Summary: Odysseus begins telling his story to the king and queen beginning from when he left Troy and begins with his home island of Ithaca. He tells of how he made Calypso believe that he loved her and then begins filling in details from the Trojan War to being captured by Calypso. He recounts the tails of the land of the Kikonians, the lotus eaters, and then of how the cyclops just wanted to eat all of them and Odysseus had to use trickery in order to escape the island, but is foolish enough to let the cyclops know his real name. Since the cyclops is a son of Poseidon, he has his father curse Odysseus. When Odysseus finally lands, he makes a sacrifice to Zeus who rejects it.
Commentary: The way the book is set up so it’s eight chapters in
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If Odysseus’ crew had been half brained enough to not open the bag, then everyone would have most likely returned home to Ithaca safe and sound just after the end of the war, but no, they had to let their curiosity get the better of themselves before the Odysseus was even awake to realize what was going on. His crew is not the only one who deserves blame though. If Odysseus had told them what was in the bag, there would’ve been no way that hiss crew would’ve messed with it. Also, even if Odysseus still hadn’t told them, he could’ve had the common knowledge that he needed to rest because being awake for nine straight days seems borderline suicidal. One can possibly understand his anxiousness to get back home though, having been gone ten years from his wife and son can do a toll on anyone and would certainly make them eager enough to rush things. However, that is no different than speeding at night to get back home as quickly as possible; while you will get there faster, the danger becomes exponentially higher and could result in being pulled over by a cop, or dying. Unfortunately for Odysseus, there was no maritime police so there was nothing stopping him from just chugging on forward. An interesting thing to point out is that Odysseus didn’t seem to trust his own crew with what was going on or even to sail the ship for …show more content…
While mourning for his mother, Teiresias appears and begins to drink the blood like the other shades. Teiresias warns Odysseus to not eat the cattle of Helios and that he alone will make it back to Ithaca alive and will then have to fight the suitors who are after his wife and then pray to Poseidon that he will live a long and happy life and die peacefully. Odysseus speaks to his mother’s ghost who is unable to hug him but tries three times. While taking a break from telling of his journey, Queen Arete decides that when Odysseus leaves he must leave with plenty of treasure and the king asks if he saw any friends from Troy in the underworld. Odysseus continues his tale and recounts of how he encountered Agamemnon as a shade and learns of his newfound hatred towards all women, except Penelope for her steadfast faithfulness to Odysseus. Odysseus then encounters other spirits such as Achilles, who is quite unhappy being dead and says that he would rather be a poor farmer, and Aias who killed himself over not getting the arms of Achilles during the Trojan War. Odysseus and his crew finally depart when more and more shades come to drink the
He tells Pallas Athena, first, that he is from Crete, had killed a man there, and had gotten a ride with some Phoenicians to Ithaca. He tells Eumaios that he grew up in Crete, went to Troy for the Trojan War, returned to Crete afterward and traveled to raid Egypt, where he was captured by Egyptians. Odysseus (as the beggar) says that he grew wealthy in Egypt, but was taken in by a man who meant to sell him as a slave. He tells that he escaped, and found refuge in Thesprotia. Then on his way back home to Crete, people tried to make him a slave again, he escaped again (although in a different fashion), and he ended up in Ithaca. Except for the fact that it’s the story of a hard life, this bears absolutely no relation to the actual story of Odysseus. He tells everyone (or lets them believe) nearly the same tale to everyone else that he meets in Ithaca before he kills the suitors. There are a few noticeable differences that we will get to, but one must be consistent in one’s lies, after all, in enemy-held territory. After killing the suitors, he tells Laertes a completely different lie, mostly centering around him (Odysseus as the stranger) having seen Odysseus alive after the Trojan War.
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When telling a story, it is necessary for there to be a main character which is usually a hero. They try to find themselves or fulfill a task in order to be true to who they are. While they are trying to find who they are or fulfill a task to stay true they conquer obstacles that are standing in the way for them to succeed. Some heroes succeed some fail. Odysseus from the Odyssey is a good example of a hero who fulfills his tasks in order to be true to who he is by having a quest or a mission to get back home after the Trojan war to his dear wife and family. He has obstacles trying to return and reclaim his home, Ithaca. The obstacles are, being held hostage by a Cyclops, Poseidon making the ocean difficult for Odysseus and his men, being held hostage by two goddesses, and when he arrives home he is faced with the suitors who try to take Penelope as their wife and taking everything from their home.
Many think being a hero is having super powers, but on the contrary it's more than that. A hero is one who is distinguished for their courage and bravery, and looked upon for their great deeds. A hero like this is not just found in modern society today, but in mythology as well. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus earns the title of a true hero by conveying many qualities such as: determination, courage and leadership.
Odysseus was an epic hero depicted in the Homer's The Odyssey. He responded to the call to travel to Troy to help Agamemnon get Helen. He encountered great confrontation along the way. He fought the Cicones, the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, the witch goddess Circe, the lonely Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the Sun, and Calypso. He and his men traveled great distances under severe circumstances. Odysseus answers a second call to return home to his family. He returns a more mature warrior and a wiser man. Because of this he is able to conquer the suitors and reclaim his palace and his family. As in all Greek literature, the epic hero Odysseus answers a call to action, suffers through great confrontation, and returns with a better understanding of life.
