Odysseus Essays

  • Odysseus

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus In homer's Odyssey the main character Odysseus is a person who only tries to help himself. Although he earns the trust of his men while in Troy, he loses it on his perilous journey home. Many times in the epic he manipulates others, commits foolish acts and is full of hubris. He tries to take shortcuts and as a result of this is men are killed and his boats destroyed. He plays with the lives of his men and he is punished for it. Odysseus is not a hero because, he is foolish, lacks

  • Odysseus

    1612 Words  | 4 Pages

    Odysseus the one mortal to conquer and defy all odds against him no matter what was thrown his way. To get back home to his wife and child. Odysseus was told by poseidon and many other that he will not make it home and was left with nothing with no direction at all. and in the end he was right when he told the gods “Do you see gods of sea and sky I conquered troy, me Odysseus a mortal man of flesh and blood and bone and mind. I do not need you now I can do anything” The separation where the hero

  • Odysseus

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    this loyalty. Odysseus is the husband of Queen Penelope and the father of Prince Telemachus. This loyal love is evident in the first book when the muse says, “Much as you long to see your wife, the one you pine for all your days”. Others, like Eurykleia’s loyalty to Odysseus’s household are seen in her love for Telemachos, whom she treats like her own son. When Odysseus is on his long journey the submission to temptation or recklessness neither angers the gods nor distracts Odysseus and the members

  • Odysseus

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    Odysseus 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

  • Odysseus

    698 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus is a Greek king of Ithaca in Greek mythology, and a stud of Homer epic poems. A little about him king of Ithaca, Penelope husband, Telemachus father, Laertes and Anticlea sons. He is very guile and resourceful and known by the epithet Odysseus the cunning. However, a theme that everyone recognizes in the Odysseus is the cunning over strength. Odysseus is very intelligent; he is a man of “twist of turns…” The Greek term for his smarts is polytropos. In many of Homer stories the characters

  • Odysseus

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the major themes of Homer’s Odyssey is the importance of cunning over strength. This also happens to be the case with Odysseus and his long ten year journey home from fighting in Troy. Odysseus uses his intelligence over strength to ‘fight’ through tough times and bring himself home to Ithaca. Odysseus uses his intelligence when he has his men tie him down while passing the Sirens, so he himself will be able to hear their beautiful song, but not be entranced by their singing. He also uses

  • Penelope and Odysseus

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    they even have secret signs that only the other will recognize. This is the same case for Penelope and Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey; even though they have been apart for almost 20 years, and Odysseus is in disguise, Penelope still recognizes him. In their conversation, Odysseus drops clues that only Penelope would recognize and says things to make her suspicious causing her to realize that Odysseus finally came back. If you saw someone 20 years ago, how good would you remember them? what they were

  • The Odysseus Reaction

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus Reacts (A discussion of how Odysseus reacts to the three souls he meets) Odysseus seems to react to everything and sometimes not in a positive way. When Odysseus escapes from Polyphemus, he gets on the boat and starts shouting at him and screaming his name which was a complete over reaction. Also, when Odysseus is trapped in the cave with the cyclopes he gets mad and demands that they be let go or Zeus will punish Polyphemus. Odysseus’ reacts to the three souls, Elpenor, Anticlea, and

  • Odysseus Weaknesses

    1207 Words  | 3 Pages

    has both many strengths and weaknesses. His many achievements make the hero seem almost god-like yet he always remains recognizably human. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is the epic hero. He encounters goddesses, sea monsters, dead spirits, and Cyclopes. While lost at sea for twenty years away from his homeland Ithaca, he faces many dangers. Odysseus will stop at nothing to see his native land once more. He possesses many qualities superior to most ordinary men such as his intelligence, bravery, and strength

  • Odysseus Flaws

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    is an Epic Poem that stars the main character odysseus, who is a brave and courageous hero who does many things throughout the epic poem. Odysseus does many things to prove what kind of a person he is. Odysseus is most known for his 20 year voyage from Ithica to Troy and back. He had many things he had to overcome and accomplish throughout the long tiring journey. He is most known for the Trojan Horse he created to trick and defeat the Trojans. Odysseus suffered many deaths of his men and tragedies

