Picture a water-logged, bearded man floundering about in the ocean, yet never failing nor drowning. This is Odysseus, King of Ithaka, trying to survive. In The Odyssey by Homer, characters in the story were impacted by significant events, and emerged either more joyful, or more depressed than before. Telemakhos journeyed on a long voyage to find his father, enduring much pain in the process that eventually lead to reunion with his father. His father, Odysseus himself, the great Greek hero, suffered practically all his life, yet he returned to his home as the rightful king. These men’s experiences exemplify the fact that suffering leads to maturity. A mature one learns from their mistake, as painful as it may be. Odysseus underwent many trials, but one in particular impacted him greatly. When Odysseus and his crew were escaping from the Kyklops' island he taunted the beast –his defeated enemy –saying, “O Kyklops! Would you feast on my companion… Kyklops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!” (159-160). The Kyklops prayed to the god Poseidon, his father. Poseidon sent a giant stone to destroy Odysseus’s ship, and …show more content…
When Penelope left her room to go downstairs and see Telemakhos upon his return, she saw –in place of a boy –a man. She asked him quietly, “Telemakhos, what has come over you? Light-minded you were not, in all your boyhood. Now you are full grown, come of age, a man of royalty” (343). Such a comment revealed that Telemakhos had finally matured to fill in his father’s place as king. In his father’s absence, Telemakhos has to deal with the suitors. Enduring the pain –from the mockery of the suitors to the unbelief of his mother –eventually helped him mature into a fine young man full of wisdom and
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
“Our life’s journey of self-discovery is not a straight-line rise from one level of consciousness to another. Instead, it is a series of steep climbs, and flat plateaus, then further climbs. Even though we all approach the journey from different directions, certain of the journey’s characteristics are common for all of us.” Author Stuart Wilde’s impression of journeys and their shared commonalities supports the claim that all journeys have a motive and an outcome. In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus sets off to defeat Troy, leaving his wife and child behind. After accomplishing his goal, Odysseus faces many problems while trying to return him and his crew back home to Ithaca. Similar to Odysseus’s physical journey, the goal in
Homer's epic poem The Odyssey was written after his Iliad which told the tales of the Trojan War. This Odyssey told of the wanderings of a prominent warrior and ruler, Odysseus. Odysseus fought in the Trojan War and, after the Greeks claimed their victory at Troy, began his prolonged journey home. During his travels Odysseus faced many obstacles which he had to overcome. Through his wanderings, Odysseus had to prove his valor, intellect, and determination. Incorporated into The Odyssey are many current-day characteristics of man including a constant dependence on others, the presence of a greater vision, or lack there of, and the essence of a sensitive side behind courage and pride.
Odysseus is the main character in an epic poem called the Odyssey. In the poem Odysseus has had some bad luck getting home, with some of the gods helping him and some hindering him; his journey towards home is a constant struggle. In this poem we see a man being broke and rebuilt, through constant irony his faith was damaged and without the help of Athena he probably would have given up on his journey. Through his hard work and wise spirit he finally does achieve his goal.
The Character Odysseus in Odyssey "Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it was first composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so is because of the hero, Odysseus. Odysseus was one of the first Greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as his muscles. Indeed he is a man with an inquiring mind, and he is also a man with outstanding prowess and bravery" (123helpme.com/assets/3603.html). "We also must not forget that he is a top-notch athlete which only adds more to this seemingly insuperable character.
