The Importance Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

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

"And no one there could hope to rival Odysseus, not for Sheer cunning, at every twist of strategy he excelled us all” (Homer 131). The most conspicuous case of his cunning skills is his Confrontation with Polyphemus. When he is trapped with his men in the cave, he is able to escape through The use of his strategic intelligence. First, Odysseus gets Polyphemus drunk and then blinds him. He also makes him open the mouth of the cave to escape. Odysseus’ carefully devised plan basically makes Polyphemus unblock his own cave. The UXL Encyclopedia of World Mythology (2009) says “A key theme in the tale of Odysseus is cleverness. Although he is shown to be strong, Odysseus very often escapes trouble”. Odysseus Shows his intuitive nature when he makes his crewmen put wax in their ears. This helped them avoid the tempting song of the sirens. Without this plan he would have lost his men because they would have been drowned in the ocean. Although he needed to be tied down to avoid the temptation he saved the lives of himself and his sailors. This vital skill aided him on his journey and guaranteed his