ipl-logo

The Downfall Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

741 Words3 Pages

What really makes someone seem conceited and arrogant? Maybe it’s when someone does something admirable and they have to mention there name to let everyone know who they are? Or when that person is challenged by others and can’t resist a chance to make himself stand out? Or is it when a certain someone tries to fight all the men of a town all by himself? Well, a godlike man by the name Odysseus proves himself to be conceited and arrogant through all of those scenarios. While on his journey home Odysseus sailed his ship to the “place where many sheep and goats were penned at night.”(Pg. 429) This is the island that the Polyphemus the cyclops lives on. Odysseus and some of his crew went to talk to the cyclops but the one eyed giant had other things in mind. He trapped them in his cave and ate two of odysseus 's men. He then drank a great quantity of wine. Shortly after the Cyclops was drunk and had fallen asleep. Odysseus of course had a plan and burned the cycloses eye with hot stake that had blinded the cyclops. The next morning when Polyphemus was letting his sheep out Odysseus and the rest of his crew he had escaped the blind giant’s home. When the godlike man got back to his ship and started to sail away he called back to the cyclops and told him “Cyclops, if anyone, any …show more content…

Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus conveys his arrogance and conceitedness in many ways. The godlike man can’t help but let Polyphemus know who he is. When he was at Phaeacia he showed up the young heros. And when he got home he killed all the suitors with his son. All of these things secure the Son of Laertes in the line of Zeus with glory and honor. Without Odysseus’ arrogance and conceitedness he wouldn’t be at glorious and honored as he is. Glory is attained by victory in battles, and honor is attained by one 's behavior. Son of Laertes in the line of Zeus In The Odyssey one theme is Honor and Glory, so without odysseus and his characteristics those expressions wouldn’t have as much

Show More
Related
1066 Words | 5 Pages

Odysseus, a man who was known for his adventures, but do we really understand the attributes needed for an epic hero? The King of Ithaca had a very concealed past where it is hardly ever noted that his men were mistreated by their captain and all of Odysseus’ mistakes affected those around him. Odysseus, on several occasions did his men wrong and along his journeys, he became very willful and big headed. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus has several misfortunes such as losing all of his men and being stranded and not returning home for 20 years, but evidently all of these problems were caused by the mens lack of trust in Odysseus and Odysseus being too stubborn and full of pride. The crew had a very important job in the quests that Odysseus

Read More
1107 Words | 5 Pages

On the Cyclopes' island, he was interested in meeting the owner of the cave who had such fine cheeses. However, his men only want to steal the cheese and leave hastily because there was an uneasiness about the cave. Nevertheless, he fixes upon staying and not soon after, the cyclops Polyphemus returns. He and his men are now in peril because of Odysseus' recklessness. The consequence of his decision is that shortly after Polyphemus devours most of his men but this bolsters him to conjure a plan to escape.

Read More
1299 Words | 6 Pages

During their expedition, Odysseus’s crew comes upon an island of Cyclops where they meet a particular Cyclops, Polyphemus. After Polyphemus locks Odysseus and his men in his cave, Odysseus is able to trick the Cyclops into letting them out. Once Odysseus escapes, he boasts to Polyphemus, “Cyclops,/ if ever mortal man inquire/ how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him/ Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye:/ Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!” (Homer 970-974). Odysseus’s negligence is portrayed through his arrogance and the way he reacts towards Polyphemus.

Read More
856 Words | 4 Pages

He tells them, “I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, know to the world/ for every kind of craft–my fame has reached the skies” (9. 21-22). Odysseus shows his arrogance in this quote. Odysseus is so full of arrogance in the beginning of the book that he cannot let anyone but him get recognition for the stories. Odysseus says himself that he is “known to the world” and his “fame has reached the skies”. These statements show someone who is full of themselves and doesn’t want any point of recognition off of them.

