Flaws In The Odyssey

He comes upon different woman that either trap him or his men in some kind of way leaving him to do what he is told to get what he needs to try to get back home. When he washes up on Calypso's island he stays there for a long time forgetting he trying to get back home after he’s been having sex with Calypso many times and feels like he’s having a blast. A day or so later another goddess flies to the Island and says to Calypso that she needs to let him go home. He needs to remember that he has a wife and son waiting for him back home in ithaca. While his wife penelope's home hoping and waiting for his return she's already having a hard time and misses him a lot. Not only is he having sex with different woman behind penelope's back he is trying to get home and along the way doesn't have a choice. I feel like the first character flaw is excusable because he could have handled the whole thing differently even though in also different places he shows pride it's just a natural sense that comes to us no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. His actions could have been different but I mean you can’t be to hard on him when you're away from home for 20+ years and haven't seen your wife and son in forever hoping that they think you're not dead and still alive returning home as soon as you can. Unfaithfulness got odysseus stuck in

One can be judged by their actions, but what truly shapes a person is their personality. Odysseus is an over-confident and ill-tempered man. On the cyclops's island, Odysseus's boasting nearly proves costly. A modest and heroic person would have had his men in mind, rather than himself, and left the island. Also, Odysseus revealing his true identity to the cyclops could very well have resulted in the death of his men. After Odysseus's boasting, Polyphemus prays to his father, "Let him lose all companions, and return / under strange sail to bitter days at home" (Homer 9. (537-8). This prophecy, of course, becomes a reality. Another sign of Odysseus's over-confidence shows while he is explaining himself to King Alcinous. In some of his first words to the king, Odysseus again boasts of his accomplishments. "Men hold me / formidable for guile in peace and war: / this fame has gone abroad to the sky's rim" (Homer 9. (127-8). Another very important fact is Odysseus's position on monogamy. Odysseus believes he's above monogamy, as he stays with many goddesses during his journeys while Penelope stays faithful at home. A hero is not a boasting, over-confident person, but someone who does their actions for no reward.

For example, Odysseus was a leader to most people. This means that many people were watching his decisions and he had many followers. It states “Men hold me formidable for guile in peace and war this fame has gone abroad to the skies rim” (Pg 6). Although the followers helped Odysseus while fighting, they also gave him a sense of overwhelming confidence which led to cockiness and turned him into a very disrespectful person. This shows that Odysseus used his followers to his advantage and their disadvantage because he is hurting others with his fame. Also, Odysseus over exaggerates his feelings. For, example, when was left on Calypso's island, he got very depressed and he only thought about how much he loved Penelope. This is good because it gave him bravery, but it made him feel very helpless when left alone. For example, the book says, “Went to find Odysseus and his stone seat to seaward - tear on tear brimming his eyes” (Pg 4). It seems that Odysseus's feelings for his wife led him to be very depressed on the island and although he had the advantage of being brave, he also cared about himself and his wife too much. In all, Odysseus’s followers and feelings were helpful, but also a

He is praised by Athena for his ability to quickly devise a false tale.  In the Achaian world, intelligence is more highly treasured then a hard working man.  Odysseus' cleverness makes him "godlike" and comparable to the immortals, and he even had opportunities to be among the immortals, as exemplified by Kalypso's offer for eternal life and youth.  Despite the fact that he is cheating on his wife, an unscrupulous act, Odysseus is still regarded as a great man; glorious and honorable.

Humans are the most perfect beings – we are civilized, organized, intelligent, and decisive. Until we aren’t. Every one of us, as humans, is susceptible to flaws, mistakes, and sins – no matter how much we try to deny it. As a result, in order for literary works to accurately represent human characters, the story must depict them with flaws. A read through one of these such literary works, for example, the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, reveals to us much about our flaws as human beings.

