Odysseus, The Maestro Man Throughout the epic poem of The Odyssey readers are exposed to the man that captures the interest of many, Odysseus. Odysseus is portrayed as a ‘godlike’ man as well being deemed a warrior of his own class, beyond all men in mind and in comparison, the Hugh Heffner of his time. He is everything men aspire to be in many ways as well as being profoundly in touch with his emotions when it comes to women. Odysseus shows this in many different ways from tears for his wife Penelope to the heartbreak for his long-dead mother, Antikleia. In a world ruled by kings and gods, there isn’t much room for emotions or showing weakness. At some point every human-being will show some moments of weakness in difficult times. Odysseus, a man that is held to such high regard seems to go against the norms of the time by …show more content…
Laertes is his father, and he makes his home in Ithaka. (Lattimore, book 9, line 502) Showing this weakness in judgement and letting his emotions get the better of him caused Odysseus much turmoil because Polyphemus acquires his name and curses him upon the name of his father, Poseidon whom in turn wreaks havoc on Odysseus and his crew several times afterwards. Fast forwarding in the epic to the time when Odysseus meets Circe on her island, he was given advice by the god Hermes to take a special potion called Moly to prevent Circe’s magic from affecting him. When she was unable to bewitch him under her magic, he jumped her and threatened to kill her with his blade. Circe instantly submits to Odysseus and offers him sex along with advice for his voyage. After spending a year on her island Odysseus and his crew leave but before doing so, Circe warns him about the dangers of the Sirens and their alluring songs, the dangers of Scylla and her 6 heads and Charybdis the giant
Odysseus is an epic hero but at the same time he is also human. For example, he is cunning and heroic but he gives into temptation and is overly curious which gets him into trouble. Odysseus remained emotionally to Penelope so he needs a partner that is also faithful. Odysseus gives into the temptation of revenge when he rids of the suitors that were in his home.
There are many occasions in the story when Odysseus let his pride overcome his judgment and his crew suffered a consequence. When Odysseus defeated Polyphemus, his pride got in the way and caused him and his crew a lot of trouble. Instead of listening to his crew, who advised him "Why bait that beast again? Let him alone!" (495), he stayed and waited until the Cyclops of the cave returned. When Polyphemus stumbled into earshot of Odysseus, Odysseus shows how haughty he was. He insulted Polyphemus and told him “Cyclops, if any mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, who took your eye.” (502-505) knowing that Polyphemus was the son of Poseidon, the sea God and that all of his travels were to be made on the sea. In return, Polyphemus curses Odysseus and makes his journey hard and treacherous. Odysseus let his pride cloud his judgment and this led to him acting like a madman and openly challenging a monster, which makes his travels home a great deal longer. Anyone in his right mind would know better than to insult a monster, especially the son of a God whose help you a...
Throughout the ten years of The Odyssey, Odysseus was determined to come home to his wife and son in Ithaca. During this journey he met two beautiful women, Calypso and Circe. Odysseus was forced to stay with Calypso, and was seduced by Circe. Both the nymph and sorceress were depicted as beautiful in Homer’s The Odyssey. However Odysseus chose to stay with his wife and take the difficult journey back to Ithaca. This illustrated his devotion for Penelope. Another primary evidence that supports how he loved his wife was that Calypso offered him immortality in exchange for his company. Odysseus chose to live a mortal life with a mere human over an eternal life with a beautiful nymph. Although Odysseus had an affair with Calypso, it can be understood that he was forced to do so, as the nymph would not allow his leave. Even during the seven years in Ogygia, Odysseus relentlessly searched for a way to escape in order to be reunited with his wife. Penelope also proved her faith to Odysseus, as she delayed her suitors advances back in Ithaca. The characteristic which makes Odysseus the most respectful and loving hero is his loyalty to his wife Penelope. His love for his human wife transcends the temptations of an alluring sorceress and a beautiful
A man's actions sepaks for his integryit, especially in the face of corruption. Odysseus' integrity is not questioned even when he slays the suitors. His moral principles are such that he sympathizes with Medon's pitiful situation and spares him saying, "Be of good cheer, for he has cleared and saved you; that in your heart you may perceive and may report ot others how much more safe is doing good than ill" (219). Although Odysseus' wrath against the suitors may be strong,his character plays the role of a peacemaker in his thoughtful actions. One can see that Odysseus' integrity guids his decision even in the presence of iniquity.