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
One important characteristic that Penelope and Odysseus share is their loyalty to each other. Odysseus failed to return home seven years after the Trojan war. Because he is assumed dead, 108 wealthy noblemen and princes invade his palace and refuse to leave until Penelope has married one of them. By marrying her, the suitors hope to gain control over Odysseus’s wealth and power. However, Penelope remains faithful to Odysseus. But, as a woman, she is powerless to remove the suitors from the palace. And without a man in the household, she is subject to her father’s decisions. However, despite his wish for her to remarry, Penelope clings to the hope of Odysseus’s return and remains faithful to him. She waits and gathers information by asking strangers who arrive in Ithaca about Odysseus. She goes through the stories of their encounter point by point, and asks about every detail while tears stream down her eyes. Although the suitors promise her a secure future, Penelope continues to wait for Odysseus. Without Odysseus, she does not believe that she will ever be happy again.
The quotation, “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose,” Bill Gates, an American business professional, philanthropist, investor, computer programmer, and inventor, demonstrates how one can be superior and strong, yet exemplify it in the wrong way. Odysseus can relate to this quotation when he reveals his name to the Cyclops, Polyphemus, not thinking about his outcome. He is a remarkable leader and he proves it throughout his expedition in the Odyssey. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Trojan War hero Odysseus displays heroic and sharp-witted actions throughout the tribulation and journey home. He undergoes the adversity of a ten year war and disregard from the exasperated gods due to his impetuous deportment.
After his near decade captivity and escape from Calypso, Odysseus faces many challenges in his attempt to return to Ithaca. Arguably, being held captive so long may have been a shameful period, although being a sex slave for a beautiful goddess wasn’t the worst thing imaginable. With the lack of help from and trust in the gods, Odysseus had heavy weight on his shoulders that would decide whether his fate would be shameful or honorable. A quote from Zeus emphasized this, “Odysseus shall come back by the convoy neither of the gods nor of mortal people, but he shall sail on a jointed raft and, suffering hardships, on the twentieth day make his landfall on fertile Scheria at the country of the Phaiakians who are near the gods in origin, and they will honor him in their hearts as a god, and send him back, by ship, to the beloved land of his fathers, bestowing bronze and hold in abundance upon him, and clothing, more than Odysseus could ever have taken away from Troy, even if he had escaped unharmed with his fair share of the plunder” (Odyssey 5, 30-40). The gods here place trust in the abilities of Odysseus, even though he would very much appreciate some help. Although Odysseus is mortal, he is comparable to immortal heroes due to his strength and leadership. A quality of his that is notable for a great leader was that he wouldn’t ask of his men something he wouldn’t do himself. At times though, he
Odysseus wouldn’t of taken ten years after the Trojan war to get home if it wasn’t for his prideful trait. Pride causes Odysseus suffering all throughout the book. For example, once Odysseus was on his way off the island of the Cyclops, the epic says “I would not heed them in my glorying spirit, but let my anger flare and yelled: “Cyclops, 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.” After Odysseus and his men escape Cyclopes island, Odysseus pride kicks in and he tells off the Cyclop that he blinded. Telling the Cyclop his real identity, and his business. The Cyclop prayed to his father Poseidon (sea god), which Poseidon is still upset and still hold a grudge towards Odysseus, because Odysseus did not thank the gods after he won the Trojan war, and because of his pride, he said he did it all on his own. This would only cause more trouble for Odysseus and his journey home to extend
Odysseus is successful in completing the first two steps of the hero’s journey and starts off his journey by leaving home. Odysseus leaves his beloved home of Ithaca to fight in the War of Troy and knows that he will not be able to return for a long time. This demonstrates the first phase of the hero’s jour...
When Odysseus first gets to the Underworld he sees “…the souls of brides and youth and worn-out old men and soft young girls with hearts new to sarrow, and many men wounded with bronze spears...” (159). He sees his friend Elpenor next. Elpenor tells Odysseus that he fell off of Circe’s roof and begs Odysseus to bury him (161-162). Odysseus then sees his mothers spirit and that is how he found out she had passed away. He then sees Theban Tiresias who tells him not to harm any of the cattle or sheep on Thrinacia or they will be harmed. He also says that if any of his men touch the cattle but somehow Odysseus escapes he will find trouble at home. Odysseus will have to kill suitors that took over his home. Tiresias also tells Odysseus to offer a sacrifice to Poseidon, a ram, a bull, and a boar in their prime, when he gets to the land where men know nothing about the sea (161). Next, Odysseus talks his mother who tells him his wife is still in his halls, Telemachus holds his lands, and his father is still alive mourning for him (163). Three times Odysseus tries to embrace his mother and all three times she drifted out of his hands (164). He saw a lot of people he knew, but the next one of his friends he spoke to was Agamemnon. Odysseus asks him what fate he met and Agamemnon responds
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.
The relationship between Odysseus and his wife Penelope is one of loyalty, love, and faith. Both characters are driven by these characteristics. Odysseus displays his loyalty in his constant battle to get home to his wife. This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. Odysseus spent 20 years trying to return to his home in Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. Along the way he manages to offend both gods and mortals, but through his intelligence, and the guidance of Athena, he manages to finally return home. There he discovers that his home has been overrun by suitors attempting to win Penelope’s hand in marriage. The suitors believed that Odysseus was dead. Odysseus and his son, Telemachus,
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.