Analysis Of ' The Odyssey '

Imagine being a crewmate on a ship and you are being attacked by a monster and you are trying to get away from that monster. You get away but the leader of the ship keeps heckling the monster and the father of the monster then gets angry and attacks. You and the rest of the crew are either dead or badly wounded. Like this hero, Odysseus shows these traits in the Odyssey. Odysseus is the opposite of a modern hero because he is full of himself, he always gets into bad situations and is not loyal to his men.

In the “Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through obstacles throughout the book that a normal man couldn’t subside. One example is in book 9, his main obstacle that he is trying to face is to escape from being held hostage in a cave by a Cyclops better known as Polyphemus. Odysseus is a archetypal hero, he is also a role model, with an ambition to get to his homeland Ithaca. He goes through resisting temptation and using his intellect and physical strength to get him there, no matter the obstacle nor the negative flaws that he faces. Odysseus put himself and his men in that situation by being curious and wanting to know what kind of land his ship and the winds led him to. This was selfish of him because it cost him some of his men, but a leader and hero has to play that role and some lives will be dealt with on the way. Odysseus says, “The rest of you will stay here while I go with my ship and crew on reconnaissance. I want to find out what those men are like, Wild savages with no sense of right or wrong Or hospitable folk who fear the gods” (Homer 429). Saying this quote alone makes Odysseus a humble man due to the fact that not even a piece of land is going to slow him down on his journey back home.

Odysseus is considered to be a typical hero, in a typical Hero’s Journey. Odysseus, however, shows a style of change that was pioneered in the Odyssey. Throughout each book of The Odyssey, Odysseus does not only fight monsters on his way home, but also monsters inside of him as well. His monsters, or flaws, must be addressed for Odysseus to be able to come home victorious at the end of the novel. Despite Odysseus may have more unknown character flaws, 2 specific ones come into play throughout the book. The first is pride, or hubris, is exemplified primarily by Odysseus, while the second one, lust, is exemplified more by his crew, but can be seen in Odysseus as well. These two temptation provide numerous temptations and pitfalls to Odysseus on his nostos, or journey home, and both me be bested by him before he finishes his journey and reunites his with his wife, son and father. In the Odyssey, Homer demonstrates that despite Odysseus’s flaws, he successfully accomplishes the hero’s

He has loyalty, bravery, and courage. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is very loyal toward his men and will protect or rescue them if necessary. He’s brave and courageous when it comes to fighting and won’t hesitate to act. He’s also very clever. For example, Odysseus outwitted the Cyclops, Polyphemus, by giving a false name to disguise his identity. Amid all these qualities, there are still kinks in Odysseus’s character. His pride becomes evident after his confrontation with the Cyclops, where, after a narrow escape, he wished to bother Polyphemus again. His men had to plead to him, saying, “Godsake, Captain! Why bait the beast again? Let him alone!” Odysseus also struggles with selfish actions. For example, he feasts with Circe instead of rescuing his men first. The temptations got the better of him and in turn led him down the wrong

One of the 4 epic hero traits that Odysseus has, is that he has a plethora of exemplary attributes. For instance, Odysseus is able to “bored (bore) that great eye socket” with an olive tree, suggesting the extent of Odysseus’ formidable might. In addition, Odysseus is also able to “strike and strike again” at the suitors while they “moaned at death”. This emphasizes the power and strength that Odysseus held. Moreover, when Eurykleia tells Penelope that if she had seen Odysseus it would have made “your (her) heart grow hot”, because Odysseus was like “a lion splashed with mire and blood”, it emphasizes Ancient Greek values of strength. Another exemplary attribute that Odysseus possesses is his contemplative and strategic mind. This can be illustrated when Odysseus cleverly uses the Kyklopes’ rams and “slung (slings) a man under… to ride there safely” (IX

People need to not believe they can succeed at everything in life otherwise it can cause difficulties later. Another trait Odysseus possesses is the ability to be crafty in tough situations. During the Trojan War Odysseus comes up

The character Ulysses Everett McGill from “O Brother, Where art thou?” is a worthy representation of Odysseus from the “Odyssey”. Ulysses Everett McGill, or Everett, was the main character of the movie who was trying to get back home. Odysseus was a king and warrior who spent 20 years away from home due to obstacles and distractions. Both characters share many personality traits and events that make the movie a modern adaption of the epic poem

The epic, The Odyssey, centers around Odysseus, whose disposition can be controversial. Like all heroes, Odysseus displays both positive and negative characteristics, which determine whether he is a admirable figure or not. In my opinion, the parts of his character that are commendable outweigh his lesser qualities, making him an honorable role in the poem. Odysseus’s three main favorable attributes are his cleverness, his determination, and his leadership.