  • Odysseus The Hero

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus the Hero For a character to be an epic hero, he must possess four characteristics. These four characteristics include the following: (1) he must be high born, (2) the hero must have human weaknesses, (3) he must be brave,and 4) he must be clever. In The Odyssey, Homer’s character Odysseus was an epic hero because he possessed all four of the characteristics. One characteristic that Odysseus had to be an epic hero was that he was highborn. Odysseus was Prince Laertiades of Ithaca. The

  • Odysseus Flaws

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    The overall impression of the legendary hero, Odysseus, is one of great honor. His strength, resilience, and ambition, raises a level of respect and admiration among everyone he encounters. His trials and tribulations throughout two decades of death and adventures only amplifies his complex mind. In order to choose a single characteristic of Odysseus, one must strip back all of his strengths and flaws alike to reveal the true core of his nature. Odysseus is illuminated by his audacious essence. This

  • Odysseus Gods

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    fulfillment of their goals. In Homer’s Odyssey, the gods appear to or interfere with both Telemachus and Odysseus, either to help or hinder them in their journeys. Although the gods are responsible the difficulty Odysseus faces returning from Troy, they are equally responsible for motivating and assisting Odysseus and Telemachus in their respective travels. If not for divine interference, neither Odysseus nor Telemachus would have journeys to make. The gods are first responsible for establishing the conditions

  • Odysseus Flaws

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost.” - Arthur Ashe Odysseus is viewed as being a classic example of a hero- strong, brave, cunning. Odysseus has shown countless times that he is not a hero; on the contrary, he is a coward. A hero stands up for others, and does what is right. Regardless of whether they succeed, they must show courage, virtue, and selflessness. Odysseus, on the other hand, shows complete selfishness, and is willing to let his family and crew

  • Odysseus Honesty

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    look to win against people but will help them along the way. The Odyssey, an epic centered around a so called “hero,” from the Trojan War, narrates the struggles and difficult decisions the main character Odysseus makes in order to get back to his son Telemachus and wife Penelope. Although Odysseus shows many gallant qualities, like being courageous, strong, and brave, he shouldn’t be considered a hero because he doesn’t meet

  • Odysseus, A Hero

    1125 Words  | 3 Pages

    can ever truly be a hero, though we may do heroic deeds. A well known example of such a person is Odysseus from Homer's "Odyssey". Odysseus is idolized for his few heroic deeds during the Trojan War and his journey home to Ithaca. He is often thought of as a hero, but, as he is human and therefore subject to human weakness and fault, is not a true hero athough some of his deeds were heroic. Odysseus also possessed the neccessary qualities and skills needed for him to succeed. This is perhaps the

  • Odysseus: The Antihero

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    is an epic hero. In the Odyssey, Homer tells the journey of one man’s journey home from the Trojan War. The protagonist of the epic poem Odysseus is often regarded as a great hero. However, Odysseus is not quite the glorious soldier that people often see him as. Odysseus shows that he is an antihero through his pride, disloyalty, and bloodthirstiness. Odysseus returns from a great victory of the Trojan War and the enormous amount of pride he gains gets him into a lot of trouble. As he returns home

  • Odysseus Traits

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many ways that Odysseus showed that he is smart. Odysseus showed that he can solve problems using his intelligence when he defeated the cyclops Polyphemus, defeated Troy with the Trojan Horse, and disguised himself as a beggar in order to sneak into his own castle. He proved himself in Troy by devising a plan to sneak inside the city in a giant wooden horse. He showed he was intelligent when battling the cyclops by feeding him wine to cause him to fall asleep and then stabbing him in the

  • Odysseus Reflection

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer in book nine lines 1-33. In this paper, one could see Odysseus goes full circle of emotions throughout the lines. Before this book starts Odysseus was lead to the palace of Alcinous, the king of the Phaeacians. Once he was there he plead for help from the Queen to get back to his land. The King thought Odysseus was a god but Odysseus put that to rest by saying he was a mortal. That evening, while the King and Queen were talking to Odysseus, the Queen noticed that he was wearing her daughter’s clothes

  • Odysseus Resourceful

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    and Odysseus Have “The appeal to the wild for me is unpredictability. You have to develop an awareness, react fast, be resourceful and come up with a plan and act on it” (Bear Grylls). This quote describes how Odysseus developed his adventuring skills. In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer depicts the main character Odysseus as very resourceful. To be resourceful is to think quickly and use your surroundings to overcome obstacles. Humans need to be resourceful to help them succeed. Odysseus is one