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The three traits valued by the Greeks in the Odyssey
Greek mythology in modern literature
The three traits valued by the Greeks in the Odyssey
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A person's characteristics can influence many different actions. Certain traits of a character can impact the outcome of a situation. In Homer’s Odyssey Odysseus’ guile influences his actions against the obstacles on his journey home. Odysseus’ guile has the most significant impact on the narrative because it overcomes obstacles.
When Odysseus lands in the Cyclopes, he exhibits his cunningness. Odysseus held a prisoner in the Cyclops’ cavern deceivingly gets the Cyclops’ drunk by offering a strong, fine wine to wash down the men. The drunken Cyclops falls asleep this gives Odysseus and his men an opportunity to attack. Odysseus and his men make a spike and “ram it/ deep in” the Cyclops’ eye inflicting pain and permanent blindness (Homer 315-316). Odysseus uses a double-edged sword, the strong wine to trick and blind the Cyclops so it cannot consume more men. Accordingly, Odysseus when gifting the wine to the Cyclops deceives him by introducing himself as “Nohbdy” (Homer 341). When Odysseus stabs the spike in the Cyclops’ eye it roars, “Nohbdy ruins me” a plea to the other Cyclops for help (Homer 341). However, the other Cyclops believe it is nobody and a false alarm, but truly Odysseus blinds the
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Cyclops. Able to overcome this obstacle and escapes the land of the Cyclopes. Odysseus while sailing the sea passes by the island of the Sirens and demonstrates his shrewdness and intelligence.
Odysseus understands the Sirens are trying lure in him and his crew to crash on the rocks and die. When Odysseus and his crew approach the island of the Sirens he “lays [wax] thick” in their ears. This judgement prevents the crew from the temptation of the Sirens’ song and heading towards the island of the Sirens saving their lives. Moreover, Odysseus decides that he will hear the song and for the crew to tie him to the mast. Odysseus’ crew “ties [him] up” for two reasons to resist temptation from the song and to know when the Sirens disappear in the distance. Odysseus’ judgment and intelligence allow him and his crew to overcome the Sirens and their
song. Odysseus’ guile affects the narrative substantially because it overcomes difficulties. Odysseus deceives the Cyclops with fine wine, a fake name, and permanently blinding him. Furthermore, Odysseus’ shrewdness helps him overcome the Sirens by plugging beeswax and tying himself on the mast. If Odysseus did not have his guile he and his crew would die to the Cyclops and the Sirens.
The Sirens are personated as lethal and menacing. In the Sirens’ song it says “..the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons.” That insinuates how Sirens entice people into their own death. In Odysseus’ standpoint, he hoped to get away from them stating,”the heart inside me throbbed to listen longer”,signifying he could not bare to hear them croon longer.
Odysseus?s cunning is cardinal to his survival and that of his men. He uses his cunning to get them out of several unpleasant situations. When they are captured by the Cyclops, he can not use the strength of his men to escape, so he must use his cunning to free them. He lies and tricks the Cyclops to get out, ??My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy?? (9.397-99). This clever deception stops the other Cyclops from helping Polyphemos helping them to escape. Odysseus also shows his cleverness when he returns to Ithaca.
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.
Odysseus found himself in some dangerous situations during his journey but he was clever enough to think of ways to escape them. For example, when he encountered Polyphemus, Odysseus tricked him when he told the Cyclops his name was "Noman." After Polyphemus believed him and was stabbed in the eye, not knowing any better called out to his friends, "Noman is murdering me by craft. Force there is none" (87). Odysseus’ power over his enemy is once again confirmed by his wit more than by physical force. Although this sense of guile is at his enemy’s expense, there exists a touch of dramatic irony that helps the reader to take part in knowing something that Odysseus’ enemy doesn’t know.
In Homer 's The Odyssey, Odysseus is known as “the great tactician” (7.256). With the help of the goddess Athena, Odysseus must endure a challenging journey home after winning the Trojan War. Throughout Odysseus ' journey, he has to encounter and defeat many obstacles which prohibit his desired, speedy return home. During this journey, Odysseus learns that once he gets home, he will have to conquer the suitors who have invaded his home. These suitors have attempted to court his wife, raided his food supplies, and completely disrespected Odysseus and his household. Odysseus must return to his home land, Ithaka, and become king of his home again in order to make his homecoming complete. Odysseus ' master as tactician makes his homecoming
After ignoring the Greek value respect for the body, Cyclops is tricked and blinded by Odysseus. Odysseus describes the monster when trapped in his cave: "in one stride he clutched at
When his crew entered into the area of the Sirens his true arrogance comes out. To avoid the Siren’s sound, Odysseus comes up with a brilliant plan that saves him and his crew. Instead of continuing to escape the Sirens, he is overly proud of his epic rescue says “But even from there my courage, my presence of mind and tactics saved us all” (12; 229-231). Finally, the biggest mistake Odysseus makes is when the Cyclopes traps the crew in his lair. Odysseus devises another brilliant plan and saves his people. Arrogance comes over Odysseus and he says “Cyclops if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so- say Odysseus, raiders of cities he gouged out your eye, laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca” (9; 558-562). The need to claim the defeat of the cyclops is an ego boost that he found more important than quickly escaping. As a result, more of his crew's lives are
The Character Odysseus in Odyssey "Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it was first composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so is because of the hero, Odysseus. Odysseus was one of the first Greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as his muscles. Indeed he is a man with an inquiring mind, and he is also a man with outstanding prowess and bravery" (123helpme.com/assets/3603.html). "We also must not forget that he is a top-notch athlete which only adds more to this seemingly insuperable character.
