Throughout the story Odysseus was shown as a hero, a cunning warrior. In the battle of Troy he was the one that created the of the Trojan horse that helped the Greeks defeat the Trojans. He was known for being a great and knowledgable warrior by the gods, but Odysseus had one major flaw: His reckless pride and boastfulness. Odysseus would be banished by the gods and would be forced to go on a journey for 10 years because of his recklessness. He would become almost a shell of what he once was. The hubris shown by Odysseus puts him on a course of an endless journey. You first see the endless journey start after the Greeks finished the raid on Troy. After the war, the Greeks built shrines to Poseidon in the hope of good winds on their journey …show more content…
He sends winds to get his ship off course and he is lost at sea. This isn’t the only example of hubris Odysseus showing toward Posidan. After Odysseus and his men escape the son of Posidan, Polyphemus and blind him, Odysseus boasts about how he smarted him; “Cyclops! If any mortal asks you how your eye was mutilated and made blind, say that Odysseus, the city sacker, laertes son, who lives in Ithaca, destroyed your sight.” This act of Hubris against Posidans son makes Posidan even more furious at Odysseus and curses him, causing Odysseus journey home nearly endless. Odysseus Hubris early on in the story sets the stones for the rest of the book as it is the main reason he gets lost at sea. Odysseus is sent even further into the ocean, and is cursed by the god because he showed hubris to a figure that can physically control his life. Odysseuss’ reckless pride and boastfullness not only causes his journey to become even longer, but also costs the life of his entire crew. The first example of Odysseus' pride causing the death of his crew is found when they are traveling through Scylla and Charybdi's …show more content…
The first intimidating obstacle Odysseus faces is when he is trapped on Calypsos Island. Every morning and every night is the same for Odysseus, he cries and wishes he could leave. Evidently he cannot, Odysseus is their because of his actions and he is let free until he has divine intervention. Without help from the gods, he would have never escaped the prison of Calypso. The second intimidating obstacle was Odyseeuss’ final quest. He was to go as far inland where no man knew what an oar was and plant a shrine to Poseidon. This obstacle is the biggest F.U. for Posidan to require Odysseus to do this. Its nearly impossible for him to do this quest, but he is almost a prophet for the god he showed Hubris to. Odysseus will be sent on this quest for nearly the rest of his life, and he has no choice. These two obstacles put on by Odysseus' actions set him up on an endless journey that he will never be able to escape from. Odysseus' actions put him on an endless journey, never being able to fully make it
One of Odysseus's many qualities is determination. He remains determined throughout the entire saga to get back to his family. During Odysseus's Odyssey he encounters many obstacles, beast, god, and nature. Odysseus must get through all of these hardships before he can make it back to his family and home. On his way back Odysseus is next to Charybdis and she swallows his boat. He must holds on to the branches of a fig tree to survive, "But I clung grimly, thinking my mast and keel would come back to the surface when she spouted. And ah! How long, with what desiree, I waited! Till, at the twilight hour...the long poles at last reared from the sea"(12.560-64). Odysseus shows his determination to get home, because it would be easy for him to just let go and drown, but no Odysseus hangs on so he can see his wife again. Once he is at home he finds suitors at his house. Odysseus kills one of them and the others beg for mercy, ??Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold put up by others, would I hold my hand??(22.65-67). Odysseus is determined to get revenge on all of the suitors and he will not be satisfied until they are all dead. Without his strong will and determination Odysseus would not have made it through his trials. Although determination is a must for a journey such as Odysseus?s cunning is also just as essential.
When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.
Odysseus's greed causes him to be a bad man. The next supporting point is when Odysseus angered the god, Poseidon and caused him to act violently against him and his crew. Odysseus ended up blinding Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus after he didn’t give Odysseus a housewarming gift. “Nobody— that’s my
Odysseus is one of the most renowned warriors of all time. However, many historians argue that he was one of the worst leaders in all of literature and humanity. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus has shown traits unbefitting of a leader and king. Odysseus is a lousy leader because he is arrogant, disloyal, and selfish.
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
Men are not perfect all the time and can make mistakes that they regret later on. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men make mistakes that have effects on them. To begin, one mistake Odysseus makes is when he was so proud of himself for defeating the cyclops. After he got his ship ready and thought that he won he kept on taunting Polyphemus, who was the son of the Poseidon. Odysseus was so amused about how they just defeated cyclops that he didn't know what he was saying which is the mistake he was doing. He reveals to Polyphemus that he was the Odysseus, raider of the cities, Laertes’ son, and the man from Ithaka. Polyphemus then tells his father, Poseidon, to cast a curse upon Odysseus and his journey back home. Since Odysseus was on a ship in the sea, Poseidon had a great way to make sure his journey wasn't as great since he was the god of the sea.
“There is no safety in unlimited hubris” (McGeorge Bundy). The dictionary defines hubris as overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance. In The Odyssey, Homer embodies hubris into the characters Odysseus, the Suitors, and the Cyclopes. Odysseus shows hubris when he is battling the Cyclopes, the Cyclopes show hubris when dealing with Odysseus, and the Suitors show it when Odysseus confronts them at his home.
