In the beginning of the book Odysseus is impulsive and arrogant. After Odysseus blinds and defeats the Cyclops, he cannot contain himself. Out of pure impulsiveness and the inability to be humble, Odysseus yells out to the Cyclops, “If any man on the face of the earth should ask you/ who blinded you, shamed you do so–say Odysseus,/raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,/Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Homer 9.556-562). Odysseus is so impulsive he has to scream out his name to the gods and the Cyclops. Odysseus’ impulse overtakes his actions, and rather than waiting for the right time to do something, he cannot contain himself and must get it out. In the beginning of the Odyssey, Odysseus cannot control his impulses, which leads …show more content…
He tells them, “I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, know to the world/ for every kind of craft–my fame has reached the skies” (9. 21-22). Odysseus shows his arrogance in this quote. Odysseus is so full of arrogance in the beginning of the book that he cannot let anyone but him get recognition for the stories. Odysseus says himself that he is “known to the world” and his “fame has reached the skies”. These statements show someone who is full of themselves and doesn’t want any point of recognition off of them. Odyssey believes that he is the great of all time, and no one will be able to bring him down. This shows that in the beginning of The Odyssey Odysseus is impulsive and …show more content…
Odysseus is talking to Athena when she tells him he has arrived at Ithaca. Odysseus is shell-shocked and come back saying, “But now I beg you by your almighty Father’s name…/for I can’t believe I’ve reached my sunny Ithaca,/ I must be roaming around one more exotic land–/ you’re mocking me, I know it, telling me tales/ to make me lose my way. Tell me the truth now, have I really reached that land I love?” (13. 367-373). In the beginning of the book Odysseus tried to show no weakness and to make sure everyone knew who he was. He thought the gods looked to him and he needed no one but himself. After his long journey when Athena tells him he is at Ithaca at last he is humbled and thankful. He says nothing about how he got there, but rather thanks the gods and is overjoyed to finally be home. This shows that he is humbled. Because in the beginning he was impulsive and arrogant, he set himself up for a journey of miseries, and in this quote he asks the gods to release him from those miseries. He has never asked that before and always thought he was better than the gods themselves. After being humbled, put in rags, and put through many hardships, Odysseus finds that he is not the most important being and becomes more humble because of this. When the suitors are trying to win Penelope’s heart they are tasked to string Odysseus’s bow and shoot it through axes. Odysseus waits for most of the suitors to attempt to string
Jake English Mrs.Dial Character and Relationships of Odysseus compared to the Bible Odysseus was a man of many talents, he was a great military leader, a good father and, not always but most of the time a loyal husband. He defeated the Greeks using his wits, he also saved his men from the evil witch called Circe. He wasn’t perfect though he did make mistakes, all mortals do. He is married to a beautiful women named Penelope on the island of Ithaca, but war has called him away from both her and his son Telemachos who is not even 2 years old. All the time he is away which is 20 years he is faced with many challenges.
Another time he shows control over his actions was when he docked on the lotus island. He restrains himself from trying the tasty lotus and tells his men, “clear the beach and no one taste the lotus, or you will lose hope of your home” (898). Here Odysseus resisted the temptation that he could be worry free and not care about anything. Likewise,
In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ journey is created by a cycle of self-created obstacles that are solved by quick witted thinking and ultimately reflect no real desire to learn from his errors or create any character development. Throughout the story, Odysseus expresses a strong desire to return home to Ithaca, however he is constantly thwarted by his own curious and boastful nature. For example, when
In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.
Odysseus’ reverence to the gods is shown again after the suitors families and the town learns of Odysseus’ homicide, they come after the royal family. Athena and Zeus come to Ithaca, ordering a peace. Homer describes the event and Odysseus’ reaction, “So she commanded. He obeyed her, glad at heart." (Homer 24.598).
Overall, Odysseus is often portrayed as a “model hero”, but in reality he has many faults such as being untrustworthy, arrogant and
Sometimes Odysseus’s emotional need for rest and relaxation got the best of him, but that was only on one occasion. Odysseus made the selection to use his motives and emotions to choose the right way of path and ultimately save him from what could've been a deadly consequence. One trial where is occurred is when the crew was getting caught up in the moment with the Cicones, Odysseus made the choice not to get caught up in victory, but to continue going on his journey. If Odysseus were to of been in that mindset, all of the crew could’ve possibly gotten killed. “Then I urged them to cut and run, set sail, / but
In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.
Naturally, he has much to be proud of: his sexy and loyal wife, his bravery, and his victorious battles from the Trojan War and beyond. However, his arrogance creates a weakness in his character that negatively impacts himself and the people around him. The evolution in Odysseus’s personality turns him from an arrogant flaunter to a humble man, and demonstrates that the strifes he encounters during his journey home is not simply new experiences, but also his beginning of a profound revelation. Starting from the middle of the mountain, Odysseus’s new transformation will allow him to soar to the top with eagle
Both of these quotes act as support to the claim. To further elaborate, Odysseus doesn’t think on impulse, instead he plans for the future. This trait is vital as a leader, as he should be certain to not make a mistake otherwise his entire crew may suffer.
ST2: Furthermore, Odysseus submits to temptation again, and Homer displays the temptations as another display of hubris on Odysseus’ voyage home. 1: Homer portrays Odysseus’ displays of hubris as one of the biggest temptations, seen as Odysseus tempts the cyclops, even when his crewmates plead for him to stop, saying, “‘So headstrong— why? Why rile the beast again?’”(9.550), but Odysseus’ provocation of the cyclops is not hindered by their pleas. 2: After escaping the cyclops, Odysseus expresses overconfidence, leading to the taunting of the cyclops, while his crew cries, “‘Why rile the beast again?’” for fear that Odysseus would be further tempted to lengthen their journey home.
Just as Achilles is confronted in the Iliad with the problem of balancing his honor with his pride, Odysseus repeatedly faces situations in which self-restraint and humility must check bravado and glory-seeking. In his early adventures, he fails these tests, as when he taunts Polyphemus, inflaming Poseidon. As the epic progresses, Odysseus becomes increasingly capable of judging when it is wise to reveal himself and when it is appropriate to rejoice in his
This character is brought to light using several incidents and events that help to analyze and interpret the ancient Greek world and the values surrounding them. Each episode supports and allows for the development of Odysseus’ character and acknowledges the effects of these features. Through these specific incidents, the reader uncovers the quality of Odysseus and how his characteristics relate to those praised by Greeks and those that were criticized. Persistent components of Odysseus’ character include cleverness and pride, while major themes that are reiterated are Greek ideals and the struggle to reach home. Conclusively, definitive occasions in “The Odyssey” establish and expand upon the character of Odysseus and how it impacts himself and
The conversation between Athena and Odysseus in the middle of book 13 reveals how each of them feels and thinks about the other at this stage in the epic. When Athena is first coming to meet Odysseus, after he has landed on Ithaca, she decides not to appear as herself to Odysseus, but first as a “young man… a shepherd boy”, and she then changes back to herself (13.252). She does this to get an honest opinion from him, as if she had appeared as a god, he might not have been honest with her. She also wants to hear his story, and see if he is actually thinking about her. After he does not “recognize” her because of her “endless” shapes, she is angry with him and accuses him of “never getting tired of twists and tricks” (13.340,56,32).
Those in the noble classes like himself tend not to be humble since they do not work to sustain themselves or/and rarely experience tragedy and get more than needed. Indigent people, on the other hand, struggle to maintain basic needs. By bringing Odysseus low, he was able to learn to be fortunate with little supplies and to be humble. He uses this wisdom he gains to teach Telemachus, replicating what the gods taught him. Understanding the recurring theme