How Is Odysseus Selfish

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When you think of a hero, you probably think of a person who always saves the day, right? The Odyssey is an epic poem first told by Homer in ancient Greece. It is the story of a king and soldier and his journey back home, with his men, after he won the Trojan War. The purpose of the poem, like many ancient and modern stories and texts, was to spread the values of Greek society. Though ancient Greek considered him a hero, the protagonist of the story, Odysseus, doesn’t present many values we have today. His character embodies a selfish, egotistical and ungrateful person whose actions are only in his own self-interest.

When Odysseus makes many of his decisions, he neglects the possible consequences his crew might face and decides what …show more content…

He’s always focused on making himself look good. He puts himself and his crew in danger just so he seems strong and heroic. The first time this happens is in Polyphemus’ cave after Odysseus stabs out the eye of the one-eyed giant. At first Odysseus reveals his name as “nobody” so that when he finally stabs the creature’s eye out the cyclops cries out, “. . . good-for-nothing nobody made me suffer,” so no one comes to help him. As they’re just about to leave though, his arrogance takes over and he reveals his true identity. This is what he says: “Cyclops, If any man on the face of the Earth should ask you who blinded you so, shamed you so, say Odysseus, Raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes' son who makes his home in Ithaca.” He not only reveals his name, but his father and his home. This decision put his crew in imminent danger and eventually led to all of their deaths. This is because Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon, the ocean god in greek mythology, and Odysseuss spends a significant amount of journey home at sea. Later in the story Circe tells Odysseus that if he is to encounter Scylla, a six headed, dragon-like creature, six or more of his follower’s lives would end. She warns that the best option is to let it happen. Fighting the creature would only result in more deaths. Despite this, Odysseus goes face to face with the monster putting many more people in his crew in danger than

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