Theme Of Humility In The Odyssey

Although their confidence granted them both great success, Odysseus and Oedipus suffer as a result of their inability to display humility. Prior to Odysseus’s journey home in Homer’s Odyssey, he demonstrates great cunning and strength in the Trojan War. Though his these characteristics were key to his prosperity, he struggles to learn humility and self-control while transitioning to post-war life. In Sophocles’s Oedipus, Oedipus possesses characteristics similar to Odysseus. His intelligence and bravery in defeating the sphinx is rewarded with the title of King of Thebes as well as Jocasta’s hand in marriage; however, his pride and his belief that he can outsmart fate, blind him to dangerous truth of his life. Forced to endure incredible tribulations,

both men undergo drastic transformations. In the play Odyssey, as well as Oedipus, the two heros undergo drastic transformations from hubris to humble, emphasizing that pride is detrimental and the only way to achieve true prosperity is through self-reform.
Both Odysseus and Oedipus experience moments of hubris that initiate their downfalls. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus disregards advice from other characters and fails to think of the consequences of his actions. The most prominent example of his rash behavior is when he decides to further explore the land of the Cyclops, despite his men’s insistence on leaving. Odysseus demands they approach the Cyclops to “see if he [will] give [him] a gift of hospitality” (131). Merely instants after entering the cyclops’s cave, Odysseus regrets his decision. He loses several men in the cave, however, his biggest error occurs when he reveals his identity to the
cyclopes upon their escape. As his ships are disembarking from the island, Odysseus is overcome with pride and tells the Cyclops that if anyone asks him “how [he] got [his] eye put out, tell him that Odysseus the marauder did it” (139). Odysseus’s identity reveal nearly costs him and his crew their escape, the Cyclops so humiliated he nearly sinks their ships. Because the Cyclopes was the son of Poseidon, Poseidon torments Odysseus at sea for many years following for the pain he has caused his son. Odysseus’s act of hubris therefore proves to be incredibly detrimental. This moment in Odysseus’s life initiates his transformation from arrogant to humble. He realizes that the characteristics that made him prosperous in war are not valuable in finding peace and returning home. After nearly destroying his opportunity to return to Ithaca, he realizes his transformation is critical.
Cocky and impulsive, Oedipus is characterized similarly to Odysseus in the beginning of the Oedipus plays. Though he is a just king, he is filled with arrogance, his intentions mainly self-righteous. In the beginning of the play, he introduces himself as “famous Oedipus,” a foreshadowing of his sanctimonious personality. Upon hearing that the cause of the plague ravaging Thebes is because of an unidentified murderer, Oedipus confidently states that the people should “let [him] provide the answer” (71). He continues that “if [they] listen to [him] and do as the disease demands, [Thebes] will rise again and find relief from this curse” (71). He proves quick to anger when Tiresias refuses to reveal the identity of the murderer and also moments later when Tiresias reveals Oedipus himself as the offender. Oedipus ironically condemns himself when he forces Tiresias to reveal the identity of the murderer, despite Tiresias’s insistence to remain silent. Oedipus’s impatience and arrogance, a well as his inability
to think before acting,. His realization is not obvious like Odysseus’s, however. Rather than recognize seek to console himself, he immediately descends into a state of self-loathing, quite the
contrast to his initial personality. The fall from arrogance, demonstrated by both Odysseus and Oedipus, initiates their transformation.
The second moment of Odysseus’s transformation occurs when he descends into the underworld, realizing that his involvement in the war has not been all glorious.

He encounters the ghost of his mother, who informs him she passed away from the grief of his absence. Though his father remains alive, he “lies in his sorrow, nursing his grief, longing for [Odysseus’s] return” (163). Following this encounter with his mother, Odysseus is overcome with sadness. When he fails to hug her spirit, “the pain that pierced [his] heart [grows] ever sharper” (164). This death of his mother, as well as the despair of his father, removes the splendor of the Trojan War. Until this encounter, Odysseus has only witnessed the fame and fortune of the war; however, his mother reveals to him that his absence has been a great burden on those he left behind. Odysseus understands that the characteristics that he lived by for the past years, his strength and hubris, have caused more distress than prosperity. This moment characterizes

Odysseus

Odysseus’s transformation finally reaches a conclusion when he returns to Ithaca.

Disguised as a beggar, he is forced to grovel for food and shelter. Homer’s decision to disguise Odysseus as a beggar is a physical representation of his inner transformation. Once a highly regarded man who was a great ruler of Ithaca and prospered in the Trojan War, he now resembles

someone from the lowest ranks of society. Odysseus begs for food from the suitors who have invaded his estate, the ultimate surrendering of his pride. Although Antinous throws a footstool at him and refers to him as a “pushy pandhandler”, Odysseus “[stands] there as solid as a rock

and [doesn’t] even blink” (270). This confrontation is a true test of Odysseus’s transformation. Though he used to raid villages, murdering men and enslaving women, he displays immense self control despite the insult to his entire

being.
Similar to Odysseus’s transformation, Oedipus demonstrates characteristics by the end of the play that contrast those he demonstrated in the beginning. As ruler of Thebes, his decisions were largely made to bolster his fame. However, subsequent to enduring great tragedy and betrayal, he humbles himself, making decisions that concern the well-being of others as well. He expresses deep love and gratitude for his daughters, his “comfort in destitution” (180). The final moment in his life when the process of change from hubris to humble occurs when he encounters Theseus. Grateful for Theseus’s kindness, Oedipus promises Theseus that he “will inherit a mysterious power far stronger than any kind of military might” (197). By the end of the play, Oedipus also learns to acknowledge fate. He accepts his inevitable death, welcoming it with open hands.
Conclusion: Odysseus and Oedipus’s transformations follow similar patterns. Only through a dramatic downfall could they realize that their hubris was detrimental. This final moment in his transformation is crucial in emphasizing why Odysseus’s personality changes. Although allowing himself to be offended by the suitors is undoubtedly distressing, it enables him to regain his position as