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More handpicked essays just for you.
The gods in the odyssey
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Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Being disrespectful is the worst thing you can do in Greece. Everywhere in the world disrespecting someone is not a nice thing to do. Odysseus never disrespected anyone, like when he said “give me a rag for cover, just some cloths” (bk5, Pg162). He respected the girls and wanted to cover after he got to the island without cloths. There were all girls except Odysseus
Greek Values One may have wondered how mysterious it is when two lives on separate journeys meet, combining their journeys into one. In the epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus and his son, Telémakhos, do exactly this through trials influenced by hospitality, loyalty, and cleverness. After a long war Odysseus sets a voyage for home in hopes of meeting his son for the first time, but runs into many set backs. The Odyssey is an epic poem about how Odysseus and Telémakhos are reunited and the trials they go through to get back home.
Additionally, Odysseus had made some mistakes like all good heroes. Once when the cyclop, Polyphemus tries to befriend Odysseus. Which, Odysseus disregarded, “If I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquake could not heal you there” (479 - 481). Odysseus has insulted Polyphemus and his father, Poseidon.
Webster Dictionary defines leadership as simply, “providing direction or guidance,” but to be a successful leader one must focus on completing a goal in a way that is beneficial for the majority, not only the one in charge. This can be achieved by utilitarianism, which is doing of what is best for the most number of people, and carrying out actions that lead to positive effects, instead of merely being done with good intentions. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is not an exemplary leader because he went against utilitarianism by not being honest with his men, letting his arrogance control his behavior, and by killing many people in his house without a fair trial. Firstly, a leader must be truthful with those he works with in order for no errors or confusion to occur as a result of information being hidden. In The Odyssey, not being truthful lead to negative consequences for everyone on Odysseus’ ship, and thus contradicted the principle of utilitarianism stating that actions must lead to positive effects.
This also helped Odysseus to reveal all of the people who maligned him and the ones who respected him.
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.
Ethos is a word describing a state of harmony in life that people in both literature and the real world try to achieve. In the beginning of The Odyssey by Homer, it is established that even though Odysseus is more exceptional when compared to an average mortal, he still has not reached his harmony. One major trait that hinders Odysseus’s progression is his hubris or excessive pride. He must abandon this detrimental piece of himself to be able to move forward and obtain ethos, even if this task expands throughout a ten-year voyage. Odysseus’s journey allows him to carve a pathway to his own ethos, through the shedding of old pride and the rebirth into a new sense of self.
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.
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
All this describes Odysseus, but do so in a superficial fashion. Reading only the praises sung about him gives us the impression of a perfect king, who learns from the gods and is kind to mortals. Despite the hardships he has faced, he has accomplished more than his peers. Reading the praises compels us to drift away from the person that is represented in the Odyssey, as an almost pathological liar who has lied every chance he got and is hated more than any other mortals by the god who rules the vast seas. A seemingly contradictory idea that remains, however, is that Homer has managed to fuse these two description together and describe a complex character who is loved by all other gods.
He has a substantial relationship with Athena, who assists him in multiple situations. Add more here. During Odysseus’ travels home, him and his crew receive help from Aeolus, the ruler of the winds. After the crew sets themselves back in their travels, Aeolus refuses to help them anymore, showing the division between humans and gods in this world. Along the same lines, some of the gods play a huge part in keeping Odysseus from returning home.
Odyssey Essay Did you know Odysseus let many of his men die in the Odyssey? Well, Odysseus is also known for his brave and heroic acts, but to further understand him, you have to know about his Greek Values. In the Odyssey, Odysseus’ strength and weaknesses of leadership, intelligence, and his selfishness. This reflects the Greek Values of leading others to success, and accomplishment, outsmarting others, and caring for others.
In Book 5, when all of the gods, except for Poseidon, discuss the fate of Odysseus, Athena fights for Odysseus to get her father, Zeus, to intervene and give aid to Odysseus. Athena says to Zeus, “Not one of the people whom he ruled remembers Odysseus nom that godlike man… Now he’s left to pine on an island, racked with grief” (5.12-14). Athena’s use of words such as “he’s left to pine on an island, racked with grief” shows the use of Flattery towards Zeus to feel pity for Odysseus. By getting Zeus to feel pity, this strategy encourages him to favor Odysseus because of Odysseus’ situation.
Odysseus’ reverence to the gods is shown again after the suitors families and the town learns of Odysseus’ homicide, they come after the royal family. Athena and Zeus come to Ithaca, ordering a peace. Homer describes the event and Odysseus’ reaction, “So she commanded. He obeyed her, glad at heart." (Homer 24.598).
The Odyssey In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus is bestowed with great abilities. But along with this potential, he is cursed with great arrogance. Conveying that even the labeled ‘perfect’ among us have fatal flaws that causes pain and suffering among the ones closest to them. The author, Homer, uses Odysseus’ arrogance to create a melancholic atmosphere to convey the idea that arrogance is a fatal flaw that will lead those around them to pain and suffering.