Odysseus only cares about himself and his personal benefits, like a villain. “With great power comes great responsibility” this quote is used by many heros and odysseus obviously shows no responsibilities, so his power is simply bad, or evil . When “trapped” on Calypso’s island he shows no attempt to escape and instead finds pleasure in being their. After 7 years on this island he finally decides to go home to has son which he has never seen and his dog who is nearly dead due to old age (not to mention he barely does anything with his dog and the first thing he says to his son is basically to ask him to risk his life for Odysseus's house). “ Don't waste your time on revenge. Those who hurt you will eventually get their own karma”. This quote shows that good people and heros should not seek revenge and should show mercy to their enemies however Odysseus obviously shows no interest in mercy… After killing many people and not letting a single person out which many heroes would have especially if the people did not directly mistreat him and believed he was dead which would be a logical thought he finally revealed himself to his wife. At first his wife did not recognize him which filled him with rage even though he should be happy that his loyal wife wants to make

Zeus and the god have paid you!”(479-480). The way Odysseus handles the thoughts makes us believe that he is trying to make himself seem greater than he really, he is trying to seem like a mighty noble person but in reality he does not care for anyone but himself. This detriment may lead everyone to not trust Odysseus, he may act noble and wise but he really is not and people would catch onto

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

Is it possible for one minute change of events, or to alter one’s life for years to come? In the case of Odysseus, from “The Odyssey”, he had a questionable change of events when he was kidnapped by Calypso. It had been ten years since Odysseus was with his people, and since the defeat of Troy. The battle of Troy molded him even more into a soldier, but what about being abandoned and stolen from your world? Is it possible that a fight for a life you once knew is enough to make a person think totally different about their life and their morals? The story of Odysseus demonstrates how geographical surroundings and the culture you are put in, can change how you live and think, whether it’s for good, or bad.

First of all, Odysseus is deemed a hero in the eyes of the Achaians.  His intelligent mind renders him a heroic figure among his people.  Although he has killed many people, his actions are deemed justifiable because the suitors were "reckless" in their action against his household.  He is praised by Athene for his ability to quickly devise a false tale.  In the Achaian world, intelligence is more highly treasured then the hard working man.  Odysseus' aptitude makes him "godlike" and comparable to the immortals, and he even had opportunities to be among the immortals, as exemplified by Calypso's offer for eternal life and youth.  Despite the fact that he is cheating on his wife, an immoral act, Odysseus is still regarded as a great man; glorious and honorable.

Even though Odysseus is the hero in this epic, it is shown he is only human and he makes mistakes too. No matter how noble or strong we may be, it is only natural to error. When he traveled to Circe’s home, he was enchanted by her and was unfaithful to his wife, Penelope. By being around a beautiful goddess and not having seen your wife in years, Odysseus naturally had a tendency to cheat on Penelope. We see that in our culture today. When spouses are gone for too long and if you know they don’t have a chance to find out about your whereabouts, people succumb to their

During his journey Odysseus used what he has learned from is mistakes to return home and kill the suitors of his wife. On the island of Cicones,and with his encounter with Polyphemus, Odysseus learned that bragging can bring great misfortune. On Ithaca Odysseus never brags to the suitors and is able to enter his house with the Antinous and the other suitors knowing his real identity. He takes the punishment of Antinous and the other suitors without saying a word and is able to see those who have invaded his house. Odysseus is able to see who is loyal and who is not and take his revenge with the suitors never knowing who

Again, Odysseus' darker and 'immoral' acts could be viewed could viewed as metaphors for and/or accurate reflections of the imperfection of the human race. Characteristics that show that heroes too are flawed. A hero who has some shortcomings is a more believable character, they may be godly in the sense that they do what no one else can, but that they are still only human. Drawing on this, Odysseus can be considered a hero for modern times. He possesses admiral skills, such as commitment and knowledge, which are still considered heroic today. He uses these traits to protect himself and his crew as they make the long journey home. Although Odysseus is renowned for his expertise in fighting, he is

Another case of his pride blinding Odysseus is when he could not control his men: “Temptation had its way with my companions,/ and they untied the bag.” (Book X, 52-53). Odysseus cannot control his men, and this causes the whole ship to be blown back to Aiolia. Another way in which Odysseus is not a legend is because he loses the entire Ithacan fleet throughout the whole journey, like in Ismaros and Lamos. His hubris blinds his sense of judgment, and as a result of his carelessness, he kills two generations of Ithacans. His ego and selfishness causes great losses, thus he is not a great legend.

In the latter, however, some of his more ignoble traits are revealed: he is a braggart, he almost dishonorably uses poisoned arrows, and he shows conceit in his victory over the Cyclops. It is sometimes difficult to reconcile this man with the one who willingly gives up eternal life for the moral condition and the chance to return to his wife. Largely, the problems with understanding the moral position of Odysseus stem from his immense experience and cleverness, which make him at once mortal and fantastic.