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Pride In The Odyssey

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Recommended: Short essay on pride

Shelsea Lopez-Massella
Contrast in the Usage of Pride within the Biblical text and Homeric Epic

Differing texts, the Odyssey and the Hebrew Bible serve to exemplify how “pride” is a term whose definition can be a spectrum with opposing ends rather than a solid meaning. As a word, it is able to connote a definition ranging from narcissism and self-adsorption, to self-assurance and respect for one’s reputation. Pride is an essential aspect of the Greek “hero”, being a characteristic that separates the common man from one of noble lineage and authority. Contrasting to the Homeric use of pride in heroism, the biblical use of the trait is always that of an example of behavior or character that is best averted rather than embraced; as it is a …show more content…

Here, the pride of the men is a shot at elevating themselves above others, to put themselves in a lofty tower that shadows all, leading them to a disarray of language barriers set in place by the Lord. The vanity in pride leads to calamity, undermines accomplishments, and harms their well-being. Solidifying the writers’ use of the malevolent behavior in characters to symbolize the foreshadowing of injury.
Unlike the constant negativity and sin that is imbedded in the anatomy of biblical individuals, Homer utilizes pride to expand the self, per se, allowing each character to either retain his current fame and reputation (in the case of Odysseus) or to seek out one’s purpose and build a name for himself through pursuit of glory (which we see in the character progression of …show more content…

Being a somewhat xenophobic society the Greeks, in this case the Phaeacians, must guarantee that the visitor is friend and not foe, prior opening their homes in hospitality. If they could not receive proof of his noble lineage, Odysseus ran the risk of execution or expulsion. There plays the role of pride; a hero must maintain his air of pride, and self-acknowledgment in his own accomplishments, tales of glory, and brawn, otherwise he is deemed weak in mind and spirit or perhaps seen as an unknown, and therefore, a

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The Odyssey by Homer is an exemplary story that teaches life lessons to those going on a journey for themselves. It illustrates how the challenges and obstacles one may face can help someone become a better leader. The Odyssey highlights one man, Odysseus, a man filled with excessive pride, experiencing the wrath of the god Poseidon. He expects to arrive at his home, Ithaca, safely to reunite with his wife, Penelope, but unfortunately faces many temptations and setbacks. Due to the challenges he faces, it prevents him from arriving home as early as he thought he would.

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Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, chronicles the homeward bound voyage of the main character, King Odysseus of Ithaca. After Trojan War which lasted ten years, Odysseus sets foot on another adventure, which also spans ten years, to return to Ithaca. Odysseus is gone from his home for a total twenty years, but upon his arrival back to Ithaca, he finds that his title has been defended by his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus, who have been awaiting his return this entire time. Odysseus and Penelope are meant to be a model couple, so people often argue about which of the two is more admirable. To be admirable is to have faced a struggle with honor and dignity.

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