Morally Ambiguous Character In The Odyssey

The Odyssey offers up a morally complex character in Odysseus, allowing the reader to make inferences about his morality, and juxtapose his actions with right and wrong. As we read about Odysseus and the fantastical journey he embarked on we gain a sense of the value and virtues its teaching through Odysseus successes and shortcomings. The main reason as to why The Odyssey should live on in literary history is because it is a means of indirectly teaching future generations certain messages through the examinations of Odysseus. It places a morally ambiguous character in the spotlight and allows readers a chance at introspection. Odysseus is a flawed character (hero) and his flaws allow us to identify with him on a deeper level. His positive and negative character traits allow us to examine our own mental and emotional processes. The significance of The Odyssey stem from Odysseus’s character; he is more realistic and more credible because he does not represent something simple or absolute.

Odysseus is an intellectual. He openly evaluates a situation, demonstrating the logic he employs in making his choices. When it proves effective, Odysseus lies even to his own family, cheats, or steals in ways that you would not expect from an epic hero. Although he shows self-discipline, when forcing his men off the island with the Locust-eater. He seems to always do whatever it takes to achieve his goal of getting back home no matter how difficult the circumstances. You can view his determination as a check mark in the hero category, or you can scrutinize the actions he takes, in the name of determination, as cold-hearted, tactical maneuvers to achieve