Essay On The Role Of Pride In Homer's Odyssey

The Role of Pride in The Odyssey

“Cyclops— if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Fagles lns. 558-562). This is the taunt that Odysseus gives Polyphemus after gouging out his eye, a final dig at the wounded giant as he and his crew narrowly escape the island - and they very well may be the most important lines in the entire book, for they are the ones that cause Polyphemus to curse Odysseus and to delay his return. This pattern - of an unwise act of pride coming to misfortune down the road - is seen many times in the story of The Odyssey. The role of pride in The Odyssey is the force that drives the

story forward, and without it the story would lack direction and a lot of its power.

One way that pride is used as a storytelling device is in the pride of the suitors, who disrespect Odysseus, his hall, and even his wife before meeting a grisly demise.

Among the most prideful offenders is Antinous, who shortly before striking the disguised Odysseus upon his return says, “What god has brought this plague in here?/Get off to the side, away from me,/Or I’ll show you Egypt and Cyprus,/You pushy panhandler! You don’t know your place./You make your rounds and everyone/Hands things out recklessly. And why shouldn’t they?/It’s easy to be generous with someone else’s wealth” (Lombardo lns. 484-490). The disrespect that he shows Odysseus is part of what motivates Odysseus in his plans to slaughter all of the suitors. Pride is, then, ultimately the cause of the climax of The

Odyssey.
One must also consider what would have happened if some of the characters in the book had less pride.

For example, shortly before delivering his final taunt when escaping from Polyphemus, one of Odysseus’ shipmates attempts to persuade him not to taunt the cyclops further, saying that he would “heave half a cliff at [them] and crush the ship and [their] skulls with one throw” (Lombardo 495-497). Despite the warning, Odysseus delivers the taunt, saying “They tried, but didn’t persuade my hero’s heart -/ I was really angry” (Lombardo 498-499). Odysseus’ prideful “hero’s heart” is the reason he keeps taunting, so one can assume that if Odysseus was not so prideful he would not taunt further after being warned. However, if he does not reveal his name and homeland by taunting, the story would have been rather boring as Polyphemus would not curse him by praying to

Poseidon.

Pride in its many forms serves to drive the story of The Odyssey forward as well as to make the story relatable and powerful to readers around the world and through many different eras of time. It helps flesh out villainous characters in the story (and makes it all the sweeter when they meet their demise), and without the results of its influence, much of the story would not have happened at all - and where would the story be if Odysseus keeps his mouth shut, escapes without a hitch and sails home? While the presence of pride as a literary device is extremely evident in The Odyssey, its usage occurs in almost every form of media today - if an audience member has ever experienced a smug satisfaction at watching a cocky bad guy fail, the author has done a good job of working pride into their story.