Odysseus As An Effective Leader In Homer's The Odyssey

In The Odyssey, Homer (translated by Robert Fitzgerald) uses repetition of both Odysseus’s positive actions and mistakes in guiding the Ithacan men during situations of conflict to show that in the face of adversity a good leader uses skill and logic to be successful in overcoming obstacles in a courageous and noble fashion.

Odysseus strengthens as a leader during his duration of travel with the Ithacan men, using his logic and problem solving skills showing signs of an effective leader. Odysseus manages to save the majority of his men’s lives by sailing closer to Scylla instead of Charybdis, “No, hug the the cliff of Scylla, take your ship/ through on a racing stroke. Better to mourn/ six men than lose them all, and the ship, too” (Homer

The bag, (sparking the curiosity of his crew as they near their destination) is opened while Odysseus is sleeping, sending the men back to Aeolus’s land, “But while I slept, the crew began to parley:/ silver and gold, they guessed, were in that bag/ bestowed upon me by Aeolus’ great heart;” (Homer book X). This shows a lack of communication skills and common sense on Odysseus's part, as he did not tell his men the contents of the bag. Of course, this mishap is not entirely Odysseus's fault as it was his men who chose to look in the bag without informing Odysseus, and it was fairly early on in his voyage- so his strong reputation still

Odysseus manages to gain his fame and noble reputation in a very wide light due to his journey. Odysseus is repeatedly referred to as a great man and a success by his contemporaries, “What if his (Telemachus) great father/ came from the unknown world and drove these men/ like dead leaves through the place, recovering/ honor and leadership in his domains” (Homer book I), and again, “ Odysseus, master of land ways and sea ways,/ command yourself” (Homer book XXIV). His distinct kleos becomes synonymous with Odysseus's image, as made clear very even early on The Odyssey. Odysseus's fame is a pronounced sign of his success as both a person and a leader, because it allows the reader to see how respected he is in the eyes of others. Again, proving Odysseus's complete success would be, of course, his achievement of returning back to Ithaka and reclaiming his place in power, “When it came over them who the the stranger was/ they halted in astonishment. Odysseus/ hit an easy tone with them” (Homer book XXIV). Ultimately, Odysseus has been triumphant in returning back to his native island. Every event and action that Odysseus made lead up to him being successful in his goal to return home, and therefore proving his success as a leader and as popular