Examples Of Cruelty In The Odyssey

Loyalty and Betrayal You have been trapped in a Vietnamese camp for 3 months. They have tortured you every day trying to get you to reveal secrets about your government. You endure the pain, and with clenched teeth you keep saying no. When you are at the brink of death.

In the epic the odyssey written by homer the theme of reciprocity clearly affects the characters of the odyssey.reciprocity clearly affect the characters odysseus, his men and antinous

The general question was, what does ancient Greek culture value? A way of interpreting this is, what is the most valued trait in Greek culture based upon the reading. Respect sees to be the most general of all traits. All of these events have shown respect toward the gods. When Odysseus had to fight the Cyclops and the suitors is all out of consideration for the gods and their values towards the people. Since Odysseus is thankful and is being respectful the gods give him help in return, a little role change. Odysseus also helps the gods by telling a person or people the rules of being a good host for new

The eight Greek Evil thoughts were a set of guidlines for the ancient greeks to follow. These guidelines helped the ancient greeks a better life. In The Odyssey, Odyssesus and his crew come to an island of cyclops an they stole food. Polythemus a gaint they met got mad then, ate two of his crew members and then, Odyssesus got him drunk and poked his eye. Odyssesus demonstrates some of the Greek evil thoughts. Philargryia is when someone is greedy or doing whatever it takes to get something, greed leads restlesses because when someone is greedy it’s caused by. Odysseus describes, “We lit a fire, burnt an offering, and took some cheese to eat; then sat in silence around the embers, waiting,” (The Cyclops. [219). This reveals Philargyria which is greed.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus’s crew believed and trusted him with their lives, but Odysseus did not tell them of the last prophecy. “The Ithacans set of. Odysseus does not tell his men of Circe’s last prophecy-that he will be the only survivor of their long journey.” (Homer 3:1066). Wiesel gives the example of how no man is perfect all the time. This is shown many times in the Odyssey. When Odysseus slays the Cyclops’s eye he boast and teases the Cyclops. Even after his men beg him to stop patronizing the Cyclops, Odysseus continues. “Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca” (Homer 3:1057). In my third paragraph, Jason Shen talks about how our heroes are just like us. Our heroes make mistakes and experience emotions. Odysseus gave in to humanly emotion when he decided to stay with the beautiful goddess Calypso. Odysseus didn’t fight back because he was discouraged. “The old soldier is in despair: He has spent ten years (seven of them as Calypso’s not entirely unwilling captive) trying to get home” (Homer 3:1038). Jason believes our heroes are just normal people who happen to find themselves leading influential lives. “Salt tears rose from the wells of longing in both men, and cries burst from both…” (Homer 3:1083). At this moment, Odysseus has just been reunited

The Cyclops says to the Cyclopes: “Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdy’s ruined me.” The Cyclopes reply: “Ah well, if nobody has played you foul there in your lonely bed, we are no use in pain given by the great Zeus.” Odysseus’ cleverness helped him evade the fate that would have befallen him if the other Cyclopes caught him. One more leadership quality possessed by Odysseus is wisdom. Odysseus’ wisdom is displayed when Odysseus conquers the town of Ismarus. Odysseus says: “I told them ‘Back, and quickly!

Odysseus’ support to his crew through every situation and hardship, throughout The Odyssey, is one main sign that the Ancient Greeks valued loyalty. In the Lotus Eaters, Odysseus, “...drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, / tied them down under their rowing benches / and called the rest…”(9.48-50). Through this difficult situation, Odysseus is shown supporting his crew as their leader and keeping them on the right path by taking control of those who were possessed by the magic of Lotus plants. When his crew members struggled to stay on course, Odysseus was able to take responsibility by supporting and guiding them. Another event that showed this is Odysseus and his crew’s encounter with the sirens. According to the text, "Going forward / I carried wax along the line, and laid it / thick on their ears." (12.115-17). Here, Odysseus shows his support to his crew by contributing to protecting them from being hypnotized by the tempting sounds of the sirens by preparing wax to plug their ears with. Again, Odysseus and his crew know they will face the challenge of staying on course, and Odysseus takes these actions to support them and secure their safety. Odysseus’ support in both situations that put him and his crew in danger, reveal the Greeks’ value of

Although Odysseus is the captain of a fleet, he initially takes no responsibility for the welfare of his crew. When exploring unknown lands, he often “sent out two picked men and a runner to learn what race of men that land sustained.” *(147) The king delegates the task solely to fulfill his own curiosity, without consideration of any dangers his men might face, such as intoxication in the land of the Lotus Eaters and cannibalism in the land of the Laistrygonians. Due to his indiscretion, Odysseus puts his men in unnecessary peril.

