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Examples Of Hubris In The Odyssey

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Jonah Spiegel Mrs. Wilpert English 1H Period 2a 6 May 2024. Discover the dangers of hubris and its destructiveness to human nature. A prominent theme that has developed throughout the story The Odyssey, by Homer and translated by Robert Fagles, is that Hubris has a destructive nature. The Odyssey tells the story of a man named Odysseus and his journey home from the devastating battle of Troy. He runs into many obstacles and overcomes them. The destructive hubris that is shown throughout the book is the desire for fame and glory that ruins Odysseus, and that hubris leads to the mens’ downfall. The desire for fame and glory ruins Odysseus. Odysseus and his men intruded into the Polyphemus’s cave to plunder its goods. They successfully raided …show more content…

Odysseus was told to not eat the sun god's cattle on the island of Thrinacia. He told his men, “Listen to me, my comrades, brothers in hardship, let me tell you the prophecies of Tiresias and Aeaean Circe too: time and again they told me to shun this island of the Sun, the joy of man. Harem, they warned, the worst disaster awaits us.” (12.294-298). Even though the island would bring great joy to Odysseus' men, it would also bring a great disaster. A man named EuryLochus took a stand and tried to be a better leader than Odysseus and tried to command his men. To persuade them, he explained that, “All ways of dying are hateful to us poor mortals, true, but to die of hunger, starve to death- that's the worst of all, So up with you now, lets drive off the pick of Helios sleek herds” (9.433-435). Eurylochus believes that he is doing something great and is taking pride and being proud that he saves Odysseus' men from death. Despite Odysseus’s warning, Eurylochus and his men refused to listen and away they went to slaughter and eat the Sun God's cattle. All of the sudden, “Zeus hit the craft with a lightning bolt and thunder. Round she spun, reeling under the impact, filled with reeking brimstone. and the god cut short their journey home forever.” (12.447-452) Despite Odysseus's warning, Eurylochus was reckless and only was thinking for himself. Eurylochus, believing that he did something great, got him killed. The men's downfall was caused by the

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So they had to fish and find other animals besides the cattle and sheep. Eurylochus and the men was tired of the fish and other animals,but they should have kept eating it because they would eventually left the island. Odysseus even urged his men to bypass the island, but they wanted to land and eat the cow even though they had food from the sea. However, Eurylochus should have killed the cattle because of the men and him being tired of the other food they ate.

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When Odysseus and his men stumble upon his cave, he traps them and tries to eat them. His greed for food and resources leads him to act in a brutal and inhumane way, ignoring the rules of hospitality and common decency. Polyphemus' actions highlight how greed can make people lose sight of their humanity and cause them to act in ways that are cruel and destructive. In contrast, we also see characters who resist the temptation of greed and show self-restraint.

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Odysseus and his men were fleeting from Polyphemus’ island, he said, “ Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye…” (book 9, lines 416-418, textbook). Odysseus is being to boastful and therefore it caused him and his man to become cursed and their journey to last for several years to come. Odysseus’ actions caused his men to pay for just being too full of pride and egotistical. After encountering Aeolus, king of the winds, odysseus received a bag full of wind so they could finally return home to Ithaca, “ nine whole days we sailed, nine nights, nonstop.

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Odysseus is tempted by the land of the Lotus-Eaters he desires all that he can benefit by raiding their home. Homer writes, “Then I sent out two picked men and a runner to learn what race of man that land sustained”(92-93). In line 94 Odysseus then learned that his decisions were made in vain, because Odysseus’ men “.. fell in soon enough, with the Lotus-Eaters,” Odysseus took his pride from defeating Troy and turned it into arrogance. This then created problem with Odysseus and his crew and their ability to get back home. One would think that Odysseus would not run into a conflict like he had already endured, but as stated in lines 458-459 Odysseus didn’t learn.

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