In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus undergoes many obstacles to sail back to his homeland and takes many years until he finally reaches Ithaca again. During the trials Odysseus faces, he shows courage, cleverness, and sacrifice in order to keep his men safe as well as himself. Odysseus also expresses pride, revenge, and curiosity, which is some of the traits that got his men and himself in danger. Although Odysseus acts rashly throughout the different parts of his journey, he redeems himself as the journey goes on. Even though Odysseus went through hardship during the journey home, he never lost hope. During the beginning of the journey, Odysseus showed great hope of going home at the beginning of his journey sailing from Troy …show more content…
Fortunately, with no chance of escaping out in the open Odysseus used the herd of sheep and “Three abreast I tied them silently together, twining cords of willow from the ogre’s bed: then slung a man under each middle one to ride there safely, shielded left and right”(Homer lines 378-381). Odysseus knew since there was no way out, he thought of a tactic and showed cleverness by tying each of his men under a sheep to get away unseen, then hid under a ram to escape last. Foolishly, as soon as he and his men escaped, Odysseus, out of his own pride told the Cyclops that it was he who plundered his eye and talked poorly to him. As soon as the Cyclops knew his name he cursed Odysseus saying “...Grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home...Should destiny intend that he shall see his roof again among his family in his fatherland, far be that day, and dark the years between” (Homer lines 486-491). Since Odysseus let his pride take control of him, he acted with great impudence and treated the Cyclops disrespectfully and got himself and his men cursed to never see their home again. While quickly sailing away from the island, Odysseus and his men undergo many misfortunes, one of many losing all but his only ship from cannibals. Luckily, Odysseus and his crew escape only to arrive in the hands of Circe, who turns Odysseus’ men into swine and later tells him to journey to the land …show more content…
Once Odysseus returns to Circe’s land he is sent to the siren’s land and he alone must hear them, but as for his men he “…I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears”( Homer lines 712-713). Before Odysseus approach the sirens he orders his men to tie him up and tighten it if he wants to be untied. After Odysseus and his crew escape the sirens unharmed, they begin to approach Scylla and Charybdis. Although when they narrowly escaped Charybdis and approached Scylla “Circe’s bidding against arms had slipped my mind, so I tied on my cuirass….”(Homer lines 786-788). Odysseus made a mistake when he forgot Circe’s regard and put on armor to fight Scylla, which is how Scylla saw them and ate six of his men. Sadly, because Odysseus’ men gave their lives it gave the rest of his men enough time to escape the jaws of Scylla. When Odysseus and his crew finally reached the land of the Sun god, they were told to not eat any of the
In The Odyssey, Odysseus portrays an important trait to the story, perseverance. His perseverance really stands out as something that he has and always will have. On his long journey home, he never gives up and just stays where he is, no matter how tempting. He always manages to push through and keep getting closer to his goal of returning home. An example of when he does this is when he is faced with the challenge of getting past Skylla and Kharybdis. He knows that either path will kill at least some of his men and possibly him, but he knows he has to keep going. "And all this time,/ in travail, sobbing, gaining on the current,/ we rowed into the strait---Skylla to port/ and on our starboard beam Kharybdis, dire/ gorge of the salt sea tide." (Homer, 12. 301-305). In O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett also showed his perseverance. While trying to get back to his wife, he also faces many obstacles that he must get through. There were many people and things keeping him from where he was going, but he pushed through and got there anyway. His greatest obstacle to get through was when he came upon the sirens. He went down to the river and the sirens got the men drunk enough to fall asleep. While asleep, Pete was turned in by the sirens, but the other men hadn't been turned in yet. They woke up and were forced to get out of there as fast as they could with a frog they thought was Pete. Delmar wanted to stay and try to change Pete back but Everett told him they needed to persevere and keep going, and they did. Another trait that both of these men show in their stories is their cleverness. Odysseus show...
