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Character essay on the odyssey
Character essay on the odyssey
Coming of age in the Odyssey
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The Iliad, the Odyssey, Beowulf, and Hamlet are classical stories that are still relatable and debatable to read and discuss. Though some of the stories are intertwined or continue off one another, the character and stories are distinctive. The stories contain different hero development and progression among them. All the stories contain an idea or concept of a hero that may not necessarily have to do with gaining power or control like modern superheroes. Power and control are referred to having to be the ruler and having the ability to do what you'd like. The modern heroes selflessness of a human on duty or even volunteering, and that person’s willingness to put their own lives on the line for the lives of absolute strangers, is specifically the quality that redefines the modern hero and separates them from heroes in the past. Being the hero of the story usually is referred to the archetype general perspective …show more content…
Odysseus is strong, loyal and brave. Odysseus is referred as being strong and hard working. He is the friend you'd want to call for help to finish all the tasks you need to finish. Odysseus is strong and hard-working, but above it, he is the hardest working for anyone else. Odysseus has never ordered his men to do something he won't or can't do. He manages to constantly challenge himself more than his men. Odysseus is a born leader based on all of his qualities. He isn't ruling his men around him because he wants power. Odysseus was born to become a great leader and have control and powered. He is not a lazy slacker who is bossing his servants around; instead, he is next to the building and cutting on whatever task needs to occur to complete his ship. Eurylochos could have complained about overworking and not having time to relax, but Eurylochos recognizes Odysseus work ethic and respects him for
One of Odysseus’ traits is bravery. One example of Odysseus’ bravery is when he injures a Cyclops that is 5 times his size, “I drew it from the coals and my four fellows/ gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops/ as more than natural force nerved them, straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it/ deep in his crater eye. 329-332” This quote shows how brave Odysseus and his men are to face the Cyclops. Odysseus was intelligent to think about this idea, but he was brave for actually following through and doing it. Odysseus was also brave for fighting Penelope’s suitors even when he was outnumbered, “Now shrugging off his rags the wiliest fighter of the islands/ leapt and stood on the broad doorsill, his own bow in his hand/ he poured out at his feet a rain of arrows from the quiver/ and spoke to the c...
Odysseus is a weak and inadequate leader because he fails to earn the respect of his men time in and time out. Odysseus’ men attempt to steal from him and unknowingly unleash the bag of winds that was given to Odysseus by Aiolos (166, 49-550). A great leader has the respect of his men. Odysseus’ men disrespect him in this excerpt by attempting to rob Odysseus. Therefore, Odysseus is not an adequate leader since his men disrespect him by stealing from him. Also, at a later page in the book, one of his men refuse to follow Odysseus into danger and tells Odysseus, “You cannot return, I know it” (173, 293). A skillful leader has the
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' kind and stalwart leadership is revealed by Eumaios, his faithful swineherd, and Philoitios, his loyal cowherd, who have both remained loyal to him for twenty years. Eumaios praises Odysseus as "a rare fine master." "Indeed I do not mourn so much for them as for him [Odysseus], though I long to see 'em again and my native land, but I do miss Odysseus since he went away. I don't like to speak his name, man, although he is absent, but I call him 'his honour,' even when he is far away." Odysseus is a befitting king because it is his ancestral right, for he is familiar with his male subjects and understands their desires.
Odysseus does many things to make himself a bad leader. He doesn’t tell his men many things, he isn’t respectful to the gods or his wife, and he is constantly putting his men in danger just so he can go home. Odysseus is a selfish leader and only thinks about himself. Although he may have good intentions for himself by going home to see his family and the rest of his kingdom, he is a bad leader.
In that regard, it was no wonder Odysseus’s is such an atrocious leader. A great example of Odysseus being disloyal is on Calypso’s Island. “…He lay with her each night, for she compelled him.” (892) This quote shows how Odysseus is disloyal to his grieving wife, and sleeps with a goddess daily. A leader cannot expect loyalty when the leader is notorious for being unloyal. “Now Circe, ‘loveliest of all immortals,’ persuades Odysseus to stay with her.” (903) This is another quote that shows Odysseus cheating on his wife, while his wife is at home is at home distraught over her missing husband. A great leader leads by example. By that philosophy, it should not be expected of Odysseus’s men to be loyal to him, when Odysseus cannot stay faithful to his own wife. Consequently, Odysseus is also extremely selfish, on top of being incredibly
...at he has to say. Honestly I think that Odysseus was is a great leader because, he tried his best to keep his crew safe, he never gave up on them; even if they were in a bad situation.
