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The odyssey short summary
Character and traits of Odysseus
Character and traits of Odysseus
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More handpicked essays just for you.
The odyssey short summary
Character and traits of Odysseus
Character and traits of Odysseus
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The odyssey short summary
Homer’s The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, contains a man named Odysseus whose story can relate to soldiers in today’s military, and how Odysseus has to persevere to get home. Odysseus is a loving husband who goes to fight in the Trojan War. His son, Telemachus, is born shortly before Odysseus has to leave for the war. The Trojan War is a long fight that lasts ten years.
The Odyssey Many people deem Odysseus to be an archetype hero. But was he really? Sure, he won many wars, but did he show the characteristics that matter? No!
In part one of Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus uses his epic hero qualities to help him out on his quest to get back home to Ithaca. He’s shows superb intelligence when fighting the cyclopes in “Book 9.” That’s a quality of superhuman intelligence that Odysseus possessed all throughout his entire journey. Another epic hero quality that helped Odysseus was help from Greek gods and goddesses. In part two of Homer’s Odyssey, Athena helped out Odysseus when he got back to his home land.
Epic poetry, known for its grand descriptions of glorious accomplishments, revolves around an honorable protagonist. As the hero faces adversity in his journey, he triumphs in fleeting moments of bravery. He often exhibits his physical strength to overcome his hardships, manifesting a story with a violent nature. In Homer’s The Odyssey, King Odysseus of Ithaca struggles to return to his loving wife and son after having fought in the Trojan War.
“ ‘But, lady! I’m married! My wife and son are waiting in my three-island kingdom of Ithaca! I must set sail today!” (75 McCaughrean).
In The Odyssey by Homer, Homer makes Odysseus look like a hero, but his actions show that he is not. I do not believe that Odysseus deserves the title of a hero because his flaws kill his men, he cheats on Penelope, and he lies and spies on Penelope. When Odysseus and his men meet the cyclops, Odysseus decides to stay at the cyclops’ cave and see what he has to offer, even though his men think they should just steal all the cyclops’ food and run away. Since Odysseus made his decision to stay, his men were eaten by the cyclops.
A hero is someone who is revered for his or her exceptional achievements and bravery. Anyone who puts themselves before others not for recognition or an award, but because it is the right thing to do, is a true hero. In "The Odyssey," written by Homer is an epic poem about a man named Odysseus and his crewmates competing against the power of the gods to return to their homeland, Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he loses almost all of his men, but Odysseus finally arrives home, concluding his prolonged twenty-year voyage. Odysseus must battle the suitors that have taken his wife Penelope, and may soon kill his son Telemachus.
Twenty years of action and adventure, defeating creatures, surviving, and just trying to get back home. In The Odyssey by Homer, the hero Odysseus takes an arduous journey navigating through raging waters and defeating strenuous creatures in order to get back home with his crew to his wife and son in Ithaca. Odysseus goes through a variety of islands on the way, each including many characters he needs to overcome. Being clever and cunning in difficult situations with the Cyclops, Scylla, Sirens, Charybdis, and finally the suitors will lead to success and survival in the future.. The cleverness of Odysseus is first supplied when he brilliantly guides his men from the danger of being devoured by the unprepossessing beast, to safety
A hero to most people is someone who has risked or sacrificed his life for others. Odysseus often displays himself as being physically and mentally capable of withholding cleverness, courage and strength. This is why Odysseus is a hero. Odysseus oversees those who seek him dead and remains truthful for his goal of getting back home. Odysseus shows cleverness in tricking the Cyclops, having courage in braving the sea and having the strength to face a thousand chances to surrender and never giving up.
After Odysseus returns from his encounter with Circe, a beautiful witch-goddess who drugs and bewitches Odysseus’s most able crewmen, his men are more than relieved to see him and they flock around him as if he is their master and their shepherd. Odysseus is a man who is respected by his crew and treated as a mortal god by the heavens above. As shown in this scene, his men are stuck in the middle of a cross road without his guidance, pivoting towards all directions but incapable of moving forward with a plan. They are “wailing and crying besides [the] sailing ship”(10.433) without any sense of hope and direction in life. They are missing a leader who will lead them in war and guide them back home; they are missing Odysseus.
In literature, great leaders must have dominant characteristics that make them unique, but they must also make wise decisions. A person of such standards must have traits such as integrity, humility, and intelligence. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, the depiction of Odysseus as a legendary leader is lauded throughout Greek culture. However, even though his strong leadership is praised it is extremely distorted from the truth. Odysseus has demonstrated his fatal flaws; his hubris, inability to be loyal, and his narcissism.
About the time Odysseus reached Ithaca, Polyphemus the cyclops Odysseus blinded is asking Poseidon, his father, a way to cure his blinded eye. Polyphemus asked, “Father, Poseidon, is there any way to get my eye back?” “Polyphemus, there is a way to cure your eye, but you must go through a long and harsh journey to get what you want,” Poseidon answers, “You must find a way to go to Circe’s palace and find a way to get her to help you on your quest.” “That’s all I have to do?” Polyphemus said, “Thank you, Father.”
Even though people typically believe that the main hero of Homer’s the Odyssey is Odysseus himself, the true hero of the Odyssey is Penelope. Even though her entire story isn’t told in the epic poem, you can still tell that she went through struggles and trials just as her husband Odysseus did. Along with going through trials, she comes up with witty ideas in order to overcome them. She is very clever, and she also plans long-term. She is loyal to Odysseus and faithfully waits for his return.
Penelope back in Ithaca also remained faithful even with the many suitors in her home. This trust can be seen in military wives and soldiers. Odysseus is the soldier fighting in a different country wanting to go home. There's also trust that they would return home safely, just like Penelope and Telemachus knew that Odysseus would return. Odysseus’ return was vital to Penelope's faithfulness.
In any country, kingdom, or household there is usually the one that seems to overrule all in that specified area. Leaders are strong, courageous, and skilled in combat and wits. Leaders are either looked at as an ally or an enemy. They are confident, bold, and respected. In the poem, The Odyssey, Homer gives us insight of how a tough, cunning, and wise man is brought through twenty years of suffering to reach is home that he weeps for so much.