One of Odysseus's many qualities is determination. He remains determined throughout the entire saga to get back to his family. During Odysseus's Odyssey he encounters many obstacles, beast, god, and nature. Odysseus must get through all of these hardships before he can make it back to his family and home. On his way back Odysseus is next to Charybdis and she swallows his boat. He must holds on to the branches of a fig tree to survive, "But I clung grimly, thinking my mast and keel would come back to the surface when she spouted. And ah! How long, with what desiree, I waited! Till, at the twilight hour...the long poles at last reared from the sea"(12.560-64). Odysseus shows his determination to get home, because it would be easy for him to just let go and drown, but no Odysseus hangs on so he can see his wife again. Once he is at home he finds suitors at his house. Odysseus kills one of them and the others beg for mercy, ??Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold put up by others, would I hold my hand??(22.65-67). Odysseus is determined to get revenge on all of the suitors and he will not be satisfied until they are all dead. Without his strong will and determination Odysseus would not have made it through his trials. Although determination is a must for a journey such as Odysseus?s cunning is also just as essential.
Odysseus departure from Troy is the beginning of his long heroic adventure. "What of those years of rough adventure, weathered under Zeus?"(895) This quote depicts the rough times Odysseus will have on his journey, but also reveals that Zeus will watch over him. "The call to Adventure signifies that destiny has summoned the hero and transferred his spiritual center of gravity from within the pale of his society to a zone unknown∦"(58) Odysseus will cross the threshold and go places no one has returned from before. On the island of the Cyclops Odysseus exhibits his abilities, as he developed a plan to escape the Cyclops' cave. "∦I deemed it would be the best plan to do as follows. The Cyclops had a great club which was lying near one of the sheep pens;∦ I went up to this club and cut off about six feet of it;∦ lastly I brought it to a point myself, charring the end in the fire to make it harder. When I had done this I hid it under dung, which was lying about all over the cave∦"(book IX) Odysseus has this plan and utilizes it. He and most of his men escape the cave unharmed. This symbolized the escape from the "belly of the whale".
There are numerous heroes throughout “The Odyssey,” but none of them are as significant as Odysseus. “The Odyssey” is a narrative poem written by Homer (around 800 and 600 BCE) to show the numerous adventures and experiences Odysseus goes through. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus a prominent Greek epic hero is on a quest to return back to his home in Ithaca; to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. Just like real life, not all heroes are picture-perfect; they all have imperfections. In this case, Odysseus is sometimes insolent, and discourteous; but he is still considered an epic hero because of the many heroic qualities he endures. Odysseus proves himself to be an outstanding hero in various ways such as showing loyalty, intelligence, bravery, strength, and courage which are all some of the most momentous qualities found in a hero. If a true hero can prove they are a true hero, makes them a true hero.
Odysseus’ character is challenged in many ways throughout books 5 through 12. In some instances he holds strong, and in others he fails. His sense of adventure sometimes overwhelms him. The length of time Odysseus spends away from Ithaka also dilutes his desire to return, and possibly dilutes his desire to live. Under certain circumstances, any man can succumb to the evils to which he despises. A perfect example is Akhilleus in the Iliad. He started out an honorable man. With the death of his friend, he turns into a maniac who wants nothing but death for the enemy. Odysseus starts out wanting nothing but to return to his family and his homeland. Over the course of the many years away, this feeling dwindles and he is left with nothing but adventure to prolong his reason for living.
When his crew entered into the area of the Sirens his true arrogance comes out. To avoid the Siren’s sound, Odysseus comes up with a brilliant plan that saves him and his crew. Instead of continuing to escape the Sirens, he is overly proud of his epic rescue says “But even from there my courage, my presence of mind and tactics saved us all” (12; 229-231). Finally, the biggest mistake Odysseus makes is when the Cyclopes traps the crew in his lair. Odysseus devises another brilliant plan and saves his people. Arrogance comes over Odysseus and he says “Cyclops if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so- say Odysseus, raiders of cities he gouged out your eye, laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca” (9; 558-562). The need to claim the defeat of the cyclops is an ego boost that he found more important than quickly escaping. As a result, more of his crew's lives are
Odysseus was an epic hero depicted in the Homer's The Odyssey. He responded to the call to travel to Troy to help Agamemnon get Helen. He encountered great confrontation along the way. He fought the Cicones, the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, the witch goddess Circe, the lonely Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the Sun, and Calypso. He and his men traveled great distances under severe circumstances. Odysseus answers a second call to return home to his family. He returns a more mature warrior and a wiser man. Because of this he is able to conquer the suitors and reclaim his palace and his family. As in all Greek literature, the epic hero Odysseus answers a call to action, suffers through great confrontation, and returns with a better understanding of life.
