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The odyssey character analysis essay
The odyssey character essay
Heros journey character analysis the odyssey paper
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Leadership is one of the most important qualities an individual can have because of the effect it can have on others. In the Epic “The Odyssey” the author talks about character traits and how they react with the conflicts by how he illustrates the conflicts and the way the character deals with them.
Odysseus is a leader who is smart, strong and stubborn. He uses those traits to get through some bad situations and conflicts. Calypso tries to trick Odysseus to stay with her. He must turn her offer down without offending her or getting her angry. “Can I be less desirable that she is? Less interesting? Less beautiful? Can mortals compare with goddesses in grace and form? “My Lady Goddess, there is no cause for anger my quiet Penelope - how well I know would seem a shade compared to your majesty, death and old age while unknown to you, well she must die. Yet it is true everyday I long for home, long for the sight of home (916).
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Odysseus is about to encounter the Sirens, which sing a devious song, so irresistible it forces men to jump overboard in bunches. He must somehow pass the Sirens without him or his men leaping off. “I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears” (942). This quote shows us how Odysseus is resourceful and does not want his crewmates to be lured toward the irresistible song. Odysseus has to make a difficult choice to either face Scylla, a six headed monster, or Charybydis, a massive vortex that sucks and chews everything that gets close to it. “Better to mourn six men then to lose them all, and the ship, too” (940). This quote tells the reader that Odysseus was faced with a dilemma. He had to make the right choice for himself and his shipmates. Odysseus again, and again, is forced to make strenuous decisions that affect the lives of his crew and
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 shows that he has PTSD through re-experiencing and hyper arousal of emotions. During Odysseus’ travel home he experiences hyper arousal of emotions when he slaughters the suitors for merely nothing, as well as not being able to control his emotions or actions. “ How could he? In that revelry amid his throng of friends who would imagine a single foe---though a strong foe indeed---could dare to bring deaths pain on him and darkness on his eyes?”(955.240). “ Odysseus’ arrow hit him under the chin and punched up to the feathers through his throat.” (955.245). There was no struggle that had ensued beforehand and even though Odysseus had killed the suitor he had prominently thought against it the arrow had released suddenly and the thought
For seven years, Odysseus is held captive by the goddess Calypso. The young goddess “desired me and detained me in her hall. But in my heart, I never gave consent” (Homer 372). This quote suggests that although Calypso may have believed she was loved by Odysseus, he never really cared for her. If Odysseus would have stayed faithful to his wife, Calypso would have killed him. Thus, he is able to protect himself by lying to her. Another point in the epic where Odysseus' dishonesty impacts his success is with the suitors. After arriving at his homeland, Odysseus disguises himself to protect himself from being harmed: “Odysseus enters his home as a beggar, and the suitors mock and abuse him” (Homer 402). When Odysseus appears to be a beggar, the suitors think nothing of him. They disrespect him, his family, and his home. Had they know Odysseus was back, they would have treated him much differently. Because of the way they acted towards him, it can be suggested that they would be willing to do anything to take control of his kingdom. He is then able to find out more about them and their motives without getting
Before letting him leave the island, Circe tells Odysseus that he must face Scylla, a sea monster, and Charybdis, a whirlpool. Circe says, “Better by far to lose six men and keep you ship” (274). Odysseus is told beforehand that no ship could pass unscathed, but he chooses to not to tell his crew. He knowingly sacrifices his crewmembers’ lives and has no qualms about it, which shows his inner selfishness. He makes sure to protect his own life, but he sees his crew as disposable. Homer characterizes Odysseus this way in order to convey his views about humanity: humans are instinctively selfish. Odysseus also carelessley kills his remaining crew when he taunts the Cyclops. After hearing Odysseus’s name, Polyphemus prays to Poseidon and asks that Odysseus “never reaches home” but if he is destined to return, make sure he returns “a broken man—all shipmates lost, alone in a strangers ship” (228). If Odysseus had never told Polyphemus his name, he and his crew might have made it home more quickly and safely. Instead, his hubris causes an inescapable curse. Odysseus cannot bear the thought of forfeiting his fame, which leads to even more hardship on his quest to return home. Homer uses Odysseus to demonstrate the danger of egotistical
Have you ever wondered if you could survive a 20 year journey on sea? Well in the story, The Odyssey by Homer, the main character was Odysseus. The story was mainly a mission; Odysseus left his home of Ithaca for a 20 year journey to get back home. During that time he had a lot of ups and downs but still managed to get back home. But there were three things that helped him accomplish his mission and they were his bravery, his cleverness, and how self-controlled he was.
