Odysseus was normally viewed as a strong, heroic figure, but those who knew him knew that there was more to him then just a hero. They knew that he could be very curious at times and almost willing to sacrifice anything to find out what he wanted to know. Along his twenty year journey away from home he encountered many different gods and monsters that faced him with trials and tribulations. Through these trials Odysseus’ strengths and weaknesses were exposed in several different ways.
One of the first monsters that Odysseus and his men encountered were the cyclops. When they got to the island of the cyclops Odysseus was very curious about the caves that he saw and wanted to get a closer look. So him and a few of his men run off from
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Odysseus had been warned before about Circe but choose not to tell his men about the drawbacks that she could face them with. When they get to the door of her “house” there is one crew member who doesn't want to go in, and name can be called by is “E”. When Odysseus found out that he didn't want to go in he nearly chopped his head off and killed him on the spot because he would not listen to Odysseus’ command. Later Odysseus and his crew, except for “E” when into Circe’s “house”. She feed them wine and rich foods every day that they were there. Odysseus’ men didn’t want to leave because all the good food keep them always coming back for more, but Odysseus didn't want to leave for another reason, Circe. After a whole year had passed Odysseus’ men came to him pleading to leave and return home. Odysseus came to his senses, finished things with Circe and they started their voyage home. What Circe revealed in Odysseus was a weakness that he has with women who aren't his wife, she proved that when things involve women especially women that he isn't married, he lets temptation get the best of him. After all the main reason he didn't want to leave was because he was attracted to
The description of a hero can be different among many people. Some may say a hero has to be courageous, smart, and strong, but they don’t talk about the flaws a hero may possess. Odysseus portrays very obvious flaws in the epic The Odyssey. When I look more into Odysseus’ flaws as a character, I do not see Odysseus as admirable. When reading The Odyssey, the many obstacles that Odysseus faces and defeats shows him to be courageous and clever.
After Circe turned Odysseus’ men into pigs, they stayed on the island of Aeaea for the year to come. They indulged in all the luxuries she offered after they were returned to their original state. However, after a year’s stay, Odysseus, the son of Laertes, was informed that he had to go to the underworld to complete his mission, but to reach this destination, Odysseus was to set out on a arduous journey, a mission to make it to the River Styx, the entrance to the underworld, but simply getting to this river was an adventure in itself. “When young Dawn rose her fingers and caressed the soft morning sky, we sailed on and parted our ways with Circe, the Lustrous and Mystical One. I had sought to be amongst my faithful Penelope after all this
Circe is part of this journey home because if Odysseus doesn’t blind Poseidon's son then Odysseus makes it home faster and doesn’t encounter Circe. The gods wanted Odysseus to find Circe to teach him about certain things to help him get home. Circe warns Odysseus
Odysseus didn't have to sleep with Circe, he chose to. He also chose to stay with her for a year, proving that he was tempted to do these things he didn't see no harm, all he saw was a beautiful woman who was offering him pleasure and food. The temptation was also a problem for Odysseus when he heard the sirens. They were beautiful women who seduced men after being at sea for a long time. For instance, it says “But if you wish to listen, let the men tie you in the lugger, hand, and foot, back to the mast, lashed to the mast, so you may hear those harpies’ thrilling voices” (211); Odysseus knew his temptation of hearing the Sirens was going to make him want to stay.
Book 8-12 1. For Circe, I love that Odysseus claims he wants to go home, but he stays with her for a year! How badly does he want to get home? And do you think Circe is dangerous? What do you think this episode says about relations between men and women?
(Homer X, 287-290). Odysseus being the intrepid person he is, shows determination to get his men back from the wicked witch. He is showing that he is a benign leader who cares for the health of his men, but at the same time he shows no sign of fear of Circe and is confident he can get twenty two men back. Eurylochus beseech and admonishes Odysseus to flee and leave his men with Circe, but Odysseus refused to leave without his other men. While on his way to
It was during the night when Odysseus and his men decided to be brave and put a stick in the Cyclops’ eye. Odysseus showed bravery by being able to put the stick in his eye and tried to not get killed. When the Cyclops decided to go outside, he opened the door to the cave, and Odysseus and his men decided to run away when they got the chance. They got their chance and ran off to the boat and escaped. This could not have happened without the courage of Odysseus.
Summary: Cyclops In the story, Odysseus is still speaking to the Phaeacians, but is now telling them of his encounter with Polyphemus, the cyclops. Strong winds blew Odysseus and his men to Polyphemus’ island, where they unloaded and entered a cave that Polyphemus happened to live in. When he entered the cave, he closed the entrance with a large boulder that only he could move, trapping himself, his sheep, and Odysseus inside. After he ate some of Odysseus’ men, Odysseus devised a plan to get the cyclops to move the boulder so that the men could escape.
He has to overcome his foes and his environment. In the cavern with the cyclops, Odysseus must fight to survive. He and his men have to use wit and strategy to escape the cave. After the first attack on his men Odysseus knew he would need to develop a plan to survive. Odysseus and his men are put in danger as they encounter their foe:“Neither reply nor pity came from him, but in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out, spattering the floor” (Homer 903).
Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus was keen on gaining public approval and the glory and martial prowess that came with it. By exceeding expectations, through numerous heroic victories, including his remarkable escape from the multi-headed monster, Scylla, and Charybdis’ whirlpool, he exudes courage and righteousness. All of this determination to be righteous and victorious at all cost made him reckless at times too, as he ignored Eurylochus’ warning
Odyssey Final Essay My final will be about Odysseus and about his strengths and weaknesses Which helped him and Hindered him throughout the book. His strengths helped him to keep on moving while his weaknesses held him back. For example some of his strengths was that he had courage, intelligence, ambition and nobility.
The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.
The Great Wanderings: Scylla and Charybdis In book twelve, after Odysseus is back from the Underworld, Circe provides him with specific instructions on how to make it back home safely. Within her instructions she presents two route options for him. In this journey, Odysseus must decide what passage is right for him and his crew to follow, though their is some consequences behind both routes. He has the choice to either sacrifice six of his men or risk losing his entire ship.
Because Odysseus does not show off, Odysseus makes clever decisions which lead to his escape. For example, Odysseus retells his story to Alcinous, “And with that threat he let my ram go free outside. / But soon as we’d got one foot past cave and courtyard, / first I loosed myself from the ram, then loosed my men,” (9.515-517). Due to Odysseus defeating his pride, he utilizes his time well instead of bragging; thus, surviving the cave of the Cyclops. Through defeating pride while defeating his challenges in the adventure, Odysseus escapes the Cyclops and keeps on traveling
Odysseus was a man of great stature and strength; however, Odysseus was not only physically strong, but mentally strong as well (Olson). We can see Odysseus’ mental strength, or cunning, and bravery when he is in the den of Polyphemus and devises the plan to save him and his crew by calling himself nobody and stabbing out the cyclops’ eye. He also recognizes that he