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus’ heroic deeds are recounted through a narrative, written by Homer, that describes his arduous journey of his return from the Trojan war to his homeland of Ithaca. Loyalty, patience, and determination, are necessary traits to survive the perilous, painstaking journey that Odysseus embarks upon to return to his native land. Loyalty is exhibited when Odysseus goes to rescue his crewmen on Kirke’s Island despite the probability of jeopardizing his own life. Odysseus presents patience throughout the entirety of his journey, but most specifically when his crew opens the bag of wind, which causes much regression on the embark homeward. Determination is displayed when Odysseus is on Calypso’s island.
Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, tells the story of Odysseus’ journey to his home in Ithaca, ten years after the Trojan War. Throughout Odysseus’ journey to reach home, he proves that he is an epic hero by overcoming many extraordinary circumstances that test his loyalty, ability to resist temptation, and the power of his cunning over his strength.
The Odyssey, written by Homer, is an epic of the great adventures of Odysseus. It tells of the challenging travels form leaving his home to serve in the Trojan War, to his well-deserved return to Ithaca. Odysseus known as “the man of many wiles” endured many challenging tasks as he traveled in search of his once home. Leaving behind his wife Penelope and son Telemachus, he was forced to leave. Around the sixteenth year Odysseus was gone, many believed that their once great leader was left for dead on an unknown country or was never to return to the land of Ithaca once again. Soon the suitors of over a hundred filled the halls of Odysseus’s palace, trying to marry his beautiful wife Penelope. When the suitors arrived in Odysseus’s home, hectic times became twice or even triple times worse. The suitors walked over everyone as if they had now ruled the town of Ithaca. They did not care who they hurt, as long as they got what they wanted when they wanted it. They broke almost every law of the gods; soon they realized they would have to may for dearly. As Odysseus desperately tried to fight his way back to his homeland. However, every time he got close it seems that the power of the gods was holding him back. The gods affected almost every aspect of Odysseus return and travels. They pushed him away, gave him heartache, destroyed his crew, and demolished his ship, they almost got him killed on several occasions and saved him from death. The actions that Odysseus once faced shaped his return home, because of his own choices he was able to return home but it is also what caused him to remain lost for ten years.
In The Odyssey by Homer, an epic poem from Ancient Greece composed c. 8th century BC, Odysseus’ journey created a path for self-reflection. As I read, I noticed a parallel between our obstacles, adventures, and goals. Odysseus faced many obstacles due to his excessive pride, experienced several adventures from being taken off course, and had an overall goal to make it home to his dear land of Ithaca.
Throughout Odysseus’s meandering and consequent homecoming in Ithaca, Homer depicts many different aspects of Odysseus’s personality in his epic poem “The Odyssey”. Although Odysseus is smart, brave, and is a great fighter, in reality, he is an overconfident madman. Throughout Homer’s classic epic, Odysseus uses his skill to overcome many obstacles. However, in each story, overconfidence is always a major theme, and Odysseus’s hubris always causes him to do crazy things. At the end, Odysseus’s arrogance is his fatal flaw, and leads him into trouble.
The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a boy to becoming a man, while out in the sea Odysseus is battling Poseidon to return to the home that wife that he loves and the home he has left behind.
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The
Homer’s The Odyssey is a Greek story that follows the journey of its primary character, Odysseus, back to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many challenges in his journey home, from encounters with Polyphemus the Cyclops, the witch Circe and even the ghosts of dead Greeks. Meanwhile, his household in Ithaca is being threatened by suitors of his wife, Penelope, all wanting to inherit Odysseus’ possessions in the belief that he was already dead. Like many epic heroes, Odysseus possesses many admirable qualities. Three good characteristics of Odysseus are—cleverness, bravery and strength—here are some supporting instances from the epic that demonstrates Odysseus possession of such characteristics.