to provide the Cyclops with all his information, his journey...
Words: 825 - Pages: 4
...French Author Albert Camus wisely declares that, “life is the sum of all your choices”(12).Decisions are a constant occurrence in a person’s life, each one having an impact on the next one. Ordinary people make foolish decisions and must face the consequences, just as fictional characters in stories. In Homer’s epic tale The Odyssey, hero odysseus utilizes poor judgement that negatively impacts his journey to Ithaca. After 10 years at war, the victorious Greeks encounter many obstacles, and their leader Odysseus must make many quick, difficult choices. The greeks arrive on Cyclops Island in search of hospitality, and end up getting trapped hostage in Polyphemus the cyclops’ cave. Cunning Odysseus devises a plan of escape that includes telling...
Words: 665 - Pages: 3
...In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer changes Odysseus’ decisions to reveal that leaders must make rational decisions for the most successful outcome possible. The theme of leadership is represented through the protagonist, Odysseus, recovering some of his crew from their mistakes, constructing an optimal plan to overcome brute force, and making decisions that will later affect their destiny. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus makes rational decisions for himself and his crew to accomplish the goal of returning back home from his journey. After some of Odysseus’ crew members make the mistake of consuming the lotus flower on the Island of the Lotus Eaters, Homer shows that Odysseus’ changed decisions to protect his crew change and reveal the...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...Has Odysseus really changed all that much from his postwar travels by the time he meets the Phaeacians? In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus’ actions do reveal his behavior, but not necessarily in the way one would think. But Odysseus is often stuck in a sort of loop, in which some aspects of his behavior are dynamic, and others remain static, depending heavily on the situation the character is placed in. When Odysseus meets the Phaeacians, he displays changes in behavior as he begs for mercy, yet remains static with his overbearing pride. So, how does Odysseus manage to exhibit such different types of behavior? Well, the first example appears when he first meets with the Phaeacian royal family, specifically Queen Arete. “And then, / [Odysseus] flung his arms around Arete’s...
Words: 635 - Pages: 3
...The Odyssey is Homer’s epic poem translated by Robert Fitzgerald. It is about Odysseus’ 10-year battle to return home after the Trojan war. While Odysseus battles mythical creatures and countenances the wrath of the Gods, his wife Penelope and son Telemachus stave off suitors vying for Penelope’s hand and Ithaca’s position of authority sufficiently long for Odysseus to return. In the Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates to be a good leader because he gives a prime case of a homeric hero and he exhibits moral obligation in his actions throughout the epic. Initially, Odysseus chooses to go to war with the Greeks despite the fact that he does not want to leave his wife and son. Odysseus answers, “My lady goddess, there is no cause for anger. My quiet Penelope I long for home, long for the sight of home,” (The Wanderings....
Words: 360 - Pages: 2
...In Homer’s The Odyssey, Telemachus shows many emotions, a few of these being helplessness, encouragement, and then he finally shows the abandonment of hope, also, other people commented on the fact that Telemachus has no one to protect him from the world without his father. Telemachus shows helplessness when he first spots the goddess Athena in Odysseus’ halls, “He could almost see his magnificent father, here… in the mind’s eye- if only he might drop from the clouds and drive these suitors all in a rout throughout the halls” (1. 134-136) Telemachus shows helplessness by imagining that he sees his father in the halls, instead of Athena because, he believes that his father could drive away all of his mother, Penelope’s, suitors who wish to marry her since they assume Odysseus is dead....
Words: 477 - Pages: 2
...Odysseus the Great Do you ever thought of how hard it is to be a hero? How about what a hero really is? In Homer’s timeless epic The Odyssey,Odysseus of Ithaca is the hero. A hero is someone who is loyal to his country, family and gods. Odysseus, king of Ithaca because he is loyal to his country, family, and gods. “Odysseus leaves the ship and rushes to Circe’s hall. The god Hermes stops him to give him a plant that will act like as an antidote to Circe’s power” (page 7580).This shows loyalty to his country because Odysseus is willing to eat something that might kill him to save his men. “I sent out two picked men and a runner to learn what race of men that land sustained.They fell in, soon enough, with lotus eater, who showed no will to do us harm, only offering the sweet lotus to...
