How Did Odysseus Separates The Gods From Men

What Separates the Gods from Men?
The epic hero walks the fine line between the gods and the mere mortal man. Not only do they embody the ideal characteristics valued in their societies, they simultaneously falter at the same weaknesses of ordinary men. In The Odyssey by Homer, the main character Odysseus, demonstrates throughout the story that he is worthy of the title “epic hero.” After proving himself as a courageous leader in the Trojan War, he embarks on a ten year journey to return home to Ithaca. Although, this voyage is not made easy through the interference and wrath of the gods, and the various creatures he faces along the way. Using his authority and guile, Odysseus is able to overcome many of the obstacles in his path; however

he is impeded by his own arrogance and thirst for glory. Odysseus epitomizes what it means to be an epic hero; while he possesses admirable qualities similar to those of the gods, he is also defined by his fatal flaw.
Odysseus’ superior intellect separates him from the rest of his men, making him an accurate representation of an epic hero.

When Odysseus and his men become trapped in the cyclops Polyphemus’ cave, he must act instantaneously and figure out a means of escape. From the start, Odysseus realizes that they have to keep Polyphemus alive in order for him to move the boulder that is blocking the exit of the cave. Because of this, Odysseus cleverly devises a plan where he gets Polyphemus drunk and tells him that his name is “Nohbdy.” Odysseus does this to ensure that when he stabs Polyphemus’ eye, no other Cyclopes will come to his aid, and they will assume that nobody is injuring the giant. His well-thought-out plan is effective and Polyphemus cries out, “Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdy’s ruined me!” (358), and the other cyclopes on the island pay no attention. Despite not possessing as much physical strength as the Cyclops, he uses his wits to his advantage and is able to outsmart Polyphemus and escape. Odysseus’ intellect far surpasses that of his crew, and while they remain stagnant, he quickly assesses the situation and uses his surroundings to his advantage. As they sail towards the Sirens, Odysseus realizes the impending danger he and his men are about to encounter. With the knowledge that hearing their song will lead them to their deaths, he thinks quickly and puts beeswax in his men’s ears to block out the sound. His ability to effectively apply his knowledge proves

that not only does he possess intelligence superior to his comrades, but he can utilize it to save them. Once Odysseus arrives back to Ithaca, he surveys the group of suitors trying to win over his wife’s hand. Upon looking at the large group of men, he realizes that him and his son, Telemachus, are greatly outnumbered. Knowing that the odds of defeating the suitors are against them, he cunningly tells Telemachus to hide all their weapons. This astute planning ahead turns the tables in their favor, giving them the upper hand. Unlike Telemachus, Odysseus uses his acute perception and realizes that to assure their victory, they must remain patient and wait for the right time to attack. Odysseus’ aptitude for analyzing any given circumstance allows him to save him and his men repeatedly in the face of danger.
The true mark of an epic hero lies in their ability to lead others; Odysseus thoroughly demonstrates this quality on multiple occasions to the fullest extent.

In the land of the Lotus-Eaters, three of Odysseus’ men fall victim to the Lotus plant which holds the power to make men forget their homeland. After consuming the plant, his men no longer feel compelled to return home and refuse to leave. However, instead of simply abandoning them there, he forcefully ties them down to the benches of the ship. His authority gives him the power to keep his men under control. Odysseus fulfills what it means to be a true leader by devoting crucial time to assure that all of his men return home to Ithaca. Odysseus guides his men once again when battling the cyclops Polyphemus. After successfully blinding Polyphemus, Odysseus must devise a way to get all of his men past Polyphemus and to safety. He ends up taking control and instructs his men to remove the willow cords from Polyphemus’ bed, and uses them to tie himself and his men under the Cyclops’ sheep. Since Polyphemus is already blind, he is not able to see the men, and can only feel the tops of the sheep passing him. It is through this ruse and Odysseus’ ability to command his men, that they are able to get past Polyphemus undetected. It is solely Odysseus’ initiative that grants him and his men their escape. The men encounter another hindrance along their journey when they are confronted by Scylla, a six-headed monster, and

Charybdis, a gigantic whirlpool. Odysseus, as the head of the crew, makes the decision to sail towards Scylla, where they will lose some men instead of all. Despite being in the midst of a life-threatening situation, Odysseus remains levelheaded and motivates his crew to keep rowing: “Friends, / have we never been in danger before this?... / Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits / to find a way out for us?” (770). Even after Scylla brutally devours six of his men, Odysseus continues to act composed so that the rest of his men can look to him for further instruction. His guidance of an otherwise useless group of men, is what manages to save them from the six-headed monster.
All epic heroes have a weakness that hinders them, and despite his god-like superiority in wits and leadership, Odysseus’ pride reduces him to the same level as the ordinary man. Odysseus struggles with his desire for glory from the very beginning when he successfully leads his crew in the defeat of Polyphemus. Despite being in the clear and safe from Polyphemus, he yells to him, “If ever mortal men inquire / how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him / Odysseus...took your eye: / ...whose home’s on Ithaca!” (456-460). Polyphemus believes his name to be Nohbdy, but to satisfy his arrogance, Odysseus makes the foolish mistake of revealing his true identity and location. This causes Polyphemus to pray to his father, Poseidon, that Odysseus will not return home and will lose all his men, undoubtedly one of the largest setbacks of his journey home. Odysseus’ pride brought this upon himself, for there was no logical reason for him to reveal his name. Later in their expedition, Aeolus, god of the winds, gives Odysseus a bag of winds that will hasten his return home. However, Odysseus stubbornly refuses to tell the rest of his men what is inside the bag, leading them to believe he is hiding riches of gold and silver. Odysseus, too concerned with being superior to the rest of his shipmates, feels the need to keep the contents of a bag a secret in order to have even more power over them. The men end up opening the bag of winds when Odysseus falls asleep, causing them to be pushed further back from Ithaca. Odysseus’ inability to control his arrogance and need for supremacy gets in the way of their journey home. Upon their return to Circe’s island, Circe explicitly tells Odysseus to avoid the Sirens, for they lead sailors to their demise. In spite of this, he tells his men to tie him to the mast of the ship so that he can gain knowledge from the Song of the Sirens. In another effort to be superior to them, instead of putting beeswax in his ears like the rest of the men, he insists on listening. He risks his life to obtain knowledge to further separate him from his crew, instead of easily blocking his ears and simply sailing past the Sirens. Odysseus’ pride controls and holds power over him, constantly hindering his journey back to Ithaca.
Odysseus’ strength in both intelligence and leadership places him far above the regular man. Both his cleverness and ability to lead his men allow him and his men to evade danger on numerous occasions. He faces conflict head-on, and is never reluctant to encourage his men to do the same. However, all epic heroes have a weakness that places them below the gods. In Odysseus’ case, it is his arrogance that prevents him from returning home as soon as possible. His ego compels him to make foolish mistakes that could have been avoided otherwise. All good stories have a hero. These heroes, with their array of commendable traits, act as role models to readers. While readers strive to have similar qualities in themselves, it is the weaknesses of these heroes that make them seem attainable. Heroes show that even the best of humanity has faults, and that the true delineation of a hero is someone who does not let their flaws define them.