The Prideful In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

Although Odysseus shows he is prideful in Homer’s Odyssey, he also demonstrates rhetorical skills, wisdom, and compassion, which makes him an effective leader.
Throughout the epic poetry in Odyssey, Odysseus shows he has rhetorical skills; This means he is able to use his skills of persuasion to get out of tough situations. An example of this is when Odysseus is talking to Penelope and he gets her to believe it is him and not a random stranger. Penelope tells Odysseus she had people move their bed, but Odysseus knows this could not be true, so he talks about things only he and Penelope would know. Also, in the epic poem Odyssey, Odysseus is able to use his skills to convince Circe to turn his men, pigs at the time, back into men. While standing before a banquet, Odysseus requests that before they eat, Circe must “put/ heart in [him] to eat and drink” (10. 92) by freeing his crew, for “[he] must see them.” (10. 93). While Odysseus finishes talking, Circe is rushing to return his crew back to men. Who does not want a leader that can persuade effectively in order to save lives?
As well as having rhetorical skills, Odysseus is also demonstrates wisdom. While up in the

cave of Polyphemus, Odysseus and his crew become trapped inside the cave with no way out. Odysseus is the one who comes up with the idea to hide under the rams to escape. If he had not been there to come up with the idea to hide under the rams, then the crew would not have been able to escape back to the boat. Another example of how Odysseus is wise is when he put wax in his crew’s ears. In the story, Odysseus cuts up a “massive cake” (12. 112) of beeswax, then takes the wax and “[lays] it thick” (12. 116-117) in the ears of his crew. Odysseus puts the wax in his men’s ears because he wants to keep them safe as they pass by the sirens; anyone
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who hears the siren’s song dies. That shows he is a good leader because he is protecting his men.
Along with being wise, Odysseus is prideful at times, which causes him to be not an effective leader.

When Odysseus ignores Eurylochus’s warning about Circe, he is being prideful. He knows the men have been turned into pigs, so he wants to be the one to save them from Circe. This is an example of bad leadership because when Odysseus went to the men, he could have died or gotten them all killed. Another example of how Odysseus’s pride does not make him an effective leader is when he yells, “Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye”(9. 418). When Odysseus yells this he is giving up his name, which is then used to put a curse on him and his crew; the curse does not allow anyone on the boat to live other than Odysseus. So over the length of a few years, all of Odysseus’s crew dies on their journey

home.
However, Odysseus is not always prideful, he is also compassionate. In Odyssey, Odysseus tells his son to return home because he knows that there are more than 100 suitors waiting. Odysseus told his son to leave because he knew they were going to be in danger, Odysseus wanted to keep his son safe so he sent him home. This shows he is a good leader because he is protecting the people he cares about. Another example of how Odysseus is compassionate is when he protects Telemachus from the suitors in the great hall. While talking to Telemachus, Odysseus says “Run then, while I hold them off with arrows as long as the/ arrows last. When all are gone if I’m alone they can dislodge me”(22. 339-341). Odysseus was willing to risk his life for his son to keep him safe. This example of compassion shows Odysseus is a good leader because he is more worried about his son than he is himself; he cares so much about his son he is willing to die for him.
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In conclusion, Odysseus is an effective leader. Even though he has a couple negative character traits, he has many positive traits. In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus is rhetorical, clever and compassionate.