The Virtue Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

In The Odyssey, Homer tells the epic poem of Odysseus’ great journey. After being victorious in the Trojan War, the Greek hero ventures home from Troy to Ithaca. Many events take place that derails his journey home, causing his trip to extend by twenty years. During that span of time, Odysseus faces numerous challenges that make him value important virtues more. Homer compares Odysseus’ journey home to the metaphorical journey through life.

Throughout the journey, Odysseus endeavors to achieve a patient mindset, allowing him to overcome the impulsivity to act. While heading home, Odysseus and his men settle on Sicily, land of the Cyclops. After coming across a deserted Cyclops’s cave, they lounge around while Polyphemus, a cyclops, enters

and closes off the entrance behind him.

Out of anger, Odysseus thinks of killing Polyphemus, “...when sudden fear stayed me: if I killed him we perished there as well...” (154) Odysseus realizes that if Polyphemus dies, then escaping becomes impossible since only Polyphemus’s strength can open the entrance. Odysseus thinking about the consequences before he acts on something shows how important practicing patience is in order to avoid making mistakes we regret and cannot fix. An example includes holding back arguments, instead of verbally fighting because it leads to ruined relationshipa. Being patient also appears when Odysseus and Telemachus plan to kill all the suitors because the suitors try to marry Penelope. “I fear we pay in salt blood for your vengeance. You must think hard if you would conjure up the fighting strength to take us through.“ (297) Odysseus holds his anger against the suitors to prevent anger from taking over him. If it does, devising a good plan becomes difficult because getting clouded with

emotions makes you unable to think straight. Being patient also allows Odysseus to see those unloyal and how to later deal with them. An example in real life occurs when a predator has to wait for the right time to attack its prey. If the predator attacks at the wrong time, then they would not succeed and have to wait a while and try again. Odysseus’s journey becomes a test of patience as he tries to control his anger and think through his decisions.
Odysseus forgets his fears and becomes braver by thinking of the important people, priorities, and benefits in his life. While Odysseus sails on a raft after departing from Kalypso’s island, Poseidon notices Odysseus roaming on the seas. Displeased, Poseidon sends a storm to his raft and nearly drowns him. Odysseus starts to despair since he wants to die an honored death at Troy, rather than alone and stranded out on the sea. “‘Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me? I fear the goddess told it all too well-predicting great adversity at sea and far from home…’”(89) Odysseus becomes fearful knowing that more challenges and foes await as Kalypso predicts. This relates to how some of us feels when we find out about events that worries us and fear getting into, such as taking an AP exam or tests that causes us to stress out and think of the worst case scenarios. Circe prophesizes that Odysseus needs to visit the Underworld before returning home. There, feelings of stress overwhelm and pressure him to answer the questions that the dead spirits asks of him. “...first came shades in thousands...a pandemonium of whispers...I whirled then, made for the ship...”(127). Odysseus collects himself and stays strong-minded enough to order his men to get onboard the ship to leave. Odysseus cares about his men and wants to set an example as a good leader, knowing that a good leader possesses traits such as bravery. That allows him to not let fear overcome him, and by displaying his bravery, he hopes that his men also find a way to be courageous on their own. Odysseus cannot go home without visiting the Underworld, which overwhelms him. In comparison to real life, we attend school and getting a good grade nowadays overwhelms many students. Fear easily gets in the way of our priorities, but by motivating ourselves to succeed, we overcome that fear by focusing on the rewards in the end.
Odysseus’ pride unintentionally endangers his own life and his men’s because he does not think about the consequences of his arrogance..

Arrogance occurs when Odysseus and his crew successfully escapes Polyphemus’ cave. When they sail away, Odysseus says, “...if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye…” (160) Odysseus conceals his identity to survive by naming himself “Nohbdy”, but ends up shouting his name to Polyphemus after successfully escaping. Odysseus fails to learn that this causes more problems for himself as Poseidon hears Polyphemus’s pray, causing Poseidon to make Odysseus’ journey home more difficult. Sometimes, we lie about our private information to get out of difficult situations. Circe advises Odysseus to plug his and his men's’ ears with beeswax to avoid getting lured by the sirens, but Odysseus ignores this advice. Instead, his men tie him to the mast to listen to the song. Captivated Odysseus begs to be released, but his men remain faithful to him, therefore preventing his death. “Therefore you are to tie me up, tight as a splint, erect along the mast, lashed to the mast, and if I shout and beg to be untied, take more turns of the rope to muffle me.” (214) Odysseus knows that not trusting the gods puts him and his crew’s lives at risk, but still decides to go with his own intuition. This shows that Odysseus prefers to keep his reputation that he, as a mortal, can do takes a

challenge that no person thinks of doing. This applies to how some people go extreme lengths to keep up the image that others already have of them. Odysseus’ arrogance nearly costs him his life, but he ignores the dangers to continue to prove his power and wit to the world.
Odysseus faces many challenges that we can learn from. Some examples from the story include Polyphemus, the sirens, and the suitors. We can relate to Odysseus’ challenges and struggles and our struggles through life. As he learns something new in the story, so do the readers. After each challenge we face, we learn a lesson in order to know more about life, building us into stronger people.