Odysseus (Ulysses in Roman) was one of the great Pan-Hellenic heroes of Greek mythology. Famous for his courage, intelligence and leadership he was most recognized through his resourcefulness and oratory skills. Throughout classical literature and through many authors Odysseus’ characteristics have changed as much as the stories that surround him. The epic and tragedy I will focus on in particular is The Odyssey by Homer and Hecuba by Euripides. The defining characteristics of Odysseus ranges widely as is shown in Homer’s The Odyssey and Euripides’s Hecuba. The figure of Odysseus in homers The Odyssey is the antithesis of the Odysseus in Euripides Hecuba due to their historical contexts and respective audiences.
Odysseus uses his brain to sail past the Sirens without being entranced by their sweet song. A Siren is a bird-woman who bewitches everyone that approaches. The Siren women sing a seductive song. Their song has many powers. As Nugent says “as in the days of the musician Orpheus, music still has power to soothe the savage beast, to ally anxiety, and to connect with the divine through contemplation” (Nugent 45-54). Circe tells Odysseus, “There is no homecoming for the man who draws near them unawares and hears the Siren’s voices” (Homer XII, 40). . Odysseus follows the advice Circe gave him to put beeswax in his men’s ears so they will not be entranced. Odysseus then tells his men “but she instructed me alone to hear their voices…”(XII, 160), when, truthfully, Circe states, “But if you wish to listen yourself, make them bind you hand and foot on board and place you upright by the housing of the mast, with the rope’s ends lashed to the mast itself”(XII, 49). In this way, Odysseus is being selfish only wishes to know the Siren’s sing so he will...
Odysseus orders his men to tie him up to the mast of the ship, so he can be the only one getting tortured by the Sirens’ song. Circe foretells that Odysseus and his men will die, in an effort to sacrifice himself for the crew, he tells his crew to tie him up. This daring moves is another reason why he is parted from the other characters, as a hero.
Many spoke positively about Odysseus, highlighting only his admirable traits. Although most victories of Odysseus did have a positive outcome, Odysseus acted by whatever means necessary to achieve his successes. In book twelve, Odysseus encountered the challenge of the sirens. No man had ever heard the song of the sirens and lived to speak of it. Odysseus was determined to be the first, and only man to ever make it through alive, “.. Yet she urges that I alone should listen to their song (XII.193-194)”. Odysseus ordered his men to plug their ears with beeswax and to tie him to the mast as tight as they possibly could. Odysseus and his crew did manage to successfully pass the sirens, making Odysseus the only man to ever hear the wondrous call of the sirens. By refusing to plug his own ears, Odysseus unnecessarily put himself above all of his
One of Odysseus’ key traits as a leader is his intellect and cleverness. A prime example of that intellect is when Odysseus and his men stabs Polyphemus in the eye, causing him to scream in writhing agony “Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me! Nohbdy’s ruined me!”(Homer 993). Polyphemus screams for his fellow cyclops to help him but cannot get help due to the little trick Odysseus conceives. Polyphemus is much taller, faster, and stronger than all of the men combined, meaning that the only way the men are to survive is to trick and deceive. Had Odysseus not used his mental capabilities to give Polyphemus his false name, the group may never escape the cave. When Odysseus and his crew are near approaching the dangerous singing nymphs known as the Sirens, Odysseus tells his men to “tie me up, tight as a splint, erect along the mast.” (Homer 1005) as he took beeswax and “laid it thick on their ears.”(Homer 1006). By doing so, Odysseus is the reason why is he able listen to the Siren...
Odysseus uses his cleverness to save himself and his crew on many occasions throughout his journey. For one, when the men arrive at a cave that is inhabited by a Cyclops, Odysseus decides to conquer the beast and steal what goods he has. Upon finding the men feasting on his food, the Cyclops traps them and slowly begins to eat the sailors. Fearing the worst, Odysseus concocts an idea that will save them all. He is intelligent enough to know they cannot simply kill him as he explains, “If I killed him we perished there as well, ...
Odysseus traversed his epic by using his mind to deceive his enemies in order to make it through his trials and tribulations. A key trial was the way in which Odysseus deceived the Cyclops Polyphemus, Poseidon’s son. Polyphemus was considered god-like according to the text so overcoming this monster was no easy task for Odysseus and proving how cunning he was. Odysseus emotionally reacts to the Cyclops initially eating two of his comrades, but realizes that if he takes revenge he loses his only means out of the cave which is the Polyphemus’ strength to remove the doorstone. Odysseus realizes that in order to gain freedom he must methodically take down the Cyclops by getting him drunk, branding his eye with a hot iron, and then escaping under using the disguise of Polyphemus’ sheep. Getting the Cyclops drunk was a means for Odysseus to build rapport with the monster and this trust can be seen by Polyphemus falling asleep near his prisoners. During this encounter Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name is Noman essentially removing his name from himself. After, Odysseus and his men brand Polyph...