The Odyssey book was composed right after the Iliad, almost like a sequel, by the author Homer. This epic takes place after the Greeks victory over the Trojans. Odysseus is making his way home and on the way, faces many obstacles. In book 10 lines 149-1597, Odysseus is blown off course and winds up on an island with Circe. His men warn him of Circe and tell him that they should turn back and leave, but Odysseus instead stays. Throughout this passage, the audience can see that Odysseus does not want to go home and can also see how persuasive goddesses can be. Throughout book 10 and other parts of the Odyssey, it is clear that Odysseus does not want to go home. One would think that after being away from ones family, friends, and WIFE that they …show more content…
But this also shows how selfish he is. For example, he does not care how his crew feels about him extending their trip every time he gets. When he gives them news that their journey will continue their hearts break and “they [sit] down right where they [are] and [weep]” (10: 589-590). If Odysseus really cared about his men, he would be taking all measures to get them home as soon as he could. But that is not the case. We can also see his selfishness when we think about Penelope and Odysseus loved ones. They must be mourning and awaiting his arrival and if he cared for them, he would be rushing home to them, not taking extra trips to places he doesn’t need to go and staying places for longer than he needs …show more content…
In this passage it is the goddess Circe. She lures the men in by “singing in a lovely voice as she moved about wearing a great tapestry” (10: 237-238). This helps persuade the men to come closer because she sounds innocent and her voice is comforting to them. They had just been stranded for several days and coming across a beautiful woman draws them to her. If she were some ogre looking woman, the men wouldn’t have stuck around after seeing her. But since she was beautiful and had a luring voice, they stayed, which is exactly what she wanted. She was able to drunken them up and then “[strike] them with her wand” (10: 255-256) and turn them to pigs. The audience can also see her being persuasive when she is speaking to Odysseus. He says that “[he] took her words to heart” and stayed with her for a year. Circe’s words had such an impact on him that he didn’t return to his family and his wife, but stayed with a woman he barely
Home is the place everyone wants to return after being away. In The Odyssey written by Homer, a man named Odysseus wants to return home more than anything in the world. The poem has many epic themes including good and evil, life and death, and courage and honor. Notably, the most meaningful aspect is the importance of home. Odysseus' desire to return to his homeland and beloved family gives him the strength to overcome physical challenges and moral temptations.
The quote shows that when Odysseus solved problems to help himself, he also helped his crew. This is proven when he finds a way to escape the cyclopes; it not only saves him but his crew. Some evidence of this is in book nine lines 351-354, “Blinded, and sick with pain his head wound, the master stroked each ram, the let it pass, but my men riding on the pectoral fleece the giant’s blind hands blundering never found.”. Odysseus cared for his crew and even promised to give a proper burial to one when he saw them in the underworld. This shows that he cares for his crew and sometimes puts them ahead of
On the other hand, Odysseus is not the perfect hero he may seem to be. He can be extremely selfish, and has a sense of hubris that causes many problems for him and his crew. To start off, Odysseus' selfishness has been very easy to recognize these last few books. For example, when he informs his crew that they will be staying at Kirke's palace for some time, Eurylokhos objects. Odyseuss describes, "they turned back, as commanded, to this work; / only one lagged, and tried to hold the others" (10.475-76).
Around the 1200 B.C., Odysseus was sailing the Mediterranean Sea for the purpose of reaching home. In his long narrative poem, The Odyssey, Homer conveys how Odysseus desperately wishes to go home to Ithaca. However, he faces brutal treatment and obstacles from several different antagonists, and more obstacles appear when he reaches home. Odysseus came across many external conflicts, which he dealt with intelligence, determination, and loyalty.
In the epic poem, the Odyssey, by Homer Odysseus experiences many amazing events before arriving at home in Ithaka. I believe that the experiences that he has had on his long journey and his personality will not allow Odysseus to be at peace in his homeland. Odysseus has been away from home for about twenty years. He has experienced many trials and adventures on his prolonged journey home. I believe that Odysseus will not be at peace in his homeland because he has been a warrior since an early age, he is not patient, and most importantly, he has a very curious mind.
