Exam 1
4.) Discuss the specific arête of Odysseus. How is Odysseus a portrait of ideal human figure for the Greeks? How does his interaction with the divine realm (i.e. gods and goddesses) play a role in this portrait?
In the Odyssey, Odysseus has many arête characteristics throughout the epic. He is considered a hero and has become the definition of arête in many ways. He exudes valor with the way that he faces danger during his ten year voyage; where he encounters many dangerous situations. He speaks to his men when they encounter another dangerous situation and says to them “Come on, men, this isn’t the first time we’ve run into trouble. This can’t be worse than when the cyclops with his brute strength had us penned in his cave. We got out
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He wants them to remember when they were able to conquer the cyclops who is so strong he is almost considered a god and is the son of Poseidon. Odysseus portrays what a true leader should look like when he says these words along with many other heroic words he has spoken throughout the epic. Odysseus exemplifies virtue throughout the story by trying to do the next right thing and seeking spiritual guidance from Athena. He is extremely loyal to his wife, Penelope and his son. When he is away, the one thing that keeps him going is knowing that he will be back with his family if he survives. Odysseus plays the role of an ideal human figure for the Greeks because he has a lot of spiritual qualities about himself that make him a good individual to get guidance from. When he leaves Ithaca on his ten year voyage he has a good spiritual relationship. On his voyage Athena is a great supporter of his and encourages him along the way. Throughout his journey his spirituality becomes much stronger with the difficulties that he has to face with each monster or person he encounters. Once he gets through one obstacle, it gives him more faith that he can conquer the next problem he has to face. Through his spiritual journey his develops more wisdom and smarts …show more content…
For example, the bad side and his biggest detriment on his ten year voyage that turned into a twenty year voyage is Poseidon punishing him along the way, making it even harder to complete the voyage and return home. Poseidon, god of the sea creates heavy storms countless times along Odysseus’s journey. He also had a sea monster, Scylla kill some of Odysseus’s men. At one point during his voyage Poseidon punishes him even more severely by stranding Odysseus and his men onto a deserted island to where they couldn’t return home. Zeus expresses Poseidon’s hatred for Odysseus when he says “How could I forget godlike Odysseus? No other mortal has a mind like his, or offers sacrifice like him to the deathless gods in heaven. But Poseidon is stiff and cold with anger because Odysseus blinded his son, the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the strongest of all the Cyclopes, nearly a god. The nymph Thoosa bore him, Daughter of Phorcys, lord of the barren brine, after making with Poseidon in a scalloped sea –cave. The earth shaker has been after Odysseus ever since.” (180) throughout the story there have been clues to people being jealous of all the great qualities that Odysseus has. These are not the only evil gods/goddesses that Odysseus had to face on his voyage. It was every day that he was fighting a new enemy that he had to conquer. The gods that were considered good helped Odysseus, the most important one being Athena.
Courage and bravery are two things that Odysseus has a lot of. This is evident when he defies the god Poseidon, telling him that he is unstoppable. Odysseus then gets back on his ship on starts to sail on Poseidon's waters back to Ithaca. Pride is good to have, but in Odysseus’s case, it’s a little too much. On the other hand, he does things that make him a great hero. When Circeturned his crew into animals, he climbed straight up a mountain, risking his life just to save his crew. He will do anything to get back to Ithaca and see his wife and son, no matter how crazy it is. He even goes into the underworld to speak to a prophet about how to get back to Ithaca. Being brave and courageous is all about being willing and able to go to the extremes to help or possibly save people or even a place in need.
In this long narrative poem, Odysseus changes from being disrespectful to the gods by explicitly saying that he doesn’t need them, to longing forgiveness later by stating that he is nothing without them. After the success with the Trojan Horse, Odysseus considered himself higher than the gods because he, a mortal, was able to accomplish something even the gods couldn’t. He boasted to Poseidon and the others about how he is overpowering, and how his power and abilities were far beyond their limits. His epic boasting to the gods had lead him to create his own obstacles as, he is one who essentially was the cause. This disrespectful attitude is the personality which shows how Odysseus behaved at the beginning of the story. It not only demonstrates what he was once like, but how his obstacles get much more precarious. As this is the attitude in the beginning, by the end of this epic, Odysseus understands the value of gods and their power, even if it’s for good or bad. At the end of book twenty-two, page 1160, on lines 107-109, Odysseus finally accepts the fact that he is not the biggest thing
We all change throughout our lives as we learn from our experiences and Odysseus is no exception. Odysseus lives though some crazy things and through his experiences, he learns more about himself and some of his traits change—for the better—by the end of the Odyssey. Odysseus’s experience with the Sirens shows that he’s learning to trust people outside of himself and that he’s learning to be a better leader. Throughout the epic, we see Odysseus struggles in accepting the “gifts” that the gods give to him. Odysseus likes to be in control of what happens in his life, and because the gods are a higher power than him, he does not have complete control and learns to accept this through the course of his journey. Odysseus’s experiences facilitate his learning and changing into a better person and leader; by the end of the epic, he is more accepting of the twists and turns that are thrown at him by the gods and more trusting of people.