The Odyssey is a very famous play in which the main character is named Odysseus. This main character shows many different traits throughout this acclaimed poem. Some traits exhibited by Odysseus would be intelligence, respect for the gods, and loyalty to home and family. Odysseus is a king and war hero who is put through many challenges in order to get home, yet somehow he remains intelligent, respectful, and loyal, that is a hard task but it makes sense that Odysseus is who he is considering this is an epic poem written by Homer. Intelligence is a common trait shown throughout this epic poem.

If a hero only has bravery but no wisdom, then they can be impetuous. But Odysseus has both qualities and is terribly intelligent and cunning. Before attacking the Cyclops, he came up with a cunning trick for the Cyclops. He told the Cyclops that his name was Noman and when he attacked him, the Cyclops said nonsense, like “‘Noman has attacked me, Noman is hiding in my cave’”(47). This is an ingenious plan because the other Cyclopes thought that the Cyclops had gone crazy and didn’t help him fight Odysseus. If it weren’t for Odysseus’ quick-thinking skills and intelligence, then he and his men would have already been violently murdered by the Cyclops. Odysseus had also came up with the Trojan Horse to defeat the Trojans. The attack had gone smoothly for the Greeks and they were extremely successful, thanks to Odysseus’ cleverness. Selected armed comrades were hidden inside the “enormous wooden horse” and when the Trojans “dragged it back to their city as a prize of war” (28), the Greeks “overcame their resistance” and “took their revenge without mercy” (30). This proves that Odysseus is a genius because he was able to trick the Trojans into believing the gigantic horse was a gift. This wonderful plan has been retold for centuries and is still a symbol of Odysseus’ intelligence. It also shows that Odysseus is extremely creative, due to the fact that he had came up with something completely new and surprised the

To start, Odysseus is man that displays the concept of brains over brawn and think smarter rather than harder when it comes to trying situations like being trapped by the giant cyclops

We can find out just as much about Greek culture from the attributes that Odysseus does not possess as we can from those he does. One of the attributes that Odysseus does not display is humility. Odysseus does not have any humility. In fact, he often openly boasts about his heroism, such as in the line already stated above where Odysseus calls himself “crafty” for escaping the Cyclops’ metaphorical “trap” . Odysseus’ narcissism is never represented as a character flaw in the story, in fact it is represented as a trait that makes Odysseus even more heroic. This is made perfectly evident at the end of the story as Odysseus is sailing away from the Cyclops’ island:

In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, certain characters are granted with the ability to make decisions for themselves, while others must deal with external factors, whether it be fate or divine intervention, that predispose their lives. Similarly, women are predisposed with the inability to make choices for themselves while men are born with the right to uphold power and enforce control over the female gender. Contrary to these gender stereotypes concerning power in a Homeric world, Homer instills Penelope with complete control, while leaving Odysseus with none. It is this distribution of control in Penelope that enables Odysseus to complete his nostos and re-identify himself, therefore pushing the boundaries of gender norms.

Literature is one of the most powerful and revealing aspects of a society. In ancient Greek society, Homer’s The Odyssey provides a detailed insight into the values of this intricate culture. In particular, this epic discusses the ways in which the deathless gods influence the fates of the mortals. The overall impact of the gods’ power is the mental straining that emerges from the unrelenting conflict of man versus immortal. Likewise, the actions and misfortunes of others also catalyze this extremely significant and powerful mental battle. Homer’s The Odyssey reveals the values of ancient Greece by portraying the intrapersonal struggles between a person’s self-determined honor and his/her worthiness in the eyes of the Gods. This underlying

“Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns ... start from where you will—sing for our time too” (I, 1, 12). From the very beginning, Homer shows his intention for themes of The Odyssey to be applicable in the modern age and essentially “sing for our time” (I, 12). Homer’s epic provides the ideal reflection upon the very definition of heroism because it details the strenuous journey of Odysseus, a crafty hero whose key priority is to return home to his family. As one of the most prominent themes, The Odyssey carries forth the idea of heroism through the portrayal of Odysseus, and establishes a connection with the real world through the expression of life lessons. Consequently, Odysseus is characterized to serve as a role model for the successful hero because, after all, the poem is essentially centered on his very name. However, The Odyssey simultaneously conveys that an entirely perfect hero may be impossible, but a means for improvement is always present. The attributes for success that are revealed in The Odyssey can be examined under interconnected ideas of passion, perseverance, and prowess. Thus, heroism is the most compelling theme of The Odyssey because it exemplifies the attributes for success while also demonstrating that heroes are not without mortal flaws.