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Character analysis of Odyssey
Odysseus character traits from the odyssey
Odysseus character traits from the odyssey
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In the Odyssey, Odysseus when through a lot of overwhelmingly hard challenges that impacted the length of his journey such as, the cyclops, the sirens, and the Cattle of the Sun God.
In the chapter of the cyclops Odysseus and his man had just left Kalypso's island behind. With little to none provisions left, Odysseus decided to stop at the first island their eyes could spot. And to Odysseus’s bad luck the island they decided to stop at was not a very good one. This island was infested with Cyclops, but Odysseus decided to ignore the danger, by staying anyway. Even though Cyclops were known to be barbaric, Odysseus still believe they would showed him hospitality. But little did he know they would ended up messing up his entire journey back home. In this chapter Odysseus was very careless. In the end he did managed to escape from polyphemus’ cave but do to his curiosity and
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lack of thinking several men were still eaten. To overcome the challenge Odysseus used ingenuity and problem solving skills. Tying his man underneath the sheep and blinding the cyclops were marvelous ideas, but he stilled was pretty careless in the chapter. Of course after hearing his son Polyphemus was blinded Poseidon got angry and swore to bis son that from then on he would make it extremely hard for Odysseus to achieve his goal in returning home. As I mentioned before Odysseus made tons of mistakes in this chapter. One of his major ones was telling his real name to the Cyclops as he left the island which wouldn’t have cost him incredible lost in the future. And of course staying at cyclops's cave instead of leaving when he had the chance. Moving on to the Sirens. Odysseus was returning from Circe’s island when he encountered the sirens. Which at that time were big on luring sailors to their deaths. But this time Odysseus decided he didn't want to be part of that mess, so he displayed his intelligence by putting beeswax on his men's ears. But as the curious and selfish man he was, and started to imagine about how great it would be to brag about how he was the would be the first man to actually listen to the powerful sirens’ song and survive its temptation. So he ordered his crew to tie him to the pole of his ship and sail on. The gods helped Odysseus with his trial by warning him about the danger of the Siren’s song and how tempting it would be for him to fall under their enchantment. In my opinion Odysseus didn’t make major mistakes on this chapter. The only one mistake that I didn’t understand was his want to hear the song. In other words his urge to risk his life and not put beeswax on his ears for a simple curiosity. And last we have the Cattle of the sun God. In the chapter of the Cattle of the Sun God Odysseus’s men were about to die of starvation.
They hadn’t had the opportunity to stop for provisions, and were surviving purely out of bread and wine, many men were about done with the trip since they could stand the poor food that was given to them. But when they finally had time to stop instead of being joyful it was torture. Countless cattle were seen beyond the island, but no man had the privilege to kill any of them. Odysseus trusting his men decided to isolate himself on a cave and prayed to the gods for salvation. Eventually the gods helped him out by putting him in a deep sleep. In this chapter Odysseus showed faith and loyalty to the gods. By conquering his temptation and choosing to lean on them for protection. The biggest obstacle of course was his starvation and the temptation they were put into. But even though odysseus followed the rules of Helios his men didn’t. They decided to give into their hunger and ended up killing the cattle. As a punishment for it zeus struck their boat with a lighting bolt killing the rest of Odysseus’
men.
Although some could possibly call Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey, a great leader, the fact that he fails to earn his men’s respect, endangers his men’s lives repeatedly and allows them to die due to his own selfishness states otherwise.
Odysseus had many horrible experiences throughout his trip but one of the worst is the encounter with the Land of the Lotus Eaters. After him and his men ate the lotus flowers they forgot their mission to get home which made their trip even longer and he lost some of his men. After the Lotus Eaters they encountered the island of the Cyclopes and he lost even more men there fighting off the horrible creature. Once they started sailing the seas for longer periods of time things became worse for Odysseus and his men. He had to fight the urge to eat Helios’s cattle even though all he had was bread and rice. He had to be tied to the post on the boat to fight the urge to fall into Sirens trap, but not all his men were as strong as he was. He had
One of Odysseus's many qualities is determination. He remains determined throughout the entire saga to get back to his family. During Odysseus's Odyssey he encounters many obstacles, beast, god, and nature. Odysseus must get through all of these hardships before he can make it back to his family and home. On his way back Odysseus is next to Charybdis and she swallows his boat. He must holds on to the branches of a fig tree to survive, "But I clung grimly, thinking my mast and keel would come back to the surface when she spouted. And ah! How long, with what desiree, I waited! Till, at the twilight hour...the long poles at last reared from the sea"(12.560-64). Odysseus shows his determination to get home, because it would be easy for him to just let go and drown, but no Odysseus hangs on so he can see his wife again. Once he is at home he finds suitors at his house. Odysseus kills one of them and the others beg for mercy, ??Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold put up by others, would I hold my hand??(22.65-67). Odysseus is determined to get revenge on all of the suitors and he will not be satisfied until they are all dead. Without his strong will and determination Odysseus would not have made it through his trials. Although determination is a must for a journey such as Odysseus?s cunning is also just as essential.
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.
After the incident with the bag of winds it is reasonable for Odysseus to have trust issues, but when it is a matter of life and death, Odysseus is witless. After being punished by Zeus because some of his crew ate Helios’ cattle Odysseus drifts in the ocean until he lands on Calypso’s island. 7 years pass and Odysseus can finally leave after he crafts a ship, after he leaves and sails for a bit, Poseidon sees it as a time to get revenge for his son Polyphemus. Poseidon completely wrecks Odysseus’ ship when he is close to the land of the Phaeacians. A goddess named Ino sees this and offers Odysseus help.
