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An analysis of Odysseus' characters
Characteristics of odysseus in the odyssey
An analysis of Odysseus' characters
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The Odyssey is about Odysseus whom is trying to get back to his home. Along the way, he is offered advice on what to do. Instead of taking it, he decides to ignore it and act on his own. Homer, the author, shows how odysseus faced bad consequences because of that. All his men died because he was being selfish, arrogant, and deceiving. When Odysseus and his crew arrived to the land of the Cyclops, his men suggested, “Why not take the cheeses, get stowed, come back, throw open all pens, and make a run for it?” (page 376, 126-129). Odysseus declined, and chose to find out more about the Cyclops which led to the death of a few men. The Cyclops found them and he started eating the men one by one, but Odysseus was going to be left for last because he gave the Cyclops some wine. Odysseus decided to save himself first above everyone else which could be considered a selfish act. …show more content…
He and his men found a way to escape by blinding the Cyclops and exiting by holding on to the sheep’s bellies. They all started to celebrate, but Odysseus started to mock the Cyclops instead. His crew started advising him stop and one of them said, “God Sake, Captain! Why bait the beast again? Let him alone!” (page 383, 408). Later on, the Cyclops prayed to Poseidon and cursed him to “lose all his companions” along the way. If Odysseus had followed hs men’s advice, then he wouldn’t have been cursed to reach Ithaca by
The Odyssey is an epic home it was written by homer in the classical Greek. The story is about the main character Odysseus a Trojan war hero and his journey to return home to Ithaca conflict and obstacles are throughout the story and affect different characters many of the characters experience some form of reciprocity by the end of the epic and get what they
Odysseus lets himself and his men get trapped in a Cyclops’ cave where a number of men die (153, 312-316) Generally a true leader never allows his men to die for foolish and or unnecessary reasons. In this part of the text Odysseus allows his men to get trapped in a cave because he wants to wait to meet the owner of the cave which he was in. Hence, Odysseus is an awful leader due to the fact that he allows his men to die due to his own irresponsibility. Another similar instance is when he expects hospitality from the Lasitrygonês without even a shred of doubt that they would treat him well - even after making the same mistake with the cyclops’ earlier, both leading to the loss of many lives (168, 121-128). A great leader never lets men die due to their own error. In this case, Odysseus has entire benches worth of men die due to the fact that he did not learn from his earlier encounter with the cyclops. Thus, Odysseus is not as awe inspiring a leader as some may make him out to
The introduction to this tale reveals a great deal of the importance of eloquence in speech, in this culture. Within moments of speaking Odysseus makes clear how important it is to speak well by comparing his ability to speak to the same abilities possessed by gods. Throughout this tale gods are used as a benchmark of the greatness of an individual, therefore for Odysseus to claim that his eloquence is the same as that of the gods is a bold claim and one he is certain he can back up. In the same introduction, Odysseus declares he is known for “all manner of wiles” (303). Therefore if Odysseus does have the a voice that is similar to what the others imagine the gods to have, and there is no mention of anyone refuting this claim, then a further
Odysseus’ recklessness and resourcefulness are predominant traits apparent in the Cyclops episode. When trapped in the Cyclops’ cave and after four men have already been devoured, Odysseus comes up with a cunning plan to escape. They cannot simply kill Polyphemus while he is sleeping and run away, due to the ‘huge boulder rolled across the mouth of the cave. Instead, he uses the resources available to him by getting Polyphemus drunk before sharpening the Cyclops’ staff, heating it in the fire, and stabbing it in his eye, blinding him. This is an extremely reckless undertaking, as it further enrages Polyphemus.
The epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.
When he first sets out on his journey, Odysseus is setting out for war and by the time that war is over, he wants nothing more than to get his men home safe and see his wife and young son. This wish, however, is delayed, mainly because Poseidon has made it his personal mission to prevent Odysseus from ever returning home to Ithaca. All this was due to Odysseus’s poor treatment of Poseidon's son, the Cyclops. On his way home from the war, Odysseus sails into the island of the Cyclops and tries to find food and shelter for his crew. It becomes apparent to Odysseus that this society that the Cyclops lives in what resembles “the Golden Age, in which the earth yields its fruit continually without toil and yet … they seem wholly uncivilized; they live isolated.”(346 Hernandez). Because of this, when the crew and Odysseus stumble upon the Cyclops's cave, they proceed to steal food and linger in the large cavern. When the Cyclops comes back to find the thieves, he blocks them into the cave and eats a few of the men.
The Odyssey is an epic poem about a journey. After the Trojan War is won Odysseus leaves Troy for his home in Ithaca. However, the gods decide to test his courage and resolve and send him on a twenty-year odyssey. Odysseus' courage is constantly tested as he struggles with the many obstacles the gods place before him. Although Homer depicted The Odyssey as a self-reliant journey, in reality the gods and other mortals guide Odysseus. It is his loyalty to and his love for his family that keeps him going. The Odyssey depicts Odysseus as he overcomes each obstacle through guidance, fate, and loyalty to his family.
