Odyssey Literary Analysis Essay
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Odysseus is an epic hero who has been on a home journey for twenty years. During his trip home he has visited many lands and been through many trials and challenges. Odysseus boast characteristics of both an epic hero and a thrill seeker.
Odysseus’s has properties of great mental strength that become evident during his journey. Through his encounter with the cyclops it becomes apparent that his possess great mental strength , when the cyclops drinks the wine Odysseus gave him and soon falls asleep, Odysseus tells the the giant that his name is “nobody”, the cyclops believes him. When he calls for help, the other cyclops believe that no one is hurting him and ignore him. This is Odysseus key
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Odysseus exhibits this loyalty during his trip to the underworld. In the underworld Odysseus meets Elpenor, a former soldier of his that has died. Elpenor request for his body and to have a proper funeral. Odysseus does not ignore his soldier’s request and promises a proper funeral and burial, even though he could refuse. Another way that Odysseus shows loyalty is through his devotion to getting home. He rarely loses sight of his goal to get home and spends most of twenty years trying to achieve the task, showing his …show more content…
The most extreme example of his hubris is when he is when he insist on fighting the Charybdis, a whirlpool that eats ships, and the Scylla a monster with six arms and a head on the end of each arm. Both of these creatures are unkillable and he wants to fight them both at the same time. As a result he loses six men and almost dies. Another example of his hubris is when he and his crew are fleeing the island of the cyclops and Odysseus taunts Polyphemus. The Odysseus is eventually cursed by Poseidon because of his inability to stay
Constantly throughout the book, Odysseus shows great courage in any and every situation he is put in. We see this glimpse of courage when he fights the suitors, or when he saves his whole crew from the Cyclops. In book 9 as Odysseus and his crew are journeying through the cave of a Cyclops, Odysseus decides to make a very bold decision and blinds the Cyclops. “Hoisting high that olive stake with its stabbing point, straight ingo the monsters eye they rammed it hard.” (page 223, line 427-428) In this scene Odysseus drives a stake into his eye, in result blinding him. This was a very courageous decision because of the fact that he and his men are up against a Cyclops. At the same time, Cyclops’s are very strong and big, and Odysseus could have easily been killed . It turns out that the Cyclops is a offspring of Poseidon which put him and his crew into a lot of trouble and danger later in their journey, and if Odysseus knew that or not it was still a brave thing to do in order to save him and his crew at that moment.
“I am Laerte’s son, Odysseus./Men hold me/formidable for guile in peace and war” (Homer 488). It is evident that the author of the famous epic poem intended to portray the voyager, Odysseus, as a valiant and compassionate person. However, one may believe that he is a foolish man who delayed his own journey home. In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, is a hero because he always tries to keep his thoughts on home, he keeps his crew focused on the next task, and he is intelligent to win the gods’ favor. Odysseus is a hero because he never loses sight of his homeland during his tedious travels.
Odysseus, through the tremendous physical journey that he has embarked on, goes on many mental journeys that greatly develop him as a character: he starts out hotheaded and single-minded, yet grows to be a lot more rational by the end of the book, which ultimately saves his own life and the lives of many others. For example, because of the inadvertent trip he and his crew take to the island of the Cyclops, and their subsequent escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus (which causes the ire of Poseidon, Polyphemus’ father, to be incited), Odysseus learns to not invite the wrath of the gods. He also learns, after taunting Polyphemus multiple times and consequently, almost getting everyone killed because of it, to not act in such a rash manner and to
The epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, is about a character named Odysseus and his journey from the Trojan War back to Ithaca. Odysseus showed what type of man he was within his choices. His choices displayed traits such as, wisdom, loyalty, and leadership.
His will power is strong; especially to hold back the ones he loves. He also shows perseverance by promising to return all the way back to Aeaea just to bury his fallen comrade. This section shows that Odysseus has a strong power of determination to do what he needs and what he believes in.
In Greek literature of mythology, we have examined Odysseus. Students and scholars alike have held debates about Odysseus. The discussion is whether Odysseus was a true hero, as read in The Odyssey. There is abundant supportive evidence to verify all sides of the debate and opinions held about Odysseus. Odysseus had encompassed many qualities that I believe make him a hero. The qualities he embodied were mental strength, physical strength, and spiritual strength. I would like to advocate for why Odysseus was a hero.
