ipl-logo

Odysseus As A Leader In Homer's The Odyssey

699 Words3 Pages

In Homer’s translation of The Odyssey, the epic sung many years ago, there is a struggle of warriors to return to their home land after the battle of Troy. They face many challenges and obstacles and generally rely on one person to lead them home, Odysseus. He is seen flawless by men and the smartest of them all. A leader must always carry qualities that make him such a person to be followed by many dozen men who enjoy his control. Although Odysseus was seen as a strong leader with no flaws, there were in fact many that have cost him many lives.

There were many traits that made up Odysseus as a wanted leader. He was quite ambitious and was willing to take some risks. Most risks that would be taken were for him to return to his wife in the …show more content…

Even if it may be from the spur in the moment of a recent victory, it will find its way right back at you and cause much harm. “I did it without your help!”, screamed Odysseus after the 10 year long war in Troy. According to the movie, this angered Poseidon as he was not credited for helping them to not be ratted out and Odysseus completely disregards that. This angered the god and it was the start of his long painful journey of suffering caused by the mighty Poseidon. Many times after he would continuously insult the gods and many of those times someone would be lost or some sort of major problem would expose itself to Odysseus and his crew. Karma was real, even back …show more content…

The constant thought of war flowing through Odysseus’ mind was by far one of his worst characteristics. Whether he was warned or not warned to not expose his weapons and put on their battle suits he still had the thoughts to do so and it most definitely wasn't in the best interests in the long run. “And now I forgot Circe’s stern command not to arm myself, instead I donned my splendid armor and grasped two long spears in my hand”, states Odysseus as they travel through Scylla’s home (233). The adrenaline of battle made all of the men rush up to put on their gear and to fight the sea serpent with no avail as they were continually getting plucked off one by one no matter how much a fight was put up. There was an unnecessary amount of time wasted on suiting up and going for a fight that this was possibly one of the many breaking points in their journey home as this is where most of the lives were

Show More
Related

Odysseus Is A Bad Leader Analysis

285 Words | 2 Pages

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes, however, what gives someone the title of a good or bad is decided by the decisions they make and how those decisions affect others. Odysseus led the squadron of soldiers in the trojan horse and is a hero of the Trojan War and the king of Ithaca. Consequently, this gives him experience when it comes acting in difficult situations. This experience should guide him to choose correctly when being put in a tight spot.

Read More

Odysseus: A True Leader In The Cyclops By Homer

937 Words | 4 Pages

Everyone knows the story of what came to be The Odyssey, but most do not realize that Odysseus is not what we call today a "jock with no brains''. The way that he able to "think on his toes" is what helps him become a strong leader. In the Cyclops, Odysseus was able to use his brains and bronze to escape the beastly Cyclops. Odysseus was also stuck with a decision, weather to take the path where they would have to inner come the man sucking, ship destroyer, Charybdis or thee huge-monstrous, Scylla. Odysseus was a strong leader and did everything he could to help his crew, because of the story the Cyclops and the story of The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis.

Read More

Odysseus Flawed Leadership In The Odyssey

1276 Words | 6 Pages

I didn't think leadership was something I needed to work hard at. I had already arrived”(Modglin 1). If Odysseus had just treated his crew with more respect and worked harder to be selfless he would’ve been the perfect leader, and his crew would have the utmost respect for him as a

Read More

Odysseus As A Good Leader In Homer's Odyssey

756 Words | 4 Pages

In the Odyssey, Odysseus incited the story. Even though he lost his men in the end, he brought out the most important things in them: never give up. However, besides being a good leader, Odysseus made some bad choices in The Odyssey, and sometimes didn’t look like a good leader. Three areas/incidents where Odysseus was a poor leader was his extreme hubris, at the battle of Troy, and when he encounters Polyphemus. First off, Odysseus threw himself and his crew into bedlam with his hubris.

Read More

Odysseus As A Leader In Homer's Odyssey

735 Words | 3 Pages

Leadership in The Odyssey Being a leader means to look past all distractions and focus on the main goal. Odysseus must return to his home, Ithaca, with the help of his crew. As they face evil and cruel forces, Odysseus’s strength, leadership, and dedication is tested. Despite Odysseus instructing his crew to return to their ship in order to avoid the Cicones, Odysseus forcefully ties his crew to the ship and reminds the crew about their past encounters to motivate them, supporting Homer’s changes in leadership. Homer continuously portrays Odysseus as being a strong, witty leader although his crew does not always obey him.

Read More

The Role Of A Leader In The Odyssey By Robert E. Lee

833 Words | 4 Pages

As the king of ithaca Odysseus’ had an obligation to fight for his city-state and fought a war on troy, their Odysseus spent ten years in war, until victory. Odysseus wanted to go back to ithaca to see his wife Penelope and his son Telamachus On his way back odysseus faces many situations in which endanger himself and his followers. Odysseus runs into troubling journeys in which involve gods goddesses and monsters. Because of these drawbacks odysseus arrives to ithaca ten years late, and faces even more problems at his own home. Odysseus the famous epic hero and leader of ithaca from greek mythology but, he deserves a D- on his leadership, although odysseus’ primary concern is for his men, he does not have self-discipline and falls to the temptation of greed, and fails to communicate clearly with his men.

