In Homer’s The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, is stranded at sea after the Trojan War. He must overcome many obstacles in order to reach his home, Ithaca. Throughout the book, we see the many admirable qualities that Odysseus possesses that makes him such an influential literary character: among them being cleverness and loyalty. However, every hero also has his weaknesses, and Odysseus’s main weakness is his pride. We can learn how to live our life from a hero’s good traits and bad traits Odysseus is known for not just using his strength; he uses his intelligence as well throughout his journey. He is clever enough to know how to use his enemy’s strength to his advantage. For example, when he is trapped in the Cyclops Polyphemus’s cave by a giant boulder, he knows that the boulder is too heavy for him and his men to move. If he kills Polyphemus, he has no way of getting out of the cave. Instead, Odysseus blinds the Cyclops and waits for him to move the boulder so he can escape. Another example of his wit is that Odysseus plans and thinks through what he is going to do before he acts. When he washes up on Scheria and sees that the princess Nausicaa is his only hope of rescue, he thinks through how he should approach her: “Should he throw his arms round her knees, and crave mercy of the lovely girl? or should he stand where he was, and ask her politely to give him some clothes and to show him the way to the city? When he thought over the matter, it seemed best to stand where he was and to speak politely and quietly, in case he might give offence to the girl by embracing her knees”(Homer 76). Odysseus realizes the best way to approach a stranger is not to throw himself all over them and approach them rashly, but to compl... ... middle of paper ... ...e son of Laertes, whose address is in Ithaca!” (110). Consequently, Polyphemus asks Poseidon that “may [Odysseus] never reach his home! But if it is his due portion to see his friends and come again to his tall house and his native land, may be come there late and in misery, in another man’s ship, may be lose all his companions, and may be find another tribulation at home!” (111). Odysseus also tries to build up his reputation throughout the book, such as when he passes the Sirens. He plugs the crew’s ears with wax, but ties himself up so he can be the only man to hear the siren’s song and survive. In conclusion, Odysseus was an incredible hero, not only for his brawn, but also his brains and his loyalty. Odysseus has been such an significant character in literature because readers can admire him for his many good qualities, and learn a lesson from his faults.
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Show MoreThroughout 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.
At times throughout The Odyssey Odysseus didn't think about the consequences of his actions and depended on guidance from the gods to help lead him in the right direction. Odysseus was quick to take action and occasionally made poor decisions that were bound to harm him. Odysseus was eager to fight, even if he had little chance of survival. His impulsiveness resulted in Athena coming down from Mount Olympus to warn him saying "Foolhardy man! Still bent on war and struggle! Will you not even yield to immortal gods? This is no mortal being, but an immortal woe, -dire, hard, and fierce, and not to be fought down. Courage is nothing; flight is best" (116). Odysseus didn't know when to run and leave a situation and when to face and fight. He believed that his courage would pull him through to victory, even against a goddess. Without Athena's wisdom, Odysseus was sure to meet his doom because there was no way that he could defeat the goddess Charybdis.
Odysseus is a hero because he acts courageously while facing the many challenges he encounters. Odysseus’s shows great bravery when he engages in physical challenges. Odysseus daringly fights against the suitors, while significantly outnumbered: “For I must tell you this is no affair / of ten or even twice ten men, but scores, throngs of them” (XVI, 291 – 293). Even though Odysseus is facing hundreds of men, his bravery keeps him confident that he can win the battle. Odysseus must use his physical strength when Poseidon punishes him with turbulent waves: “Odysseus’s knees grew slack, his heart / sickened, and he said within himself / Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me?” (V, 307 – 309). Odysseus is exhausted from the torrential sea, yet refuses to give up because of enormous courage and his unwillingness to surrender. Odysseus must also cope with emotional challenges throughout his journey. His emotions are tested when he ventures to the underworld, Hades, and must confront his greatest fear, death: “From every side they came and sought the pit / with rustling cries; and I grew sick with fear. / But presently I gave command to my officers” (XI, 45 -47). Although Odysseus is deeply fearful when he comes face to face with the dead, his mental f...
Odysseus is hailed as one of Greece's greatest heroes for his strength. However, is it merely his brawn that he is hailed for, or is there something else? Although many often dismiss things such as intellect, courage, loyalty and determination, all of which are traits that Odysseus possesses, as being strength. Being strong in these aspects can be equally, if not more, beneficial than simply physical strength, as Odysseus has proven by overcoming sea monsters, traveling through the underworld, and so much more on his journey back to his homeland of Ithaca. Homer’s Odyssey demonstrates that strength can be much more than purely physical strength by creating characters that display mental, emotional, and other forms of strength throughout the entirety of the poem.
Odysseus is a hero because when his men got to the area where the sirens are he tells them to put wax in there ears so that they don't get attracted by their voices. Yet knowing that Circe told him to put wax in his mens ears, he could have forgotten all about that and him and all his men could have died. He also saved his men at the cave of the cyclops by helping them escape by hanging under the sheep's while they go out he also came up with the idea of stabbing the stick in the cyclops eye blinding him which gave the men of odysseus more cover to escape
The first heroic characteristic of Odysseus is his cleverness. In The Odyssey, one of the instances where Odysseus displays cleverness is in his encounter with the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Polyphemus captures Odysseus and his men in the island Cyclopes, which was filled with other giants. Although it is expected among the Greeks to display hospitality to strangers, Polyphemus ends up eating some of Odysseus men. In order to escape the giant, Odysseus comes up with a clever plan. He offers Polyphemus wine in order to get the giant drunk. When the giant falls asleep, Odysseus stabs Polyphemus’ singular eye, blinding the giant. The giant naturally wakes up, and starts to try and recapture Odysseus and his men. Knowing that the giant’s shouting would most likely attract the attention of the other giants in the island, Odysseus replies to Polyphemus when the giant asks him his name that his name was “Noman.” But when Polyphemus shouts for help, none of the other giants come to his aid, since he is shouting “My friends, N...