Reading through Beowulf I began to compare it to the last great epic I read, Homer’s Odyssey. While the Odyssey and Beowulf are each examples of both historic and modern ideas of heroism, the acts of Beowulf’s hero seem to fit better within its context.
The perfect image of a true hero is Beowulf. His courage and confidence seems to come naturally. He is the ideal man; he puts others before himself and has amazing physical and mental strength. He is so revered that he can boast about his achievements without seeming vain. “I had greater strength on the sea, more ordeals on the waves as any other man.” (Luizza 69)
... hubris multiple times in the book and his leadership skills are quite inadequate as he cannot control even a small group of men. Lastly, Odysseus is incapable to control his desire for revenge even when prompted by the suitors and killed those that have worked for him despite that they did. Overall, Odysseus is clearly not a leader due to his hubris, inability to lead, and inability to control his emotions.
A hero in literature, as defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica, is the main character of a literary work that is celebrated through ancient legends of a society. Most heroes, especially of ancient lore, have extreme and unlimited strength, skill in battle, and courage, while partaking in war or dangerous adventures regularly. They are always studied in literature, which makes them timeless, because they can help us learn different messages about our actions even in today’s world. In comparison it is concluded that even though Achilles and Sir Gawain were created at different time periods they still have similarities and both show us today how society was in the past. These heroes represent more than just a work of literature, but the value systems of entire societies, which is invaluable knowledge for
Societies construct heroes that represent and embody the ideals of those who create them and read about them. Their is a stark contrast between the hero in the time of Beowulf and Hamlet’s creation and heroes created in modern times. Current literature, movies, and television portray a different kind of hero from those created in 1000 AD to 1600 AD. A hero is defined as someone who is "admired for achievements and noble qualities"," shows great courage", and in historical texts such as Beowulf and Hamlet is a "legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability" or an "illustrious warrior" (Merriam-Webster). Despite the popular belief that the time for heroes has passed away, based on the needs of society, today's heroes still exist and have evolved into something new.
Odysseus is an important character to the Greek culture because some of his traits show that he valued many things the Greeks valued. He was a strong man and he showed it throughout the story by going through many different challenges and overcoming each one by, becoming less and less prideful as the story progresses. He was a strong leader and his men looked up to him because he always kept trying to get him and his men back home.
He was prideful, strong, exhibited eloquence, endurance, and shrewdness. He was also considered wise, resourceful, endurant, and courageous. However, he was also egocentric, self-centered, and prideful. As the Son of Laertes of Ithaca, and father to Telemachus, he was also a war hero and a king as well as a leader to his crew. As husband to Penelope not have seeing her for twenty years he dreamed of getting back to her. His strengths were that he was cunning and witful. However, he did have a bad weakness. His worst weakness was his curiosity. Curiosity itself is okay because everyone gets curious, but Odysseus had curiosity without boundaries. He let his curiosity get the best of him, for example when he and his crew encountered the Sirens. Odysseus also encountered many challenges. He escaped Calypso, he was let free by Hermes who convinced Calypso to let him go, faced Sirens, by keeping himself tied down beeswax over his crew’s ears so that they couldn’t hear the song and wouldn’t be lured by the sirens, defeated Scylla and Charybdis, though he did overcome this challenge his ship was destroyed and he remained living on a plank of wood remains from his ship, he also defeated a room full of suitors, because Athena, his mentor, gave him the strength to defeat them, but she also helped him along with others. Like in the Hero’s Journey Odysseus faced
Some say that the character Odysseus was the greatest hero of all time. This may be true, however, as any human would, Odysseus definitely possesses substantial flaws in his personality aswell. Although he is persistent and wise, rash actions may take place due to the altering of his behavior by his overconfidence and his prideful mindset. Odysseus also bears the ability to react swiftly and effectively in the face of danger, which he displays multiple times in the story. In effect, the traits of Odysseus define him as a hero, although, a controversial one at that.