Read More

Odysseus: A Good Leader In Homer's The Odyssey

571 Words | 3 Pages

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus repeatedly shows that he is polytropos, for as Zeus says “There is no mortal half so wise”(3). Using his wits, Odysseus gets him and his men out of several sticky situations in the Odyssey, proving his leadership through his actions that save the lives of his crew member. On the other hand Odysseus’ streak of constantly outsmarting challenges, goes to his head, and unfortunately causes Odysseus to develop a hubris. His pride at times makes him arrogant, believing that he always knows best, which leads to the untimely demise of his crew. While Odysseus proves to be good leader by saving his crew from trouble with his wits, he is ultimately a bad leader because he refuses to listen to advice.

Read More

Odysseus Is A Good Leader

367 Words | 2 Pages

The question of whether or not Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s The Odyssey, is a good leader is very difficult to answer; however, it seems as though the bad things he did trumped the good things he did, resulting in him being classified as a weak leader. Countless times in this epic, Odysseus is very arrogant and cocky, which puts his men’s lives in danger more times than not. For example, when they entered the cave of Polyphemus the cyclops, the majority of his men wanted to leave so they wouldn’t get eaten. Odysseus, however, decides to test Polyphemus’ hospitality, ultimately resulting in 6 deaths.

Read More

Pathos And Ethos Of Culture In Homer's Odyssey

1177 Words | 5 Pages

However, examples within the literary narrative of the Odyssey leaves the discussion open with regards to his leadership. Thus, the question of leadership supersedes the topic of Arete. Was Odysseus the ideal leader or did he portray undesirable leadership tendencies? The examples that will presented will illustrate that Odysseus hubris, risk taking prowess, and at times unwillingness to follow instructions often placed his crew in danger as he journeyed Ithaca.

Read More

Is Odysseus A Hero

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

Odysseus As A Hero In Homer's Odyssey

865 Words | 4 Pages

During these situations, Odysseus gains leadership and tactical skills from fighting in the war in Troy, which costs him 10 years of his life and another 10 years of sailing out on the sea from Poseidon 's curse. Odysseus is therefore a heroic and efficient leader because he plans his moves ahead of time and is vigilant at all times to ensure his safety. Yet, though Odysseus possesses these heroic leadership qualities, his arrogance sometimes leads to his downfall and inability to lead. While Odysseus is a little arrogant, he can also be a great leader because he is able to trust his second in command, Eurylochus, and give him more power while he is away. When Odysseus is away from Circe’s island, Odysseus has a change of heart and suddenly wants to go back to Circe’s island to retrieve his crew.

Read More

Odysseus Is A Bad Leader Essay

508 Words | 3 Pages

A great leader views the world like he is looking through 3D glasses, always seeing the depth and vibrancy of the possibilities around him. A bad leader is like a cyclops wearing an eyepatch, never able to see his mighty hand in front of his own face. In The Odyssey, Homer illustrates the journey home to Ithaca taken by Odysseus and his men. Unfortunately, Odysseus makes poor choices throughout his travels and his actions often do more harm than good. Two character traits define Odysseus and shape his poor leadership style.

Read More

Greek Values In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

811 Words | 4 Pages

In the Odyssey by Homer, one heroic trait that Odysseus shows his preeminence which articulates the Greek cultural value of leading your men to victory. For example, the theme is made apparent when Odysseus visualizes “Bow to stem, trying to put heart into them, standing over every oarsmen, gently” (782, book 12). This shows that Odysseus knows his men can overcome the fear of dying and can save themselves. This is important because Odysseus’ trait is guidance and he strongly portrays that.

Read More

Examples Of Leadership In The Odyssey

761 Words | 4 Pages

Bravery, cleverness, and determination are three traits a good leader has. In Homer’s epic “The Odyssey,” Odysseus, the hero in the story, is trying to return home to Ithaca after his victory in Troy. On their way back home, Odysseus and his men hurt the cyclops, Polyphemus, and angered his father, Poseidon. With a god angry at them, Odysseus and his men had to overcome many obstacles. These obstacles led them to strange islands that had goddesses and dangerous creatures.

Read More

Odysseus Leadership In Homer's The Odyssey

620 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the story “The Odyssey” by Homer Odysseus, the main character counters countless amounts of trouble. As king and leader it is his job to keep his men save and get the job done. Odysseus does whatever it takes to keep his men unharmed, and more importantly, alive. All his crew and him dream about is getting back to their homeland, but first they have to pass the obstacles. Odysseus demonstrates good leadership qualities by doing whatever it takes to get the job done, using his advanced cunning abilities to trick his enemy, and constantly saving his crew from dangers.

Read More

More about Odysseus As A Leader In Homer's The Odyssey

Related Topics

Open Document