Greek Ideals Of The Basileus And Odysseus In The Odyssey By Homer

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The Odyssey Essay
In “Society in the Early Dark Age: The Basileus; Excerpted from Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History by Pomeroy, Burstein, Donlan, and Roberts” the characteristics of the Greek ideal of the Basileus is explained. According to the Basileus’ characteristics, which will be used as a metaphorical yardstick to compare the two, Odysseus, from “The Odyssey” is a superb leader. With some exceptions, he epitomizes/ exemplifies the Greek ideal of a Basileus because he possesses most of the characteristics of one. Such like the Basileus, he is clever, brave, and caring to those he leads. Therefore, Odysseus is an outstanding leader and is a prime example of a homeric hero compared to the Basileus and its characteristics. …show more content…

When his men were trapped in Polyphemus’s cave, Odysseus, with his cunning plan and execution, tells the Cyclops that his name is ‘Nobody.’ The men give the cyclops wine to get him drunk, stab him in the eye to blind him, and escape from the cave. Polyphemus cries for help, just for the other cyclops’ to let him be and ignore him, thinking he is perfectly fine because he yelled out that ‘Nobody’ hurt him. He was very clever to tell the monster that his name is “Nobody” so his true identity would not be revealed. Consequently, he was showing that he is a very good leader according to the text: Society in the Early Dark Age: The Basileus, where it stated that a good leader must be intelligent. Ergo, Odysseus demonstrates what it means to be a great

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