ipl-logo

Odysseus Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

411 Words2 Pages

Odysseus sufficiently exercises his authority as captain by warning his men in every possible way of the consequences they might face. Odysseus and his men have been sailing for a multitude of days, tired and weary from their travels. During the journey, Odysseus had been warned both by Teiresias and Kirke that if the boat were to land on Helios’ island, there would be fatal doom waiting for them. Specifically, Odysseus was warned that if they killed any of Helios’ heifers or sheep, his crew would surely perish. As the crew is sailing, they spot an island, which Odysseus knows to be Helios’. Odysseus petitions to the men why they should not land on the island by telling his men of the destruction they could face. His sailors, exhausted, protest Odysseus’ plea and Eurylokhos demands to land on the island. …show more content…

I am alone, outmatched./ Let this whole company/ swear to me a great oath: Any herd of cattle/ or flock of sheep shall go unharmed;” (12.377-384). Not only does Odysseus tell his men directly what they are not to do, he attempts to express to his men his concern that their fate is most likely sealed. Odysseus realizes that fate is against them no matter what and tries to convey to his men that he senses doom when he sees “the power of destiny devising ill”. Odysseus further emphasizes this by answering “without hesitation” to demonstrate to his men that he is confident in what he is saying. Odysseus warns his men of consequences they may face by being confident and aware of the fact that their destiny is already set in stone.

Show More
Related
155 Words | 1 Pages

As eager as Odysseus is to get back home to his wife and son in Ithaca, the shipmates on board with him are struggling with hunger and the loss of energy. Looking at Odysseus’ intense determination to return to his town, it seems as if the only idea that is filled in his mind is to go back to Ithaca without looking at the tired condition of his shipmates. Odysseus’ yelled difficult orders and tasks that were expected to be fulfilled by his sailors, and for the most part they were able to complete it. Looking at the poor men rowing day and night over the monstrous waves, Odysseus never gave them a chance to take a break and enjoy a single meal, until one shipmate decided to speak up. Even so, Odysseus was narrow-minded and thought only about

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
734 Words | 3 Pages

This text shows that Odysseus can be humble and accept that he needs to listen to survive and he alone can not keep his whole crew alive. Odysseus tends to use his own wit and skills to survive not needing others help, but sometimes he does need to take others advice to

Read More
751 Words | 4 Pages

Compare/Contrast Essay I read the books Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The books Uglies and Fahrenheit 451 have a lot in common and a lot different. Something they have in common are that they both take place in a dystopian society.

Read More
476 Words | 2 Pages

Odysseus, the great and powerful, was a leader among many, and the fearless king of Ithaca. Even with all of his amazing qualities, he did not control his own fate. After winning the war in Troy, Odysseus begins his journey back to Ithaca, but not without complications. On his journey, he battled monsters and the god Poseidon, who made his journey long and treacherous. Although Odysseus was a strong leader, he needed the help of the gods to get home.

Read More
1881 Words | 8 Pages

(10. 109-111). In this quote, Odysseus and his men arrive at a new, foreign land. The land is smokey and mysterious Odysseus questions who lives on the land -- it could even be non-humans. However, Odysseus doesn’t use his leadership position to lead or help his crew, in fact, he sends his men into danger instead of himself. This proves he doesn’t care about his crew because he will send them into the

Read More
746 Words | 3 Pages

“On the highway to hell” “If you're going to go through hell... I suggest you come back learning something” – Drew Barrymore”. Our brave hero Odysseus has been through many trials and tribulations but his hardships are not over. He has been through years of captivity with Kalypso, problems with Poseidon, conflicts with a cyclops, and clashed with witches on Circe island; but brave Odysseus faces his biggest challenge when he travels to the underworld. Courageous Odysseus starts his journey on Circe island.

Read More
544 Words | 3 Pages

But the most dangerous action that was a barrier towards his motives of going home was with the Cyclopes. This was when his mens were killed from the Cyclopes. This is an example of the danger that Odysseus faces when returning back to his kingdom that also affected the lives of his fellow mens. But this danger we know that fate is also on Odysseus side. We know this because when Odysseus want his four men's to draw the shortest straw, those four mens that was with Odysseus, just happen to draw the shortest straw.

Read More
1329 Words | 6 Pages

Furthermore, Odysseus shows great amounts of arrogance towards his men and the challenges he faces. Odysseus has shown his entitlement through the different obstacles he’s faced and his previous role of being the king of Ithaca. In Scylla and Charybdis by Homer, Odysseus guides the ship knowing that some of his men will be endangered, which puts his crew members at risk for death. He was aware of this before choosing if he was going to cross Scylla or Charybdis, but he believed that he was entitled to only keep it to himself, that most of them would die. In “The Cattle of the Sun God” written by Homer, Odysseus tells his men to only follow what he says by saying, “‘We must obey the orders as I give them’”

Read More
815 Words | 4 Pages

The men of Odysseus struggled with facing the obligations they had for their lives. The Cyclopes did not take control of their island and did not make responsible choices with his property. Odysseus, on the other hand, took the power he had and helped others along the way. Many have contended with accountability and not many have succeed in vanquishing it. Consequently, it is hard to prosper under the weight of responsibility, but Odysseus

Read More
406 Words | 2 Pages

Odysseus on the other hand, listens to Teiresias “Great captain, a fair wind and the honey lights of home are all you seek. But anguish lies ahead… Avoid those kine, hold fast to your intent, and hard seafaring brings you all to Ithaka…” (Homer 188). Teiresias assures Odysseus that he will return home and warns him of the hardships to come.

Read More
656 Words | 3 Pages

The cave is dark and musty. The beast is gruesome: nasty, brutish and gross. He gobbles down men and sheep for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With only one eye, decaying, rotted teeth, and the stench of his rancid breath filling the confined cave, the journey Odysseus had embarked on, did not look like it had a bright future. But, this was part of the journey that he had agreed to.

Read More
1042 Words | 5 Pages

I wouldn’t let any of my crew / Spell me, because I wanted to make good time.” His poor decision of not telling the crew about the winds, and insisting to sail by himself is another byproduct of his pride. This scene can be directly contrasted to his journey from Phaeacia to Ithaca, as he finally trusts his crew and reaches home peacefully. The significance of this incident very much fortifies the obstacles and predicaments that Odysseus faces on his way home, as well as unmasking the impurities in the character of

Read More
1332 Words | 6 Pages

Also, to dramatize the situation and emphasize the morality of the crew, Homer says "[the crew] put their backs in the oars, escape grim death." This passage shows how, while Homer considers Odysseus heroic, Odysseus may not follow expectations because of his pride and willingness to endanger his men. In this passage, Odysseus continually taunts Polyphemus' against his crew's wishes, and thus risks their lives. However, throughout the reading, Odysseus' claims to have great affection for his crew and wishes to protect them; thus, Odysseus' actions in this scene highlight an inconsistency in Odysseus' character and heroic nature. Because of this inconsistency and Odysseus’ prideful and

Read More
2242 Words | 9 Pages

This is shown first through the taunting of the Cyclops. As stated above, Odysseus taunts the Cyclops who shows that he is more than capable of wrecking their ship and the people on it. Besides that, the crew begs for Odysseus to be sensible and stop with the taunting, but they were unable to “bring [his] fighting spirit round.” The only reason why he does stop is because the Cyclops eventually makes a big enough wave with the top of a mountain thrown in the water to push their vessel to another island (9. 530-608). Due to the pleading of his crew, this shows that Odysseus is inconsiderate because they could have easily died and left their families behind.

Read More

More about Odysseus Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

Related Topics

Open Document