Odysseus was very famous for his adventures and events in the Trojan War. He was one of the greatest Greek heroes who fought in the Trojan war. After the war,Odysseus struggled ten years to get home. He ruled Ithaca an island of kingdom. Odysseus had a wife named Penelope both had son named Telemachus. Odysseus was favored by goddess Athena for cunning and intellect. He is also known as Ulysses which is roman for the form of his name. Odysseus was a very genius man and he was also very loved for the things he did for his city and people. He was the most trusted.
In The Odyssey, Homer, or more so, the characters, often referred to Odysseus as the ‘Great Odysseus’. In the text, it is obvious to see that Odysseus demonstrates arrogance, charisma, over-confidence, and pride. Odysseus and his m...
The main character of the Odyssey, Odysseus the King of Ithaca is given a complex personality to an extent where it is hard to identify whether he is a true hero or not. True heroism is only achieved when a person achieves certain qualities that portray heroism. Odysseus is not a hero based on the standards of merciful, selfless, and gentle because of his actions of sacrificing his men, killing the suitors and being ruthless throughout the Odyssey. Along with many others qualities these three are helpful and necessary in a hero. A hero must be willing to do service for others and put the needs of others safety and protection before his own. Odysseus does not even come close to matching these qualities because he is a person, who only serves of himself, and he sacrifices his allies to achieve his goals and often he takes action ruthlessly.
Looking back, people will come to believe that Odysseus shows various traits of guidance and leadership which makes him an epic hero so far. On his twenty-year journey, he conquers many barriers no other man could. Being a hero doesn’t have to mean having superpowers and an audience but simply showing the characteristics that Odysseus expresses. Coming to a conclusion, he has grown as a hero throughout the story as a guarding and shrewd man even through times of
Odysseus?s cunning is cardinal to his survival and that of his men. He uses his cunning to get them out of several unpleasant situations. When they are captured by the Cyclops, he can not use the strength of his men to escape, so he must use his cunning to free them. He lies and tricks the Cyclops to get out, ??My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy?? (9.397-99). This clever deception stops the other Cyclops from helping Polyphemos helping them to escape. Odysseus also shows his cleverness when he returns to Ithaca.
Throughout the course of his journey, Odysseus is haunted by the thought of his enemy, Poseidon, who has far more power than Odysseus and strives to keep him from returning to Ithaca. Poseidon still holds a grudge against Odysseus for blinding Polyphemus at his cave. Soon before Odysseus reaches Phaeacia’s shores with hope of rescue, Poseidon notices that “he’s [Odysseus] fated to escape his noose of pain” if he makes it to Phaeacia, and threatens to “give that man [Odysseus] his swamping full of trouble” to prevent him from reaching his destination (Homer 5:318-320). While Odysseus is among the most powerful mortals, he is not comparable to Poseidon. This is why, in a situation like this, it is an important skill to know your strengths, and act intelligently.
The idea of a true hero is varied from person to person, because each viewpoint has a different idea of the personality that makes one a hero. There have been many fiction and non-fiction heroes that show different character traits, which influence people’s definitions of a hero. However, each person’s unique thought about a hero still focuses about one central idea: a hero must prove himself in order to earn his heroic status. This is the cornerstone of all the opinions about heroes because heroes have to show their heroism in order to become who they are in the end. At the beginning they are inexperienced, ordinary people who go on their adventures, and face their fears and weaknesses, but they develop greatly throughout these journeys. After comprehending what true heroism is and following it only then will they become heroes even though each of them has different traits. In the epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus gains the title of hero during his journey back to Ithaka, from Troy, by proving to be one. It is through his characteristics and experiences that he becomes the well developed man at the end of the book. In truth, because of his confidence, loyalty, and difficult struggles, Odysseus becomes a genuine hero to the people he defended.
Odysseus possesses sharp intellect which ultimately helps him move forward in his journey to become a hero. As a hero he has a cunning ability to think on his feet when he is put in difficult situations. He shows this to the reader when him and his crew are on the Land of Kyklopes. The Greeks find themselves trapped in the cave of Poseidon’s son. As they are plotting their escape the Polyphenos asks Odysseus his name. Thinking fast, Odysseus tells him “’ my name is Nohbdy: mother, father and friends, /everyone calls me Nohbdy”’ (IX, 397-398). With this clever response Odysseus is able to fool the monster and conduct the safe escape of his crew. Odysseus further proves his quick wit when he is faced with the challenge of convincing his wife that it is truly him who has arrived home after all these years. He quickly thought of what would make her beli...
However, this all goes to ruins due to Odysseus’ arrogance. Once escaped, he feels the need to boast to Polyphemus of what he had done. This results in the Cyclops throwing a hilltop at their boat, taking them back to the shore of the island, which could have had dire effects. Even after this, Odysseus is unable to contain himself, and shouts to the giant that “Odysseus, raider of cities, took [his] eye” (9.418). Now that Polyphemus knows his assailant’s name, he calls upon his father Poseidon to curse him. This leads to all of Odysseus’ men being killed, his journey home being long, and “bitter days at home” (9.452). Another time Odysseus demonstrates exuberant pride is when he sails between the goliaths Scylla and Charybdis. Despite being told by the witch Circe that “no power can fight [them] / all that avails is flight” (12. 81-82), he dons his armor in preparation for combat. In the end, he listens to her, after realizing that she was right and he was being overly arrogant. Had Odysseus not realized he could not defeat the monsters, he would have lost more men than he did. One example from real life of vanity is Adolf Hitler. After a few