In the section, “Lotus Eaters”, the Lotus Eaters are a peaceful group of people; however, the threat lies within their intent to keep Odysseus and his men from wanting to return home after feeding them hallucinogenic lotus flowers.

By the time Odysseus and him men arrive at Aeolia, Odysseus has learned a few manners and is respectful to Aeolus. As Odysseus prepares to leave, Aeolus gives a bag of winds to Odysseus to aid him on his journey. Odysseus becomes greedy and does not want to tell his men what is in the bag. As a result Odysseus' men believe they are being cheated out of what they deserve: " `Just see what booty, splendid spoils, he carries back from Troy, while we, who toiled beside him, must return with empty hands' " (192). Out of jealousy, the men open the bag of winds, causing the ship to go back to Aeolia, thus lengthening their journey. Odysseus realizes he must treat his men more equally.

Six of Odysseus’ men are eaten because of his foolishness. Again, Odysseus’ arrogance came into play when Odysseus and his men escape from the cyclops, Polyphemus. He taunts the monster, despite the fact that his men tell him stop. He exclaims, “If ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home is Ithaca” (Fitzgerald 908). If Odysseus did not provoke Polyphemus, the curse laid up on his ship and crew would have never happened. If he did not mock the cyclops, his odyssey would have been non existent. Odysseus always wanted to be remembered as the grandest hero of Greece. This is object when his ship rolls past the Sirens and Odysseus demands that he listens to their song. His overly extensive hubris clouds his mind and wants the fame of being able to survived the Sirens’ song. He never once considers what might have happened if he had

When Odysseus is introduced to the malicious Cyclops, Odysseus quickly learns Cyclops negative outlook toward strangers. While Odysseus pleads for the Cyclops acceptance by stating "we're at your knees in hopes of a warm welcome, even a guest-gift, the sort that hosts give strangers", The Cyclops ruthlessly responded after Odysseus claimed his identity as a nobody, "Nobody? I'll eat Nobody last of all his friends- I'll eat the others first! That's my gift to you!" (Homer 219-220, 223). The Cyclops appears to have no difficulty in expressing negative hospitality while he states, "we Cyclops never blink at Zeus and Zeus's shield of storm and thunder, or any other blessed God- we've got more force by far" (Homer 220). Although, Odysseus experienced unpleasant hospitality within his journey, he was also lucky to find townspeople and their kings that accepted strangers with a positive outlook.

Shortly after escaping the Cicones, the men are presented with another temptation, but their folly blinds them to the consequences of trying to escape from their present worries. Odysseus’ shipmates, unable to resist the temptation, ate the lotus and as a result forget about their journey home where their loved ones and community are waiting for them. They are tempted by the idea that they could stay there forever and never return home. Much like drug users, the Lotus-eaters and anyone who shared in their activity forgot their troubles and earthly concerns for the time being. As the men “grazed on lotus” their “memory of the journey home dissolved forever” (Od.9.109-10). The real temptation was the ability to detach from the world and forget their worries. Ultimately, if they had stayed, not only would life become a

The Odyssey gives a great outlook on how a person can develop through time as well as how one’s actions can cause the trouble later and lead to unfortunate circumstances. In the book, there are several cases when Hubris, an excessive pride and arrogance as characteristic of a particular, is shown by different figures. Consequently, this is often followed by Nemesis, as justice has to be determined by the gods for the actions taken to maintain a heroic status, most of the time in form of a punishment. In “The Odyssey” by Homer, Hubris is exhibited by the main character and hero, Odysseus, in the Ancient Greek world, who proves it by his self-confidence in his adventures. Homer uses inter alia alliterations, similes, concrete details, and vivid imagery throughout the

The Odyssey is an epic poem that showcases the heroic actions contrasted with the grave disasters of Odysseus, a tragic hero on his way home from the war in Troy. The author, Homer, shows through Odysseus’ actions that even a hero such as he, has flaws. Flaws that if not acknowledged and learnt from, can spell grave disaster in the journey yet to come. Many Greeks recognize Odysseus as the most renowned hero of the Trojan war, thanks to his own accounts of his years away from Ithaca. Following the Greek beliefs, many believe that Odysseus couldn’t have kept himself away for so long, for only the gods can do something like this, and Odysseus can’t be the cause of the crew’s deaths, only the gods could be so cruel. While