For hundreds of years, psychologists have attempted to understand why toddlers selfishly refuse to share. Recently, many experts in the field agree that toddlers are incapable of sharing because of their lack of integral brain development. From birth through early childhood, a child can only recognize his own wants and needs. Around the time a child begins kindergarten, he starts to development his understanding of abstract concepts, such as empathy, and sympathy. However, some believe that humans never rid themselves of that original selfishness. In essence, humans are born selfish and hopefully become compassionate later on. The idea of a natural tendency towards selfishness
Odysseus’ character is challenged in many ways throughout books 5 through 12. In some instances he holds strong, and in others he fails. His sense of adventure sometimes overwhelms him. The length of time Odysseus spends away from Ithaka also dilutes his desire to return, and possibly dilutes his desire to live. Under certain circumstances, any man can succumb to the evils to which he despises. A perfect example is Akhilleus in the Iliad. He started out an honorable man. With the death of his friend, he turns into a maniac who wants nothing but death for the enemy. Odysseus starts out wanting nothing but to return to his family and his homeland. Over the course of the many years away, this feeling dwindles and he is left with nothing but adventure to prolong his reason for living.
Along Odysseus’ journey he matures and develops as a result of his mistakes and triumphs. The Odyssey, written by Homer, is an epic poem about Odysseus’ return home from fighting in Troy. Along the way 14 stops are made while him and his crew faces many difficult groups including sirens, nymphs, and cyclops. Not only is Odysseus put into tough situations but he is also challenged to be creative and devise plans to escape certain situations. Overall Odysseus acquires many characteristic that helped him reach his goal and return to his family.
With the Odyssey, Odysseus learned a big lesson in humility. The greatest example of this is in the last five books or so within the story. He has to dress, act, and live like a beggar in order to regain everything he had lost. While he was a beggar, the suitors treated him horribly. Antinous, leader of the suitors, was the worst of them all. He was the first to mistreat Odysseus and planned to kill Telemachus. He was also the one that would abuse him physically and verbally for some time to come. Also, if that weren’t enough, he planned a boxing match for Odysseus to be in to watch him get beat up. All this was happening and the other suitors were most likely following their leader in whatever he was doing. Odysseus had to control himself the whole time this was happening. If he had lost his temper, the suitors would have killed him, his son, and most likely taken over the kingdom. That didn’t happen though. Odysseus learned self-control and humility. He may not be perfect at it, but going through all the humility made him a better man. Along the same topic, he was a king going through this humility. It would be one thing for a peasant to go through it, but a king? This made it even harder for Odysseus. He had rank above all the suitors and could rightly kick them out of his kingdom. Instead he waits for the right time and kills them all. The “pre-journey” Odysseus would of thought of himself invincible and probably would have died trying to get his kingdom back.
Arrogance, this trait embedded in humans, affects everyone—at work, in school, with friends, with families, but to what extent? What happens when people cannot control it? When it takes over their ability to think straight? The hero in the epic poem by Homer, The Odyssey, epitomizes how dangerous uncontrolled arrogance can be. After ten years of fighting in a brutal war, how difficult can a journey across the ocean be for the mighty Odysseus? He finally has the opportunity to return to Ithaca, to his wife, to his son… to home, but it takes him another ten years due to his arrogance. Odyssey exemplifies that his inability to curb his arrogance is his greatest threat because it causes him to make irrational decisions. However, he learns to overcome
Temptations of Odysseus Odysseus: a hero in every way. He is a real man, skilled in the sports, handy with a sword and spear, and a master of war strategy. Most of the challenges and adventures in his return voyage from Troy show us this even if we had no idea of his great heroic stature and accomplishments in the Trojan war. I found in my reading of the Odyssey that most of the trials the gods place upon him are readily faced with heroic means. These challenges are not necessarily welcomed by Odysseus but accepted as part of his role.
In Homer's epic The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus attempts to complete his journey home from Troy. On his way home, however, he angers the sea god, Posiedon, who curses him to travel for ten years on the sea, to loose all his men, and to return on a stranger's ship. During the ten years, Odysseus overcomes many hardships, and visits unique destinations in the world along the way. Each place has several symbolic meanings and themes that are found even in today's society. During his journey, Odysseus will attempt to find his place in the world and make a name for himself, make difficult leadership decisions pertaining to his men, and tries to overcome the natural curiosity and greed that is in man's mental makeup.
The challenges that Homer give the protagonist is all a test of character. Odysseus continues to pass the obstacles with flying colors, but his arrogance is the one flaw that is in dire need of correction. Some of the many challenges Odysseus overcomes on his voyage home is defeating the Cicones, surviving the Island of the Lotus Eaters, outsmarting the Giant Cyclops, saving his men from Circe, Traveling to Hades, passing between Scylla and Charybdis, escaping Calypsos’ Island and many more. Odysseus survives these obstacles and uses his smarts to escape near disaster. Often times he was the only one to survive these things and his crew often lost their lives due to their own stupidity. “‘We left the island and resumed our journey in a state of gloom; and the heart was taken out of my men by the wearisome rowing. But was our own stupidity that had deprived us of the wind.’”(P127 L75-79) Odysseus shows how he is an extraordinary man by being much smarter than his crew and the men that follow him. As a part of this stripping of Odysseus, Homer shows that Odysseus is a collective symbol of Everyman. On the one hand Odysseus is a great warrior, who is extremely intelligent, noble, and a great man. Although he has many god- like qualities he is still human. He shows that he is human and like every man, because of the fact that he still has major flaws. The