Words: 1224 - Pages: 5
...can influence all aspects of his life. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the way characters are treated and viewed by others depends on their reputation. Those with bad reputations are threatened or abused by the gods, while those with good reputations are loved and rewarded by the gods. A character’s reputation determined how one is treated, and if one was favored by the gods. In the epic, Odysseus earns kleos and therefore he is treated like a god when he travels to other places. During his journey, Odysseus encountered many people who welcomed him into their homes. In Book 10, Aeolus “hosted [Odysseus] for one entire month” (10. 17) and “he denied me [Odysseus] nothing” (10. 21) after “he pressed me [Odysseus] for news of Troy and...
Words: 768 - Pages: 4
...In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus displays his renowned cleverness in his journey to get home, but he also shows he is very prideful. While trying to get home, Odysseus and his crew land on the island of the Cyclops, a race of one-eyed, man-eating giants. They end up stuck in the Cyclops Polyphemus’s cave, and Odysseus uses his ingenuity to get (most) of his men out. Polyphemus is so massive, that the rock he seals the entrance with, lifted easily by him, is impossible for Odysseus and his crew to budge. The men are helpless as they watch, each night, the Cyclops devour two more of their number for supper. Shrewdly, Odysseus gives Polyphemus wine, ostensibly as a gift to gain favor, until he is drunk, and then he tells the Cyclops his name is Nobody....
Words: 641 - Pages: 3
...A heavy gust of wind heaved us against the ocean, our vessel struggling to stay erect as the wild sea began storming and roaring with intense brutality. I lay sprawled out on the deck of the ship. Odysseus stood near the edge of the ship spouting orders to the crew, while the salty liquid fought its way into my mouth. The insidious beast disguised as the majestic ocean, crashed against our ship, sending another wave of chilly water onto plank. The acidic waves looked like teeth waiting to consume our wooden ship. Fearfully, the crew dropped the yards, unshipped the oars, and pulled for the nearest lee. For two dreadfully long days and nights, we stared into the eyes of death while our boat hid from the heavy breeze before we finally put up our masts, allowing the wind that was now our ally, to guide us. As we neared Ithaca a prodigious gale pushed us away, making me wonder if Zeus was still against our arrival to the island.. Nine more days we sailed along the vast ocean spread before us. The splashing waves began to sound like a taunting whisper saying we would never return to our families. Soon however, the distinct sound of seagulls filled my ears, alerting me we were near land. When we finally reached the island, I cried out my thanks...
Words: 731 - Pages: 3
...A portion of The Odyssey that creates a train of thought for me is Odysseus’ journey into and the escape from Polyphemus’ cave. In this cave, the reader can see many of the elements that make Odysseus into the nuanced protagonist that he is. When Odysseus first enters the cave of Polyphemus, he expects that he and his men will be treated to xenia, the Greek custom of hospitality to guests. However, his men had encouraged him to “let them help themselves to the cheeses and be off” (104). His men were afraid of whatever kind of creature lives alone in a cave in the wilderness. This showed how Odysseus was prideful, to the point where many of his men were eaten by Polyphemus because Odysseus insisted on meeting the owner of the cave. However,...
Words: 349 - Pages: 2
...Odysseus Odysseus has many problems and trials throughout his journey on his way home to Ithaca. He experiences many deaths, and challenges,he is offered immortality, and a marriage proposition, he also scapes the anger of gods. Odysseus also tricks Polyphemus, then then moves forward and kills the men who are pursuing his wife. Odysseus is a hero because he takes risks and makes important and good decisions and he shows concern and cares about his actions as is shown in the story. In the beginning, Odysseus shows fearless when he was tied up on the ship. Eurylochus returns to tell Odysseus of a possible trap. Eurylochus then tells Odysseus that he will never return himself home that he will never return any of his man back alive....
Words: 322 - Pages: 2
...book The Odyssey, Odysseus is the perfect example of an impure person, who people may mistake for a hero. He has selfish desires, questionable decisions and a cocky attitude that takes him farther from his goal. Selfish motives lead Odysseus and his crew on difficult journeys, which will impact their destination time. Odysseus has several opportunities to get what he needs, take off sailing again and set his sights for home. Instead, he takes advantage of what lay in front of him, like when he stayed with Circe on her island after Odysseus’ crew was reestablished as humans once again. After Odysseus’...
Words: 1265 - Pages: 6