When Odysseus becomes trapped in the Cyclops, Polyphemus’s, cave, he realizes that now is the time to use his strategy rather than strength. It all starts with his ‘libations’ to the Cyclops. Odysseus consistently gives Polyphemus wine “to top off the banquet of human flesh [he has] bolted down!” which is the crew members that Cyclops has eaten ( 9. 222). The most crucial part of Odysseus’s plan is when he tells Polyphemus his name is “Nobody- so my mother and father call me” (9. 223). This particular name that he tells Cyclops helps him escape the other cyclops on the island. Once they stab Polyphemus’s eye with a burning hot stick, the other cyclops wake up to ask him if anyone else is in there with him. Polyphemus, thinking that Odysseus’s name is actually ‘Nobody’, tells them that ‘Nobody’ is in there with him, While escaping death from the cyclops, Odysseus also blinds the cyclops, and saves the rest of his crew. Odysseus chose to use his strategy in place of trying to use his strength which would not have helped him escape. In this situation, strength is no use, seeing as the cyclops is ten times as strong as him.
For generations, heroes have always fascinated people and people have strived to achieve certain qualities of their heroes. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is considered the hero of the story. While Odysseus does demonstrate some qualities that are not heroic, he is still defined as a hero because of his better, more heroic qualities in which he is far superior in than any other man. The qualities in which define Odysseus as a hero are courage, intelligence, and leadership.
The Cyclops is obviously pleased with the spoken words and gestures, and as a result, he gives in to his greed as he takes the wine. Odysseus's confidence in his own ability was the first step towards his success with the Cyclops. However, he has to take it a step further in order to make a successful get-away. Once again, a demonstration of his sharp intellect shows how Odysseus is smarter and more cunning than the average human. A quote that demonstrates his intelligence is,
Homer 's The Odyssey follows the incredible journey of the main character Odysseus, and his long trip home to the Island of Ithaca. The Odyssey is an epic poem written in verse, and is fittingly named after the epic hero Odysseus. An epic hero is defined as a character who possesses superhuman strength, craftiness, and confidence, is helped or harmed by the gods, and usually possesses a natural position of authority. Without a doubt, Odysseus is an epic hero; he is clever and cunning, he has a good relationship with the gods, and excels as a leader.
Some may believe a hero is a person who fights evil and saves people. In reality, it is more than than that. A hero is someone who fights for what they believe in, they are courageous, fight for the greater good, and above all, would sacrifice their life to save the lives of many. For example, in The Odyssey, a hotshot is shown in the life of Odysseus. While many believe Odysseus was a great figure and leader, he was far from that. He failed his crew, and for one reason only, he was not the chieftain his men needed.
The epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.
Odysseus is one of the greatest epic heros in the history of literature. The Odyssey, by Homer, is an epic poem, which depicts the journey home of Odysseus. Angering many gods, this voyage takes him through multiple obstacles, and ends up taking almost twenty years longer than it should've. Throughout his journey, “The Son of Laertes” must get his crew out of trouble multiple times. He uses his intellect and other strengths to do so, and never gives up, no matter the circumstance. Even after losing everything he needs in a storm worthy of the gods, Odysseus still never gives up, and gets himself out of trouble yet again. Throughout his entire journey, coming home from the Trojan War, Odysseus repeatedly uses many heroic traits to get himself and his crew out of many unfortunate situations. These heroic traits, how Odysseus uses them, and the steps of his journey all come together to illustrate that he is an epic hero. Odysseus characterizes himself as an epic hero based on how he almost perfectly follows the characteristics of an epic hero, gets his crew out of trouble multiple times, and follows the Hero's Journey.
Throughout vast journeys of many heroes, no other hero had a more complex journey than Odysseus. This journey is called The Odyssey, written by Homer. It is an epic poem or story told of a hero name Odysseus on a 20-year voyage trying to get back home from the Trojan War. The great epic poem known as The Odyssey and attributed to Homer was probably first written down around the eighth century BC, but the origins of the ancient story in myth, legend, and folklore and art appear to be much older. Greek Epic Hero When you think about Greek Epic heroes, Odysseus will most likely come to mind. Odysseus is the main character in Homer's poem "The Odyssey." "The Odyssey" is a narrative poem that describes Odysseus' adventures
Odysseus is no god. He is man, and with that comes the mistakes and errors in all of us. In many situations Odysseus' mortal side is seen. An example of the power of Odysseus coinciding with his human flaws is his battle with Polyphemous the Cyclops (son of Poseidon). After escaping the lure of the lotus-eaters and their island, Odysseus and his men find themselves on another island, rich with food and shelter. After feasting, the men grab a large container of potent wine and go off exploring the new island. Later in their search they stumble across a large cave filled with food. Curious where the owner's whereabouts are the men encourage Odysseus to steal the food. Odysseus (showing his hospitable and genuine character) decides to instead wait for the