Character Traits Of Odysseus In The Odyssey, By Homer

Character traits are a person's personality and how they respond to different situations. In the epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer, the hero Odysseus endured many obstacles to return to his home in Ithaca. The way he reacted to these obstacles showed his character traits and who he really was. The hero Odysseus is known to be a strong man that shows cleverness, bravery and leadership which lead to his successes and failures throughout his journey. Cleverness is gathered with age and wisdom. Odysseus develops this trait after many years of fighting and concocting plans to defeat the enemy. The hero is very clever when it comes to a quick thinking in a situation, as seen in Polyphemus’s cave. Polyphemus is a cruel, one eyed monster and “represents

Odysseus was one of these men gifted with this valuable trait that he savors every last bit of. Odysseus risks his life by listening to the barbaric sirens while sailing pass where the creatures lurk. To keep the crew safe of the intriguing and possessive noise Odysseus simply is told by Circe to “plug your oars men's ears with beeswax/ kneaded soft (670-671). Odysseus is heroic and daring by most likely saving his crew's lives at the expense of his sanity and health. The Enchantress Circe was a deceiving mortal that deluded the crew of the valiant Odysseus. At the foot of her stone house lay “wolves and mountain lions.../ none would attack” (541-543). The men overlook this obvious sign and in spite of it continue on to the house. There they find “the goddess Circe../.she sang in her bellowing voice… she wove ambrosial fabric” (551- 554). Eurylochus saw the goddess turn the men into pigs and rushed back to the ship to warn his leader Odysseus. Odysseus, with the help of Hermes, enters the house with only the assurance that her power will be somewhat weakened to save the helpless crew. This bravery was successful because Odysseus freed his crew of the animals bodies they were transformed

Through all the obstacles that had come his way he had found a way to survive so he could live the rest of his life with his spouse. He stayed loyal to his loved one and this is a trait that most admire. Although he had many temptations to jeopardize the life he had built with Penelope, his overall mindset was to continue home to be with his wife. One temptation that he had almost not overcome was on Calypso’s island. Calypso was not thought of as evil but “her seductive charms…/threatened to keep the hero away from his wife, Penelope”(pg.2). Although Calypso did hold Odysseus hostage for the most part, he could have tried harder to escape the utopia. It seemed as though he was not fighting to make his departure and as evidence, while on the island “fought shy of her and her desire, /he lay with her each night…”( 82-84). He had lost his mindset and for seven years lived on the island with the nymph, those precious years could have been spent with his wife who was suffering without him. While at night they were companions, “when day came he sat on the rocky shore and broke his own/ heart groaning, with eyes wet scanning the horizon of the sea” (84-86). There are two different ways Calypso’s island could be viewed, as staying loyal to Penelope or betraying her because of his loss mindset and