In conclusion, Odysseus conveys the qualities of a true hero, He shows fortitude, bravery and he portrays qualities of management. Odysseus shows these qualities throughout the journey in which he faced many challenging people and places. However, Odysseus overcomes each and every one by having only one set goal: to get home. As long as he reached that goal, nothing could stop him. Like a true hero, Odysseus never lost these traits, no matter how bad of a mess he was in.
By now we realize that "heroes" in epic poems are meant to be role models for the population. Discuss the ways that Odysseus was a role model for men in the ancient world? Who could be seen as a role model for women in The Odyssey?
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 an epic hero but at the same time he is also human. For example, he is cunning and heroic but he gives into temptation and is overly curious which gets him into trouble. Odysseus remained emotionally to Penelope so he needs a partner that is also faithful. Odysseus gives into the temptation of revenge when he rids of the suitors that were in his home.
CD For instance, Odysseus is boastful when, after winning the battle at Troy, he identifies himself as “formidable for guile in peace and war.” (Homer 894). CM Odysseus believes that he is unable to be defeated because of his cleverness when it comes to war. CM This shows that Odysseus is conceited because he believes that he is cunning and invincible. CD Additionally, Odysseus yells out to the cyclops, Polyphemus, from the boat saying, “If ever a mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities took your eyes.” (Homer 909). CM Odysseus feels that he should always be remembered as the one who blinded and defeated the cyclops. CM This quote from the book shows that Odysseus is proud and egotistical about his battle with Polyphemus. Odysseus is very pleased with himself when he wins or defeats someone in a battle and he wants everyone to know of he great victory and what an amazing person he
War and time combined together have the ability to ruin someone’s life. Odysseus, who went through war and then spent years away from his family and home still managed to survive after all the experiences he had throughout these long years. He did this simply to get home to his family in Ithaca, his journey set in ancient Greece. Heroicness, among many other things, is often evident in epic heroes, an archetype that Odysseus fits incredibly well. Odysseus’s journey is filled with Greek gods and goddesses, helping Odysseus on his way home to his son, Telemachos, and his wife, Penelopeia. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus displays qualities of an epic hero, particularly through his journey, his interactions with the gods, and his hubris.
Odysseus is one of the very many prominent characters in Homer’s Epic poems, The Illiad, and The Odyssey. Odysseus has been famed one of the more relatable characters from Homer’s writing, as well as one of the Greatest Greek Mythology Heroes. Homer’s Epic poems highlight many periods of shame and honor for Odysseus. The character analysis of Odysseus through the poem’s timeline shows vast developments and heroic features appear to take form in him. The Illiad portrayed Odysseus as more of a secondary figure behind Agamemnon and Achilles. In contrast, The Odyssey portrayed Odysseus as a hero in the form of an average human.
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.
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.
In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus must face many obstacles on his journey. He is only able to conquer them because of his wonderful qualities. He meets, a Cyclopes, Sirens, a six-headed monster, a regurgitating whirlpool, and a group of greedy, lovesick men. Some Odysseus's more important qualities are, determination, cunning, and protecting.
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
...nd deceit, he respected and honored the gods, and he respected his crew as well. Odysseus proved himself a great man by becoming humble but still retaining the amazing qualities that he already had. Overall, Odysseus was a great man capable of many things. He would put his own life on the line to save someone else’s. Putting one’s life on the line to save someone else’s the ultimate sacrifice. It is one that not many people are willing to make. People in this world are selfish and do not want to give of themselves for others. Though Odysseus starts out this way, he certainly did not end up this way. By the end of the epic poem, Odysseus is the picture perfect person. Everyone hopes to achieve this status; by some it has already been done. As a result, the world becomes a better place, and with progressions such as these, it is becoming better every second.