The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for certain characteristics everyday of their lives, whether they realize it or not; and The Odyssey is just one of those many miraculous tests.
While Odysseus and his men brave the unforgiving winds of the open sea trying to return home they are curious about where the Cyclops live. This land is quite lush with very little activity. The Cyclops are very much loners who keep to themselves and lack any real etiquette. Well, Odysseus and his men go upon the island into a cave and upon finding more than enough food are faced with an option to leave with their new loot or to stay. Against his men’s request to leave while the getting is good Odysseus wants to stick it out. He honestly believes that mercy will be shown to him and that it will be okay! Boy was he wrong! The Cyclops, a massive and very disgusting creature, shows his “guests” the exact opposite of what a normal host does for their company. He literally eats them alive and holds them captive! We, the reader, really begin to the Odysseus’ plan to escape unfold when he devises a plan to offer Polyphemus, the Cyclops,
This story, Odyssey, written by Homer, is an extremely commonly known epic poem. Not only is this story common it is special, it is an epic-- an incredibly long poem composed by books instead of chapters--. This book was created sometime around 650-750 BC, and has lasted and shown many connections to modern day morals and values. The Odyssey is about Odysseus’ 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. While Odysseus battles mythical creatures and faces the wrath of the gods, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus keep off suitors competing for Penelope's hand and Ithaca's throne long enough for Odysseus to return. This book shockingly has changed the lives of many who read it. For instance, veterans from old wars have had
Odysseus is also proven to decide his own fate. At dawn, Odysseus continues his journey: “Odysseus decides to tell the men only of Circe s warnings about the Sirens, whom they will soon encounter. He is fairly sure that they can survive this peril if he keeps their spirits up.” (Homer 195) By Odysseus not telling his men the full story, his men's hopes were brought up. His actions lead to himself and his men sailing into the tunnel, with soften beeswax into their ears avoiding the mesmerizing music played by the Sirens in the tunnel. In the Cyclopes Island, Odysseus left the Cyclops stabbed in one eye. The Cyclops was very upset about his unapproved departure. Therefore he set a curse that would ruin his journey, “ ‘O hear me, lord, blue girdler of the islands, if I am thine indeed, and thou art father: grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home.” (Homer, Close Reader 110) When Odysseus was in the Island of the Cyclopes, himself and his men stabbed the eye of cyclop and continued to leave the island. This choice by Odysseus allowed them to leave the island at a cost… the darkened fate was upon Odysseus never was he to see his family again.Through these quotes and actions, Odysseus is Implied to choose his own
Initially, the Odyssey is a story about a man trying to make his way back home to return to his kingdom. Odysseus has had a long journey with his crew around the world facing extreme obstacles. The allegory of this story is life lessons interpreted through his journey. Throughout the whole story, Homer (the author) had placed obstacles into the story for the reader to understand and comprehend. An example of this was when Odysseus had encountered the Sirens. The Sirens are birdlike women with human faces that sing beautifully to direct their ship toward the sound to destroy their ships upon rocks. Odysseus had the obstacle of temptation. He and his crew had to remain strong and stick to what he knew what was right and continue through his journey. This temptation only made him stronger and made him think how much more he needed to return back to his kingdom. This part of the story has placed a major impact because it was teaching Odysseus a moral lesson. Like in life people have many temptations that can change anything and everything. People have to stick to their gut feeling and believe in making the right choices. People can’t have others tempt them into doing something wrong because it’s their life and they are the ones liv...
The Odyssey is a book with twenty-four chapters. It is about a king that went to a war a Troy and took a long time to come back. He faced many difficulties along the way as well of his son. Through the book, there are many themes and morals to be learned. The audience should learn that no matter what the obstacle is, you can always overcome it.
The Robert Fitzgerald translation of The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, is about the protagonist Odysseus and his journey back to Ithaka and his family. Odysseus spent ten years fighting in the battle of Troy, and ten more years traveling home to Ithaka. While he journeys home, Odysseus faces many perils and acts on them accordingly. Odysseus’s actions were driven by political aspirations throughout The Odyssey and his political actions and decisions were morally unjustified. Odysseus repeatedly chooses pride and glory over the safety of his own crew and disregards life when deciding who should live or die.
During Odysseus’ long and strenuous journey to make it back home to Ithaca, he encountered a countless number of dangers. Odysseus started off his voyage with an unwelcomed greeting from the Cyclopes, who swallowed a handful of Odysseus’ shipmates. Nevertheless, Odysseus and the remainder of the surviving shipmates escaped and rowed closer to their home. As the sailors advanced towards Ithaca, they faced the angered sun god Helios, sly sirens that tried to lure them to their deaths, and deadly whirlpools. The desperate men came across powerful winds and crashing waves, but they barely managed to get past it. Coming close to the end of the mens’ treacherous expedition, Zeus shot a bolt directly to their ship, and Odysseus was blown back to the