Odysseus Challenges

Odysseus was the Greek king of Ithaca and the hero in “The Odyssey”. His queen was Penelope and had a son named Telemachus. He was away from home for a total of twenty years. Ten years were spent fighting in the Trojan War, and ten more on his journey back home. Along the way he faced numerous challenges and difficulties, but in the end made it back home. With the help of the gods, he was able to return to Ithaca.

On the way back home, after the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men arrive at the Land of the Lotus Eaters where Odysseus is smart and sends a few men to check out the island. “Then I sent out two picked men and a runner to learn what race of men that land sustained” (Homer 92-93). Some men ate the lotus and did not want to leave the island. They no longer cared to continue their journey back home. “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest” (Homer 101-103). Odysseus drags his men back and ties them down because it was the only way to get them off the island. He

Antinous shows arrogant behavior when Odysseus enters his home and ends up throwing a “stool he let fly hit the man’s shoulder on the packed muscle under the shoulder blade” (Homer 1228-1229). Odysseus contains his anger within and shakes his head. He thinks wisely and does not reveal his true identity unto the suitors. Disguised as a beggar he says to Penelope, “You see, then he is alive and well, and headed homeward now, no more to be abroad far from his island, his dear wife and son” (Homer 1350-1352). Once Odysseus sees how loyal Penelope was to him during his time away, he brings her good news. His disguise allowed him to see who he can and cannot trust from his kingdom. When he sees that his wife cannot recognize him, he knows he can count on the element of surprise to help him defeat the