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...
When trapped in a cave and held captive Odysseus makes a hasty, but intelligent decision to spare his captor's life. His captor just happened to be a Cyclops. Odysseus was astute in his decision to spare the Cyclops's life, because he and his crew were not capable of moving the stout bolder blocking the avenue of escape. Odysseus knew that if he killed the Cyclops that he and his men would perish along with it. Another story in which Odysseus displays his intelligence is "The Sirens". "Going forward I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears." (1072) In the story "The Sirens" Odysseus portrays his remarkable ingeniousness when he plugs the crew's ears with beeswax. Because of Odysseus's apt solution, the crew was protected from the Sirens' seductive song...
Two minutes till the bomb detonates. A nuclear bomb in his own cave, one powerful enough to take out the whole city, and only two minutes to decide its destiny. He has two options- one to leave the city and save himself on his bat mobile, or find a way to save the city. As a true hero would, Batman chooses the second path. In the Dark Knight Rises, Batman exemplifies the makeup of a true hero- one who uses his wits, courage, and wisdom to save his people. He may have been portrayed with glamorous looks and an amazing costume, but on the inside, he maintained the makeup of a real hero. But how does this relate to the Odyssey? The hero in Homer's novel was Odysseus. He proved himself as an archetypal hero through his own great wisdom, wit, and courage that was unmatched by other Greek heroes.
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus exhibits countless character traits, throughout his quest, that may correlate to similar manners that I portray. Throughout the entirety of Homer’s epic, Odysseus depicts numerous traits that are relatable to everyday human-beings, however, only a few of these are applicable to me. During most of the epic, Odysseus yearns to achieve his goal of returning to his home in Ithaca and to his beloved Penelope, much like myself amidst my own life in my pursuit to achieve my goals among sports and school. Unfortunately for our hero, Odysseus, he runs into an assortment of obstacles that hinder him from obtaining his dream of, once again, seeing Penelope. As a teenager, I face similar feats as I pursue
Odysseus possesses every attribute that Homeric Greeks admire. He displays loyalty, piety, manly valor and intelligence. We see Odysseus's loyalty in book one. Odysseus has won the Trojan War, and has been trapped on the island of Ogygia with the beautiful nymph Calypso. For ten years, Odysseus longed to return home to his wife Penelope, despite the attractions set up by Calypso. Never once did he accept his fate on the enchanting island. Odysseus' loyalty to Penelope is also at hand in the following:
Throughout literature, the reader often familiarizes themselves with the main character as it experiences changes in the story. In the epic poem The Odyssey translated by Richmond Lattimore, Homer, the author of the epic depicts the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaka and his journey back to his basileia after the decade long Trojan War. Several characteristics are apparent to the reader as Odysseus journey back to Ithaka emerges. His great Homeric leader traits proves to the reader that he is the epic hero of this time in the eyes of Homer. Throughout the epic, Odysseus learns from his character traits as he undergoes several challenges by the Gods. Odysseus characteristics traits allow him to grow into an ambitious man with confidence in his
A person’s mental and physical attributes say a lot about a person. Personalities such as being intelligent and having muscle can have its downfalls. However, one of the main personality traits that can either help or hurt a person is a person’s pride. We see this in the Greek epic The Odyssey. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is well-known not only for his, muscle and physical attributes but also his intelligence, courage, and mental attributes and they are all equal when it becomes to the importance of Odysseus.
However, this was no ordinary island, as it was occupied by the Sirens which are creatures that have the ability to charm men with their signing voices. While passing the island, he has his men fill their ears with beeswax so they won’t be able to hear the voices of the Sirens. But what Odysseus does to himself at this time is what really shows how smart he is. He wants to hear the beautiful voices these creatures have but knows he wouldn't be able to resist them if he heard them. So, he has his crew tie him to the mast of the ship while they pass through the islands. What I got away from this was that the passage showed one of, if not the best, example of how Odysseus should be known for his smarts than his strength throughout the entirety of
...raits. By learning from his mistakes, Odysseus will be more knowledgeable of how a king would act. The development of leadership traits is the final point that makes “The Odyssey” an epic.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men had beached their boat on the Cyclops’ island. They