Almost all epic heroes have a hamartia, a flaw that leads to mistakes and eventually their downfall. Odysseus’s hubris is his hamartia because he often does unintelligent things due to his inflated ego which have negative effects on the people around him and himself. An example of Odysseus’s hubris is when he tell the Cyclops his name. Odysseus declares, “‘I say, Cyclops! if ever any one asks you who put out your ugly eye, tell him your blinder was Odysseus, the conqueror of Troy…’” (Homer 110). Because he tells Polyphemus this information about himself, Odysseus is met with revenge by Poseidon later on. Odysseus’s impulsive attempt at obtaining kleos by severely hurting an enemy later brings revenge upon himself instead of glory, his initial goal. Also, Odysseus’s hubris gets in the way of his journey when he doesn’t tell his men about the danger of Scylla and the fact that she will eat some of the crew when they pass through her part of the ocean. Odysseus narrates, “‘...I took care not to mention Scylla and the peril we could not avoid; I thought they would be likely to leave the oars in a panic…’” (142). First, Odysseus doesn’t warn his men of the impending danger they face. Later on, six of his crew members are killed by Scylla, all because Odysseus had enough faith in himself as a leader to handle the danger without telling anyone else about it. These events are just two examples of the numerous times Odysseus exhibits hubris. Though this is his hamartia and does lead to terrible things happening, a fatal flaw is an important part of the epic hero archetype. Odysseus is an epic hero partly because of his
Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus exemplified the key traits needed to be an epic hero. The poem depicts Odysseus as an extremely strong man; at one point, he even defeats the towering cyclops Polyphemus. His ingenuity in creating the trojan horse unearths his slightly latent intelligence. Along with strength and cunning, Odysseus a strong sense of selflessness. He bared a trepid ten year journey and longed for his child and wife. Unfortunately, all of Odysseus’s traits are tarnished by his infidelity, ruthless behavior, and the massacre of men. Though he was, without a doubt, heroic, his lovely wife is the true, unsung heroine of the Odyssey.
When most people think of a hero, they think of a tall, handsome, and intelligent being that could do nothing wrong. But in real life, and in The Odyssey, not all heroes are like that. Odysseus is disrespectful and very rude sometimes. Odysseus should not be considered as a hero at all because of the very poor decisions he had made.
Odysseus’s clever and cunning skills allow him to make it back to Ithaka after a demanding expedition. He creates well thought-out plans to destroy obstacles in his path. When Odysseus and his men are trapped in the dwelling of Polyphemos, the Kyklops, he devises a plan to escape, knowing full well that utilizing his brains over the giant’s brawn will be the only way to make it out alive. Here Odysseus not only shows he is clever but also displays selflessness by put his men before himself. After returning home, Odysseus still have one more challenge to conquer: the suitors. With his son, Telemakhos, Odysseus is able to kill the suitors despite the uneven numbers. This is due to his carefully strategy that required sharp wits and enormous patience. Odysseus also proves he is not easily fooled by not immediately revealing his true identity to strangers. He knows that it is wise to keep his identity a secret. The beggar Odysseus is a great example of this deception. Odysseus returns to Ithaka a beggar so that the...
Odysseus quickly learns who he can actually trust and who he can’t.If it had not been for greed Odysseus and his men would of returned home.
Many poems, books, songs, and movies contain popular archetypes. Hence, an archetype is a repetition of characters, situations, and plots. Furthermore, Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey has many different archetypes, such as heroes, villains, and the innocent.
The Odyssey is about Odysseus whom is trying to get back to his home. Along the way, he is offered advice on what to do. Instead of taking it, he decides to ignore it and act on his own. Homer, the author, shows how odysseus faced bad consequences because of that. All his men died because he was being selfish, arrogant, and deceiving.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus when through a lot of overwhelmingly hard challenges that impacted the length of his journey such as, the cyclops, the sirens, and the Cattle of the Sun God.
Twenty years of action and adventure, defeating creatures, surviving, and just trying to get back home. In The Odyssey by Homer, the hero Odysseus takes an arduous journey navigating through raging waters and defeating strenuous creatures in order to get back home with his crew to his wife and son in Ithaca. Odysseus goes through a variety of islands on the way, each including many characters he needs to overcome. Being clever and cunning in difficult situations with the Cyclops, Scylla, Sirens, Charybdis, and finally the suitors will lead to success and survival in the future.
Homer’s The Odyssey, a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism, still fascinates scholars and casual readers alike today in the same way it fascinated its audience at the time it was written. The Odyssey, a journey of determination, patience, and virtue, tells the tail of Odysseus, the main character, on his voyage home to Ithaka after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus goes through many unforeseen trials and tribulations, which exemplify his character. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character.