Of all the themes in the Odyssey, the one that seems to stand out is Odysseus's struggle to return home. There are many reasons why his journey is deterred, the most obvious being the women he encounters. Of the women, their are two that truly represent "the different aspects of creative and destructive feminiinty." (Taylor, 571)
Odysseus’ relations with Circe shows both Odysseus’ loyalty and infidelity. When Odysseus reaches the island of Circe, he tells his shipmates to scout the island and meet Circe. In return Circe turns Odysseus’ scouts into swine. To save them, Odysseus must go to Circe. There, he must threaten and seduce her in order for the pigs to be turned back into men. Odysseus, now being praised by Circe for his resistance to her spell, tells Circe; “If you, you really want me to eat and drink, / set them free, all my beloved comrades– / let me feast my eyes.” (10.425-27) This request of Odysseus shows his loyalty to his crew. Not only did Odysseus ask for his crew, but he asked for his crew before he, himself ate. This l...
This tale coincides with the times in Greece. This was a time that art and Philosophy were extremely important and respected by the people. Odysseus was a new type of hero that didn’t win by overpowering his opponents, but by using his mind to outwit them. Manners also seemed to play an important role to Odysseus, as he was learned to be polite and generous to strangers and in the end punished those who weren’t.
As Odysseus looks back on what happened, he verbalizes that he made a mistake and openly admits to why he made it, he made the mistake because he was distracted by his need to be praised.
In Homer’s epic poem titled The Odyssey Odysseus faces abuse from the suitors verbal and physical. He is able to have self control and not say anything about it due to Odysseus not wanting to reveal his identity yet. Throughout the book we see Odysseus didn’t always have self control like when he taunted Polyphemus “Cyclops if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so- say Odysseus” here Odysseus shows unbridledly by trying to show who was the brave soul the blinded him(9.558-560). Odysseus caused the death of some of his crew mates for not having self control and insisted taunting Polyphemus to the point where he prayed to his father Poseidon who then brought waves of destruction to which it killed some
In The Odyssey, Homer, or more so, the characters, often referred to Odysseus as the ‘Great Odysseus’. In the text, it is obvious to see that Odysseus demonstrates arrogance, charisma, over-confidence, and pride. Odysseus and his m...
The Odyssey is an epic poem that explores the journey of the hero Odysseus. The author of the Odyssey is Homer, who is famous for writing both The Odyssey and Iliad. The title of this poem basically means “The story of Odysseus” and is about his quest to return home ten years after the fall of Troy. There are many characters within the Odyssey, but the main ones you will hear about are Odysseus, his son Telemachus, his wife Penelope and Athena, the goddess of wisdom and daughter of Zeus. In Odysseus’s journey, we see that his hubris is the greatest obstacle for his ability to reason and make logical decisions. Odysseus encounters many obstacles on his way home. He makes many major mistakes that he does not learn from and we see how his big ego affects his future. The Odyssey explores Odysseus’s journey, the mistakes he makes along the way, and how his hubris makes the obstacles he encounters even more difficult to overcome.
The lovers of Odysseus in Richard Lattimore’s translation of The Odyssey unify together in their care for Odysseus, but differ in the manifestation and intensity of their feelings towards him. Circe, Kalypso, and Penelope each love him, but have differing motives and reasons for holding a relationship with the hero. Circe holds a position in which she loves him for his body in bed, Kalypso’s crazy infatuation for Odysseus blinds her morals, and Penelope has a wholehearted love and devotion for him and being his wife.
Some of Odysseus’ most recognizable traits are his bravery and leadership. One thing that shows his bravery was his escape from Polyphemus. He was courageous to stab out Polyphemus’s eyes using a burning pole. Odysseus states: "I took my twelve best fighters and went ahead." This example involving the Cyclops shows that one of Odysseus’ great traits is his leadership. He is not the type of leader that sits on safe land while he sends his men in to fight, but a leader who engages in battle with his men. There are also times when many men are afraid, but Odysseus shows he's in not letting anything get in his way and speaks up when nobody will: "We all felt pressure in our hearts, but I spoke up in reply." He was fearless enough to take risks. Odysseus said: "Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, then when we faced Cyclops?" This quote shows that in time of danger, Odysseus is willing to put his life in jeopardy and not give up. Odysseus had the heart of a fighter, he would battle whenever necessary, no matter who his opponent was, in this case the Cyclops. Most epic heroes are aided and guarded by gods wh...
Odysseus who is cunning and egoistical goes on trials that negatively affect the beginning of his journey. While intoxicating Polyphemus, Odysseus tells him “my name is nobody” (Homer). The fact that Odysseus uses an alias proves he is clever because it makes the cyclops look foolish when he calls to the neighboring giants for help. Through his decision and use of an alias, we can infer Odysseus “learns to be more crafty” (Heatherington). Additionally, when he was deserting the cyclops’ island, Odysseus stops and “yell[s] out and mock[s] them” (Homer). Based on his actions we must conclude he is injudicious because he provokes the giants and brings Poseidon’s anger upon himself and his crew. Also, in
Despite Odysseus’ noble stature, he is just as human and vulnerable as anyone else. The weaknesses he exhibits give some insight into