Odysseus Character Analysis

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In Homer’s epic The Odyssey the protagonist, King Odysseus of Ithaka is known for being a great decision maker but may have gone too far with the killing of several suitors that were disloyal to him. Throughout the poem Odysseus is faced with many challenges and is forced to make key decisions that will greatly affect his life and of those around him. There are many times during his journeys that Odysseus’s plans almost fail due to the temptations that surround him. Although his judgement of good and evil aided him avoiding countless disasters, However he could not overlook the dishonour surrounding his family and throne by its suitors. Odysseus is an honourable man but when he learns about the transgressions that have taken place in his absence, he cannot sit still and do nothing. Meanwhile Antinoos and the suitors feasted in his wealth and his earnings. They disrespected his name by attempting to announce a new king without full evidence of Odysseus's whereabouts. So he plotted out his revenge, and swore to kill every dishonorable man that laid in his palace. His revenge may have been over the top and reckless seeing as he had been gone for 20 years. This annihilation of the suitors leads to the problem Odysseus feared most, the relatives of the suitors became a mob that did not want to be disgraced if Odysseus remained king, so they rebelled against Odysseus for his crime. This questions if he is an actual hero or not, by a God's standards he has the making of being a great hero, but did killing those men really save his throne? His pride and name are still damaged because everyone in Ithaka rebelled against him for taking the lives of his own, for only doing what everyman wants, The throne.
Along Odysseus's journey we find ou...

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...s. It may have been beneficial for everyone if he had just died or not returned home. With the help of Athena he was able to focus on his main task and return to his family as a hero.
The ending of The Odyssey to my understanding was about the decision the Gods wanted Odysseus to make on his own. They did not want Odysseus's pride and honor to be the reason of his downfall. Revenge cannot be everlasting like this, there is no good to come when you fight pain(Odysseus) with pain(relatives of suitors) together you just create more pain and suffering. He may have not been a hero that Ithaka wanted but he was the hero the Athena wanted and the God's reasoning are not to be questioned. The text doesn't end with a proper solution, Athena likes Odysseus and she helped him until the end so he can be happy with his family for once since he has been gone for several years.

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