In the epic, The Odyssey, written by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, spends 10 brutal years trying to find a way back home to Ithica after the Trojan War. Throughout his journey he is met with multiple obstacles including losing every one of his crew members. Although he faces physical monsters, I believe that his biggest enemy is his pride. Many believe that Odysseus’ best quality is how honorable he is, but I believe his honor is often mistaken for his hubris. This is very evident in book 9 when Odysseus and his crew are on the island of Cyclops. Also, in book 10 when he refuses to tell his men what is in a bag he receives from Aeolus, the god of wind and when he stays on Circe’s Island for years. In the beginning of book 9, Odysseus …show more content…
Instead of simply fleeing the island and thanking the gods for their escape, Odysseus insists on provoking the giant, even though he knows that this will put his crew in danger. As a result, Polyphemus calls upon his father, Poseidon, to curse Odysseus and his men, leading to many more trials and tribulations for the hero and his crew. Another example of Odysseus's prideful behavior can be seen in his encounter with Circe. After successfully freeing his men from her enchantments, Odysseus becomes enamored with her and stays on her island for a year. While this may seem like a harmless indulgence, it is important to remember that Odysseus has a wife and son waiting for him at home. Furthermore, he does not seem to consider the potential consequences of his actions, such as the possibility that Circe could turn on him or that his crew might become restless and mutinous. Finally, Odysseus's pride is perhaps best exemplified in his encounter with the Sirens. Despite being warned of the danger of their song, Odysseus insists on hearing it for himself. He orders his crew to tie him to the mast of the ship so that he can listen without being lured to his death. While this may seem like a clever solution to the problem, it is important to remember that Odysseus's prideful desire to experience everything for himself almost cost him his
In myhtology such as Homer’s “The Odyssey” Odysseus’s actions prove him to be a heel throughout his journey, with his actions to frequently causing problems . During the encounter with the POlyphemus, Odysseus’s choice to meet the cylops caused the rest of the voyage to be cursed and for six of his men to be killed just because of his curiosity. When Odysseus decided to stay with the enchantress Circe he delayed returning home for a year because he enjoyed being pampered.
Tiresias foretell Odysseus will undergo humbleness and discover a newfound respect for the gods. Odysseus is apologizing by performing a hecatomb for each god. A hecatomb is sacrificing a hundred cattles for every each god. Next, during the feast of Helios’ cattles and Odysseus just woke up. Odysseus prayed, “O Father Zeus and gods in bliss forever, you made me sleep away this day of mischief” (948 - 949).
This harms Odysseus, as he is unable to maintain the crew's trust and loyalty. These decisions highlight Odysseus’s tendency to prioritize dominance, which leads to his failure to return home on
Odysseus makes many stops throughout his journey, such as the island of Aeolus, Circe’s island, the island of Phaeacians and in each of these islands Odysseus has been treated with much respect, he receives extravagant feasts and gifts. Odysseus, after being treated greatly, expects that every island he lands will give his amazing gifts and feast. But once he arrives at Polyphemus island, he is blinded by his riches and his cattle that he doesn’t realize that him and his men are going to be in danger. “ But I would not give way-and how much better it would have been-not till I saw him, saw the gifts he’d give” (9.256-258). Odysseus is blinded by the Cyclops plunder and doesn’t realize that he puts his men in peril, which later results with many of his men getting eaten by Polyphemus.
In particular, prior to his encounter with Circe, he was offered an intriguing feast, but “ yet his mind remains on his captive men”( Homer 180 Summary). Regardless of his position, showing care for his men’ assurance proved that his obligation comes first before anything else. In Odysseus’ journey as a hero, this episode is stage six where he was tested of his capabilities. Correspondingly, when his devotees are in despair, Odysseus asks, “ have we never in danger before this?” to them( Homer 191 l. 54).
The Odyssey, he illustrates how Odysseus is not a hero by today’s standards regardless of his heroic moments, as his arrogance often controls him and
Following his time in the land of the dead, Odysseus reacted to situations in vastly different ways, from having his crew tie him to the mast when passing the Sirens (the old Odysseus would have most likely believed he could withstand the temptation) to tactfully avoiding revealing his identity
While Odysseus has exhibited traits of a hero, he is also selfish and over confident. You can see this when he is sailing away from the cyclops, Polyphemus. Odysseus yells out to Polyphemus, after keeping his identity a secret, “Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye:/ Laertes’ son, whose home 's on Ithaca!,” (Homer 9.504-505). By saying this to Polyphemus he not only endangers him and his crew, but his city too because of his over confident and selfishness. A different example of this occurs earlier in the poem when he commands his men to fight “backed on the ships, with lances keep play/…/ although so far outnumbered/…//
However, because Odysseus is loyal to his team, he refuses to let his friends die and tells Eurylochus to stay on the ship, “eating, drinking, safe… [for he] must be off. [For] necessity drives [him] on,” (Homer 10). Notwithstanding the risks of facing the dangerous goddess, Odysseus still ventures into Circe’s palace to save his crewmates out of dedication to his team. His loyalty strengthens the crew because it saves their lives and helps them work together as a team.
I think the Odyssey stresses Odysseus's fatal traits. Those being pride, anger, and having too much confidence. One example from the epic, is how Odyssey's pride delays his journey nearly a decade. Odysseus's pride wouldn’t let Nahbody get the credit of blinding the cyclops so he said his name and address. God put pride on the original sin list twice for a reason.
Odysseus' imprudence shows how his pride can sometimes cause him to missteps along his
In Book 9, Odysseus and his men encounter a giant that they manage to escape from due to Odysseus’ cleverness. Odysseus reminds them of this in Book 12, “But even from there my courage,/ my presence of mind and tactics saved us all” (Homer 12.229-230). However, he neglects the fact that his “courage” also landed them into this predicament with the sirens and the vile beasts known as Charybdis and Scylla. He continues to think he can get past the unpassable and it further inflates his hubris which causes him to be irrational and it never leads to good things for his crew or himself. Also, Odysseus is not paying attention when Circe explains the dangers that lay ahead of him.
Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus faces many challenges that change and bring out his true identity from a weak and lonely man to a cunning and prideful hero. Odysseus’s change in identity can be established through his weakness and struggles in attempting to break away from the lonely Island of Kalypso, to his cunning strength during the battle of Troy and passing
When Odysseus and his men traveled to the floating islands of Aeolus, god of the winds, who then gave Odysseus a bag containing all of the unfavorable winds, he didn 't even think to mention it to his men. Odysseus fell asleep when Ithaca was in sight, but his men, believing that