Throughout the story, Odysseus 's goal was to return home to Ithaca and spend the rest of his life with his son, Telemachos, and his wife Penelope. Even though is he greatly enjoying himself on all of his adventures, there is a part of him that still longs for his native soil. He loved being on the island with Calypso, but everyday he dreamt of his wife and son sitting at home, waiting for his return. He endured all of his
In the Odyssey, Odysseus proves to be a very selfish person because he often leaves his loyalty towards his wife to have relations with other women and goddesses. He sleeps with other people for his own pleasure, making this a very selfish act. In book ten, he was trapped on the witch-god Kirke’s island of Aeaea for a whole year. During this three hundred sixty five year period, he does not attempt to leave. By not leaving he demonstrates how he puts his wife aside to live with other women and leaves his wife sick with worry and full of grim thoughts. While he was there, he and his men lived in luxury, but every night Odysseus would sleep with Kirke. This means that every night Odysseus broke his loyalty to Penelope and committed the selfish act of having relations with other women. By being with Kirke, Odysseus prioritizes his life in such a way that being with other women is more important than loving his wife, who during the time Odysseus has been gone did not have relations with a single man even though one hundred and eight were in line to be with her. Odysseus proves again and again that his love
During Odysseus’ journey in ‘The Odyssey’, Odysseus runs into a couple problems. He leaves home ready to fight in the Trojan War. Although he had plans on coming home, he never made it home. His wife Penelope and his son Telemachus assumed that Odysseus was dead. It was not until Athena came to Telemachus and gave him everything he needed to make it to his dad. What Telemachus did not know was that Odysseus wanted to come home, but he could not because he was being held prisoner on an island named Ogygia. Odysseus wants nothing more to return home and see his lovely wife Penelope.
The nymph, Calypso, is a prime example of the use of sexuality by women in this story. Calypso has Odysseus held captive on her island, and attempts to make him stay there and become immortal, to be her mate. Calypso is looked upon negatively by the gods for having slept with a mortal man, but Calypso wishes for Odysseus to be made immortal by the gods and to stay with her on the island, as was done for Dawn. Calypso is a nymph, described as lustrous and queenly. Since she has kept him captive, Odysseus won’t believe her at first when she tells him he is being let go to journey home. She has kept him on her island, and in her bed, and kept him from the wife he loves. And even before he leaves the island, she makes him sleep with her one last time.
In book five Odysseus is presented with a very great and tempting barrier. Calypso confronts him with this statement, “But if you only knew, down deep, what pains are fated to fill your cup before you reach that shore, you’d stay right here, preside in our house with me and be immortal.” She promised him that he would possess a trait that no other human in the odyssey has, immortality. Even though her offers are very tempting and would be self fulfilling, he promptly rejects because all he wants is to go home and the love of his life, Penelope. This act alone shows that he was willing to give himself and up for a greater cause. He showed great discipline and faithfulness to reject Calypso’s offer and to continue on his journey home. At the beginning of the epic, Odysseus did have one flaw that could have been detrimental to his homecoming journey and that was self-glorification. By the end of the Odyssey, Odysseus overcame his pride and tempered it with patience because at the end of the day he didn’t really know that Penelope would be waiting on him, but he was willing to put in the effort to find out what was at the end of the road.
First of all, Odysseus was very selfish during their journey back to Ithaca. For example,“We lit a fire, burnt an offering, and we took some cheese to eat; then sat in silence around the embers, waiting”(Homer 219-222). If Odysseus took the cheese and left, his men would not have had to dealt with Polyphemus. He put himself before his men because he wanted a gift from the cave owner. Odysseus was also selfish when he sailed near the lands of Sirens.“Steer wide; keep well to seaward; plug your oarsmen’s ears with beeswax kneaded soft”(Homer 669-671). Although Circe told Odysseus to steer clear of the area, Odysseus wanted to be known as the man who survived a Siren’s song. He put his own men in danger just because he wanted to become famous. Odysseus was also very arrogant to think that he could get past the Sirens.
Odysseus seems to be in this state where he forgets about home and does not want to return home. Odysseus’ crew has to remind him that they have to return home which is the only reason why they leave because if it were for Odysseus he would stay with Calypso living in paradise.
Odysseus 's longing for his homecoming is wrought with temptation to swerve from his goal but he resisted it due to his desire to return home. He actually left the
The Odyssey is an epic about Ancient Greek culture written by Homer. This is one of the two major Greek poems. Odysseus is on a long journey back to Ithaca after the fall of Troy. The most valued life traits in an Ancient Greek culture is respect. Odysseus helps portray this by worshiping gods through the epic.
“The Odyssey” is read as a moral story. Odysseus learned lessons and faces many obstacles that challenge his faith and loyalty. He was able to survive because he learned he needed to listen to the Gods and Goddesses. An example of Odysseus being loyal to his wife and crew was when he heard the Sirens. In book 12, line 192, it states, “So they spoke, sending forth their beautiful voice, and my heart was fain to listen, and I bade my comrades loose me, nodding to them with my brows; but they fell to their oars and rowed on. And presently Perimedes and Eurylochus arose and bound me with yet more bonds and drew them tighter. But when they had rowed past the Sirens, and we could no more hear their voice or their song, then straightway my trusty comrades took away the wax with which I had anointed their ears and loosed me from my bonds.” He warned his men, told them to put wax in their ears, and tied himself to his ship. This shows how he was loyal and faithful for not being tempted by the Sirens.