ipl-logo

Odysseus Leadership In Homer's The Odyssey

713 Words3 Pages

The Odyssey, by Homer, is a widely renowned ancient Greek epic that takes its reader along the journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he tries to return home. By analyzing the Great Wanderings, or the heart of his trek home, Odysseus’ inability to effectively lead his 600-man home becomes more than apparent. Odysseus’ repeated impulsive actions lead to the death of his 600 innocent men and prove that he is an arrogant and ineffective leader. Throughout his expedition, Odysseus makes many unnecessary decisions that prolong his journey and ultimately lead to the demise of his men. Odysseus’ incompetence begins when he makes the impetuous decision to sack the coastal town of Ismarus: “I sacked the town and killed the men.” (9.41). By saying this, Odysseus admits responsibility for this wreckless delay. …show more content…

Raiding the island had no purpose other than to fulfill Odysseus’s desire for adventure. What’s more, as their safety becomes increasingly endangered, Odysseus commands his troops that they “must run away,” but he reports that, “Those fools refused to listen (9.44-45). Though Odysseus’ direct order seems like an effective leadership decision, the troops’ refusal to follow his order exhibits an extreme lack of trust in him. An exemplary leader is one who can effectively control their subordinates and, if there is descent among the ranks, can productively refocus them. Because of a lack of trust and incompetent leadership skills, “Six well-armed members of my crew died from each ship” (9.56). The tragic loss of 72 healthy, young, homeward-bound men could’ve been easily prevented if it wasn’t for Odysseus’ impetuous decision. Not only does his erratic and incompetent leadership affect Odysseus, but it affects the well-being of the innocent, young men he is responsible for. Odysseus’s incompetent actions on Ismarus exemplify the danger and impact of his fatal

Show More
Related
346 Words | 2 Pages

Odysseus and I both have demonstrated leadership. After their fierce encounter with the cyclops, Odysseus lead the men away safely with minimum casualties and kept his wits. In the Odyssey, Odysseus said, “Old shipmates, friends, the rest of you stand by; I’ll make the crossing in my own ship, with my own company, and find out what the mainland natives are.” (898) Odysseus’s leadership kept his men together and their trust in him. He was one of the first ones off the ship to lead his men into the unknown land.

Read More
735 Words | 3 Pages

The way that Book 12 demonstrates examples of both skilled and faultless leadership on the part of Odysseus by not telling his men that six of them were going to die and by doing everything Circe told him in his fate. Not telling his men that six of them were going to die shows skilled leadership because he thought ahead and knew what their reactions were going to be which would’ve gotten them all killed, “They would’ve dropped their oars again, in panic,” (Homer 766). If the men were to panic, hide, and try to save themselves then they would’ve put the entire crew in danger including the ship. Book 12 shows how he is a faultless leader too, by sticking to what Circe told him was his fate. By sticking to what Circe said Odysseus ensured that he would make it home to his wife and son.

Read More
168 Words | 1 Pages

Odysseus in a leader that chooses to risk his and his men’s lives, just to get back to Ithaca and get back to his family. In the story “The Odyssey” by Homer, teaches us about Odysseus and how he demonstrates that a leader takes challenges and dangers in the hardest times. This late results of him risking the lives of his men and losing a couple men from his crew. The first time he risked his men’s lives was when they were running away from the Cyclops.

Read More
678 Words | 3 Pages

When he received the bag of winds from Aeolus his men asked him what was in the bag. Instead of him telling them that it's a bag of winds that would help them get home, he told them that it's a treasure. “what's in the bag captain treasure declared odysseus the best treasure present any host could have given to a weary traveler nobody touch it you hear” (28) His men did not listen and opened to check out the treasure that bag causing a storm that destroyed 11 ships and swept away Odysseus to the island of Laestrygonians. This shows why Odysseus is a bad leader because he needlessly puts his men in danger when he could have told them what was in the bad instead of telling them its treasure.

Read More
1900 Words | 8 Pages

Douglas MacArthur once said “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others,” His saying points out that in order to be a true leader, they shall be confident and independent as well as courageous through difficult decisions and open-minded. In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus shows all of these traits during his journey returning home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus as a human makes foolish mistakes, many important choices are made during his trip to Ithaca, he truly is longing for his return home and does whatever it takes whether it is good or bad. Odysseus shows elements of good leadership throughout book IX. In the beginning,

Read More
571 Words | 3 Pages

Odysseus is a good leader in that he uses his wits to get his men out of trouble. As Odysseus and his men prepare to face Kharybdis and Skylla, his men are nervous, so Odysseus reminds them “‘Have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the kyklopes penned us in his cave? What power we had! Did I not keep my

Read More
1764 Words | 8 Pages

In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.

Read More
864 Words | 4 Pages

Odysseus and his men hide, but with Odysseus’ critical thinking skills, he devises a plan for him and his men to execute, and they do so successfully. Only with a good leader and teamwork skills could they manage to escape the brutal polyphemus. Although the brutal actions of eating men are not relevant, the problem solving skills and actions taken together as a team are. Odysseus demonstrates to the reader how a good leader should act by saying, “Control

Read More
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
500 Words | 2 Pages

When Odysseus commands his men to go back to sea to voyage, he is a good leader because he is telling his men what to do. He is being a leader by protecting his men from the Ciccone 's army by leaving before reinforcements come. For example, when Odysseus and his men are heading to the sirens Odysseus states “you are to tie me up, tight as a splint” (Homer 1005). Odysseus is an admirable leader when he orders his men to tie him up and do not untie him because he is sacrificing himself for the good of his men. He is a leader when he does this because he lets his men not suffer the sirens while he has to.

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
688 Words | 3 Pages

The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.

Read More
1042 Words | 5 Pages

This character is brought to light using several incidents and events that help to analyze and interpret the ancient Greek world and the values surrounding them. Each episode supports and allows for the development of Odysseus’ character and acknowledges the effects of these features. Through these specific incidents, the reader uncovers the quality of Odysseus and how his characteristics relate to those praised by Greeks and those that were criticized. Persistent components of Odysseus’ character include cleverness and pride, while major themes that are reiterated are Greek ideals and the struggle to reach home. Conclusively, definitive occasions in “The Odyssey” establish and expand upon the character of Odysseus and how it impacts himself and

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

As Odysseus acknowledged his mistakes, he took accountability through his sadness and guilt. With his confident behavior, willingness to take credit, and genuine feelings, Homer exemplifies the characteristics expected of an epic hero through Odysseus. The connotations associated with Odysseus' actions and emotions further amplify the portrayal of a heroic character who embodies leadership, accountability, and

Read More
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 Leadership In Homer's The Odyssey

Open Document