ipl-logo

Examples Of Odysseus Foolishness

198 Words1 Pages
In the epic The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus’ foolishness greatly impedes his journey home and costs him the lives of all of his men. After spending 10 years away during the war at Troy, Odysseus’ prolonged journey home lasts ten more years due to his constant foolishness along the way. After defeating the cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus turns and yells “‘Cyclops, if ever a mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’ on Ithaca”’(Homer 501- 505). Odysseus tells that cyclops what his name is and where he is from just because he wants recognition for what he has just accomplished. This allows the cyclops to put a curse on him that causes that
Show More
Related
278 Words | 2 Pages

In Book 9, Odysseus demonstrates that cleverness is one of his strengths, but also that arrogance, or hubris, is a major weakness for him. For example, Odysseus demonstrates his cleverness on the cyclops island of Polyphemus. When he arrives on the island and Polyphemus asks for his name, Odysseus says that his name is “Nobody,” which confuses Polyphemus. After Odysseus blinds him, he yells “Nobody’s killing me” (224). His cyclop friends are also confused and think he is ridiculous.

Read More
166 Words | 1 Pages

Odysseus has displayed a few times that he cannot properly command his own crew. An example of this is shown in the very beginning of the book: ”But not by will nor valor could he save them, for their own recklessness destroyed them all” (Homer 1. 10-11). This sentence showcases Odysseus failing to control his crew members, which highlights his ineffective leadership skills. The fact that their own recklessness had destroyed them all really emphasizes how Odysseus did nothing to stop his crew from being reckless, and for that he had failed as well.

Read More
385 Words | 2 Pages

Kealan Chiu Mr. Fleitas English 1 Period 5th 2/7/23 Odysseus’s Journey with Manly Masculinity In her translation of the epic poem The Odyssey, Emily Wilson conveys that Odysseus has a cocky, stubborn, and negative masculinity, as seen through the word choices Odysseus uses. For example, Wilson expresses Odysseus's cocky masculinity when she says, "Cyclops! If any mortal asks you how your eye was mutilated and made blind, say the Odysseus, the city-sacker Laertes' son, who lives in Ithaca, destroyed your sight" (Wilson 9 502-506). Wilson saying "your eye was mutilated and made blind" shows Odysseus's cocky masculinity coming out since he is the King of Ithaca; having everything perfect, makes Odysseus look down on Cyclops and make fun of someone's facial features.

Read More
628 Words | 3 Pages

Fulfilling one’s arête does not necessarily mean being the best there is at something, but merely being the best you can be at something specific. This could mean a warrior, a wife, a son, a dancer, really just about anything. Throughout Homer’s Odyssey, various characters fulfill certain arêtes of theirs, yet other fail miserably at it, the most important example perhaps being Odysseus himself. Some characters even fulfill one of their arête but fall considerably shorter of fulfilling others, like Penelope. Arête shapes much of the Odyssey, and the motivations of many characters are driven by the concept.

Read More
488 Words | 2 Pages

For all the great strengths of these heroes it’s important to remember they’re still human. Humans are naturally flawed beings, in fact their exaggerated strengths seem to make their weaknesses more dramatic. These fatal flaws constantly get between the hero and reaching his goal contributing to setbacks, loss, and sometimes death. Odysseus’s fatal flaw is pride, usually in himself he lets his positive regard for his own abilities and wants get in the way of his decision making process. One example is his military leadership, he makes both very good and very bad military decisions in his time commanding men, Odysseus is, as Homer says,” polytropos, many-sided, mixed, multi-colored, piebald.

Read More
576 Words | 3 Pages

After Odysseus fights the Cyclops, he expresses, “Kyklops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes son, whose home’s on Ithaca!”(9. 548-552). In this quote, it refers to how Odysseus tells the Cyclops his name so the Cyclops will know who took his eye out. The Odysseus should have faced and fought him instead of running up to him to tell him his name. The poem would have changed dramatically if he would have killed the Cyclops, and thus sparing him a little over 10 years of pain and absence caused by

Read More
439 Words | 2 Pages

Homer writes, “if mortal man inquire tell him Odysseus raider of cities took your eye.” Odysseus first told the cyclops his name was “nohbody” which masked his

Read More
432 Words | 2 Pages

The main character Odysseus in the Odyssey written by Homer is generally thought to be a great hero; however, he shows more traits of a quite flawed character on closer inspection. Around the beginning of Odysseus’ journey home after the war, Odysseus decides to take a detour to the home of a cyclops deciding to not listen to his men’s suggestions to leave while they still could; consequently, it does not end well: “Ah, how sound that was, Yet I refused. I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer no pretty sight it turned out, for my friend” (9.130-132). This thought by Odysseus shows that he realized his decision to go to the mysterious island wasn’t the most rational one and that his men’s pleas to leave were the better option, but he decides to be stubborn and place his curiosity before his men’s safety resulting in a non-heroic

Read More
856 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
570 Words | 3 Pages

He gets the Cyclop drunk, claims his name is nobody, then stabs his eye and leaves him blind. The next day, when the Cyclop open the door to let his sheep out, Odysseus and his men make a run for it. When the reach the boat Odysseus reveals his true identity and brags to the Cyclop that he got away with what he did to him. Since the Cyclops was son of Poseidon, Poseidon curses Odysseus with a bad trip home because of what he did to his son. Overall, Odysseus is arrogant, making him nt fit to be labeled as a modern

Read More
755 Words | 4 Pages

Imagine being apart from your family for over ten years, fighting for your life in a war, and in the many battles and problems you will face on your way home from war. Would you be able to fight a cyclops, pass a dangerous whirlpool and have to face the fact that your crew betrayed you? In the novel The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus must do all of these things and more. He has been away from his wife, son and many other family members for over ten years now, fighting for his life on his journey home after fighting in the Trojan war.

Read More
416 Words | 2 Pages

In the section “In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave” from Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a hero through his character traits and behaviors. When Odysseus and his men attack the city of Ismarus, the Cicones’ strong hold, Odysseus made sure to fairly distribute the spoils among his men. Odysseus’s behavior shows that he is a great leader, a characteristic of a hero. While Odysseus and his crew are in the Cyclops’ cave, Polyphemus, the cyclops, notices them. Polyphemus asks who they are with a monstrous tone, “‘Strangers!'

Read More
529 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the story, Odysseus demonstrates his courage that ultimately allows him to survive. One of these moments was during his journey back to Ithaca, where he faces a race of man eating giants called the Cyclops. Odysseus originally stops his ship there to relish a feast while on his journey back to Ithaca, but while doing so, out of curiosity explores the island. Soon, he finds a deserted house and decides to wait of the owner. The owner was unknowingly one the Cyclops, named Polyphemus.

Read More
414 Words | 2 Pages

While Odysseus and his crew are slowly moving away from Cyclopes Island, Odysseus tells Polyphemus that he is “Odysseus, Laertes’ son,” whose home “lies on Ithaca” (Homer 459 and 460). Because of his arrogant decision to tell Polyphemus the truth of his origins, he essentially dooms him and his crew. Polyphemus, who is Poseidon's son, asks of his father to punish Odysseus for his arrogance, whom grants his prayer. In cessation, Odysseus’ haughty decision to tell Polyphemus his whereabouts leads to his utter

Read More

More about Examples Of Odysseus Foolishness

Related Topics

Open Document