Odysseus didn’t really value his crew members very much. He used them to scout places out and didn’t really care if they died. Odysseus was greedy to receive a guest gift from the cyclops, Polyphemus, the son of the god, Poseidon, even after they had taken some of the Polyphemus's goods. When Odysseus is telling the Phaeacians of his journey he tells them, “From the start my comrades pressed me, pleading hard, ‘Let’s make away with the cheeses, then come back—”(Homer 9.252-253). If Odysseus would have done what his crew members told him to do then none of the crew members would have died. Odysseus didn’t care that they were invaded the house of a Polyphemus, all he cared about was receiving housewarming gifts from him. He put his greed before the safety of his crewmembers which is a careless act.
Odysseus finds himself in many strange and difficult situations. One of the strange and difficult situations Odysseus finds himself at is the land of the Cyclops. Odysseus had taken twelve of his men to explore the island. They found a cave and decide to stay there until the Cyclops who lived there returned. The Cyclops returned and "Picked up a huge great stone and placed it in the doorway," so the men couldn?t escape (104). "The cruel monster? reached out toward my men, grabbed two like a pair of puppies and dashed them on the ground?. Then h...
Then the hero arrives at the home of Polyphemos. Polyphemos is a huge cyclops and also a cannibal. Odysseus and twelve of his men are trapped inside Polyphemos’ cave and can’t get out. Polyphemos comes back and eats some of the hero’s men. The next night Odysseus gets the cyclops drunk on wine, and when it falls asleep, Odysseus and his remaining men blind it with a large pole. He and his men barely escape with their lives and continue on the voyage.
“Our life’s journey of self-discovery is not a straight-line rise from one level of consciousness to another. Instead, it is a series of steep climbs, and flat plateaus, then further climbs. Even though we all approach the journey from different directions, certain of the journey’s characteristics are common for all of us.” Author Stuart Wilde’s impression of journeys and their shared commonalities supports the claim that all journeys have a motive and an outcome. In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus sets off to defeat Troy, leaving his wife and child behind. After accomplishing his goal, Odysseus faces many problems while trying to return him and his crew back home to Ithaca. Similar to Odysseus’s physical journey, the goal in
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.
One of the first monsters Odysseus and his men encounters is a Cyclops. They stopped on the island of Cyclops they were scavenging for food for their journey. While on the island Odysseus got curious about the caves and wanted to get a closer look. So Odysseus and a few of his men ran away from the boat to explore the caves. In the caves they came across a Cyclops named Polyphemus; son of Poseidon who trapped them in the cave. The Cyclops got hungry and ate a few men. Odysseus then comes up with a plan to blind Polyphemus with an
No man ever survived to tell the tale of his adventure through the monster plagued Mediterranean Sea, the exception to this was Odysseus. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus a Trojan War hero is sent on a perilous journey throughout ancient Greece. Odysseus is the king of the kingdom of Ithaca who had to embark on a 20 year ocean voyage back to his home. “He seems very powerfully built; his thighs, calves, hands, and neck are of prodigious strength....” (Homer 98). Odysseus’ journey starts on an island that he has been trapped by Calypso for 10 years after the war. He is finally released when the goddess that adores him, Athena, sparks interest in his son Telemachus. “Calypso is unhappy, but obeys the order” (Weigel 1-4). Upon order of the Gods Calypso helps Odysseus build a boat to leave
In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus fails as a leader by prioritizing his reputation over his crew’s safety after defeating the cyclops Polyphemus. In the story, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, travels to Troy to fight against the Trojans. On his journey back to Ithaca, a string of damaging incidents lead him to a mysterious island, which he later discovers is inhabited by the murderous cyclops Polyphemus. His crew manages to escape the cyclops, but not before Polyphemus kills several of Odysseus’s crew. Odysseus escapes and could have sailed away peacefully, but he calls out to Polyphemus to suggest that “if anyone, any mortal man, asks you how you got your eye put out, tell him that Odysseus the marauder did it,” (IX, 500-502). This prompts Polyphemus to lob a rock, nearly destroying Odysseus's ship. It is odd that this was
First, Odysseus wanted to return to his home in Ithaca to his loved ones. On the way home Odysseus and men landed on the land of the cyclops. Polyphemus, the cyclops on the island refused to let Odysseus and his men leave once they arrived in his cave.
Odysseus and his men came upon an island, where they chose to find shelter from the impending storm. In the cave, Odysseus’ men knew there was a barbaric creature lurking within the vicinities of the cave. Frightened, his men insisted on leaving; yet Odysseus, full of impudence, decided to tease the Cyclops for the sake of pride. “...makes him insist on waiting for the barbaric giant” (prologue for The Cyclops). If it were not for Odysseus’ impudence, the men would have convinced Odysseus to leave the cave and all would have been well. Instead, Odysseus was forced to pay the price of the lives of over half his men. Odysseus wished to be clever instead of witful. Not only did he lose his men, but Odysseus also angered Poseidon, father of Polyphemus, the cyclops. While journeying home, Poseidon caused a storm that ravished across the earth, made for none of Odysseus’ men to survive. Not only did Odysseus anger Polyphemus, but the goddess Circe as well. “...persuades Odysseus to stay with her”(epilogue of The Enchantress Circe). Although Odysseus could have freed his men easily from the powers of Circe, his impudence and cause to be right forced him and his men to be trapped in the home of Circe. Odysseus is forced to pay the consequence of venturing to the land of the dead. Had he simply slain Circe, they would have encountered no problems; Odysseus especially.