Hubris is seen under a bad connotation due to the fact that sensitive people with fragile egos are characterized to have hubris. People fail to realize that the hubris they are labeling is masked with insecurity. It is understandable that they have similar characteristics to the untrained eye. Though what people do not realize is that when you have hubris, you are completely secure in yourself. Meaning that being wrong once does not kill your confidence. Which is crucial in order to stand a chance against the dream crushing titan that is society. As a matter of fact, hubris has led to the success of numerous people throughout history. For example, Odysseus from Homer's The Odyssey and Catherine the Great of Russia. It’s apparent that Odysseus had hubris throughout the entirety of The Odyssey. Though it is overlooked that it has benefited him positively and contributed to his success. Odysseus states,“My name is Nobody...”(Homer 9.4-10). By Odysseus telling the Cyclops this, you can infer that he was confident in his plan. If Odysseus wasn’t as confident in his plan, he most likely wouldn’t have executed the plan correctly. He instead would have accepted his fate in death and the fate of his crew's deaths. Though thankfully he did in fact have hubris so he was able to execute his plan and succeed in not only saving his life, but also that of his crew. …show more content…
Such as Adolf Hitler, who often displayed heavy signs of hubris that ended up paying for his life. Which is unarguably incorrect. Another notable clear case that hubris led to success, not only for the people but even for the people around them is Catherine the Great of Russia. Catherine the Great is well renowned as one of the most extraordinary and most effective monarchs of Russia. Regardless of the fact that she was a female monarch during a period that oppressed women insanely & set every factor against them. Her
“Upon my word, just see how the mortal men always put the blame on us gods! We are the source of evil, so they say― when they have only their own madness to thank if their miseries are worse than they ought to be” (Homer 1.32-35). Odysseus Laërtiadês is a big example of someone who blames their own adversity on the will of the Gods. This person is a character from the Odyssey, an epic written by Homer that showcases many life lessons. Because Odysseus contained so much hubris, which is excess pride, he not only brought miseries upon himself by denouncing the Gods, he has also proven himself to be an unsuitable leader.
Hubris in The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus, the main character, was trying to make his journey to Ithaca. Odysseus encounters several of difficult situations where he has to step up and be a leader for his crew. Odysseus is constantly acting as a great hero; however, he also acts upon his excessive pride. As a result he faces several consequences.
As Thomas Jefferson once said, “Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold”. Hubris causes excessive arrogance in people, and can lead to their downfall. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus, a prideful warrior, tries to get back home to the island of Ithaca. Odysseus’ hubris ends up leading to many problems for himself and his crew. Hubris played a negative role in The Odyssey due to Odysseus revealing his identity to Polyphemus, not telling his crew about Aeolus’ bag of winds, and staying with Circe for a year.
During his interaction with Polyphemus, Odysseus clearly displays an act of hubris in The Odyssey by Homer. The most compelling evidence would be when Odysseus declined his men suggestion in the cave of the Cyclops. His crew advises him to take the caveman cheeses and make a run for it, however, Odysseus “refused” because he wanted to see what the cavemen has to offer( Homer 162 l. 67). Odysseus shows that he is incorrigible, for he made an impulsive decision that leads his devotees to die in the hands of his enemy. Furthermore, when Odysseus and his men were leaving Polyphemus island, he hollered back “ how do you like the beating that we gave you, you damned cannibal”( Homer 171 ll. 340-341). Giving a statement this demonstrates Odysseus
In The Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates the qualities of a poor leader because his arrogance and pride interferes with his judgement to make wise wisdoms, thus putting his entire crew in danger. When Odysseus and his crew escape the one-eyed cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus is overcome with triumph as he and his deceived the cyclops by securing themselves to the stomachs of the monster’s flock of sheep. His escape plan proved successful, and he then proceeded to untie his men from the grazing sheep, and make haste to their ship. Odysseus taunts Polyphemus as he and his crew begin to sail away. “You shameless cannibal (IX.534),” said Odysseus to the cyclops, who became filled with rage. Odysseus’s crew sense the will of Polyphemus to wreck havoc, and thus, ask
Odysseus was selfish when he made that decision. Unfortunately, when he chose to ignore the ideas offered by his men, Odysseus’ true, selfish, and egotistical personality was shown. Odysseus made another mistake was when he decided to brag to the Cyclops about who he was, rather than not speaking to them at all. This caused a dangerous chain reaction of problems that eventually led to Poseidon trying his hardest to destroy Odysseus and lengthen his journey with his crew of men. Through this problem, Odysseus showed how much of a prideful man he was, which was one of his largest weaknesses.
Throughout book nine of The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus’ encounter with Polyphemus is described, as well as the events leading up to the encounter. After taxing run-ins with the Circones and the lotus-eaters, Odysseus arrives at the island of the cyclopses, a rough and uncivilized land. Odysseus’ own greed leads him to put his men into a dangerous situation, and though he uses his metis to save himself and his crew, it is clear that his hubris is still quite intact and may lead to his downfall.
As one can surmise from the tumultuous situations he is forced into over the following years at sea, Odysseus endured great hardships all due to his hubris. His crew was decimated and he was forced to live without his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, for far longer than he ever expected. However, like Gilgamesh, Odysseus is ultimately not ruined by his hubris. Instead, Homer decides to end his tale by finally allowing him to arrive home with “More [gifts] than he ever would have taken out of Troy / Had he come home safely with his share of the loot” (13.142-143), suggesting good fortune in the end for Odysseus. Although he indeed finds trouble at home as his wife has many suitors competing to win her hand in marriage and hoping to kill
What is an egotistical personality? What impact does it have on decisions? An egotistical personality is when someone is excessively absorbed in themselves and it can also be known as hubris. It impacts someone's ability to make the correct decision because that person thinks they are right, so they will not take advice from others. Who has an egotistical personality and how does it affect them? In the greek tragedy, Antigone, Sophocles conveys Creon as the tragic hero because he is hubris, he realizes his hubris caused the death of his family, and the audience feels pity for him.
In Greek mythology, hubris means to have excessive self confidence or pride. In The Odyssey, we often see Odysseus getting into trouble because of his hubris. There are many examples where this flaw is exhibited. These include when Odysseus defeats the cyclops Polyphemus, when he and his crew sail past the sirens, and when he got the bag of winds from Aeolus. Hubris leads him to disregard the Gods, and make unwise decisions because his pride blinds him of his ability to see the consequences in making those choices. Odysseus’ hubris also makes his trip home harder and longer than it had to be.
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!
The importance of Hubris to the Greeks is made obvious by how often it appears as a main theme in their myths. Three stories that show examples of hubris are Oedipus The King, Antigone, and The Story of Phaethon in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Hubris is simply part of human nature. For one example, Sophocles portrays both Oedipus and Creon as having a major case of hubris. Oedipus declares himself a ‘world-renowned king’ (Sophocles) early on in the play. Throughout the play, he refuses to accept anything that people try to tell him.