Read More
1064 Words | 5 Pages

Earlier in the epic, Odysseus frequently abuses his role as captain of his crew because of his curious nature. He makes several stops on their journey home in search of more opportunities to prove his skillfulness, even though he is already a king and has won a major war. One of these stops is at the Island of Polyphemus, home to the cyclops famed for eating all humans that enter his cave. Even though Odysseus is well aware of the danger ahead, his curiosity tempts him to

Read More
570 Words | 3 Pages

The concept of hero has been interpreted in many ways throughout the ages. Hero have gone from knights slaying dragons and rescuing the princess, to heroes who save the world with their supernatural-like powers, to a modern day hero who is someone who has noble qualities and is regarded as a role model. In the epic, The Odyssey, by Robert Fagles, the heroic Odysseus is a well known in Greek mythology. However, although Odysseus is the most respected, honorable hero of Greek mythology he is not a modern hero. A modern day hero is someone who puts their life on the line to save the lives of other innocent people.

Read More
1744 Words | 7 Pages

After becoming trapped in Polyphemus’s cave, Odysseus lies to Polyphemus telling him that he and his crew got shipwrecked on the island, Polyphemus senses the lie and starts to go on a rampage eating a part of Odysseus’s crew. According to "The Odyssey ¨snatching two at once, rapping them on the ground, he knocked them dead like pups, their brains gushed out all over, soaked the floor–and ripping them limb from limb to fix his meal¨(Homer 220). As Odysseus’s pride takes over, he decides to lie which results in the death of a few of his men by consumption of the great cyclops Polyphemus. If Odysseus had been more humble and told Polyphemus the truth, he could have saved his men from a grueling death. Adding on, after narrowly escaping Thrinacia Odysseus taunts Polyphemus, telling him where to find him and who he is so whenever someone asks who blinded Polyphemus he could say exactly who, giving Odysseus the proud title of the blinder of the cyclops.

Read More
591 Words | 3 Pages

Just as Achilles is confronted in the Iliad with the problem of balancing his honor with his pride, Odysseus repeatedly faces situations in which self-restraint and humility must check bravado and glory-seeking. In his early adventures, he fails these tests, as when he taunts Polyphemus, inflaming Poseidon. As the epic progresses, Odysseus becomes increasingly capable of judging when it is wise to reveal himself and when it is appropriate to rejoice in his

Read More
820 Words | 4 Pages

After Odysseus and his mean had been adrift for some time, there supplies started to diminish. Odysseus and some of his men arrived on shore to search for nourishment and supplies. At the point when Odysseus discovers that Cyclopes live on the island, he's resolved to go look, in light of the fact that he's never seen one. He and some of his men go to the hole where Polyphemus lives and commit the error of being inside when Polyphemus gets back and moves an enormous stone over the entryway. He then snatches and consumes some of Odysseus' men.

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

In the book The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, is a man who is loved and respected by many. In the beginning of the book, we learn that Odysseus has left on a journey and, since it has been many years since his departure, many people assume that he has passed. On his journey, he portrays his many traits, not all of them being good ones either. Some of his good traits include his cunning, bravery, and hard work ethic. On the other hand, his negative traits are his excessive pride, immense curiosity, and rather large temper.

Read More
416 Words | 2 Pages

In the section “In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave” from Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a hero through his character traits and behaviors. When Odysseus and his men attack the city of Ismarus, the Cicones’ strong hold, Odysseus made sure to fairly distribute the spoils among his men. Odysseus’s behavior shows that he is a great leader, a characteristic of a hero. While Odysseus and his crew are in the Cyclops’ cave, Polyphemus, the cyclops, notices them. Polyphemus asks who they are with a monstrous tone, “‘Strangers!'

Read More
529 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the story, Odysseus demonstrates his courage that ultimately allows him to survive. One of these moments was during his journey back to Ithaca, where he faces a race of man eating giants called the Cyclops. Odysseus originally stops his ship there to relish a feast while on his journey back to Ithaca, but while doing so, out of curiosity explores the island. Soon, he finds a deserted house and decides to wait of the owner. The owner was unknowingly one the Cyclops, named Polyphemus.

Read More
922 Words | 4 Pages

Summary: Cyclops In the story, Odysseus is still speaking to the Phaeacians, but is now telling them of his encounter with Polyphemus, the cyclops. Strong winds blew Odysseus and his men to Polyphemus’ island, where they unloaded and entered a cave that Polyphemus happened to live in. When he entered the cave, he closed the entrance with a large boulder that only he could move, trapping himself, his sheep, and Odysseus inside. After he ate some of Odysseus’ men, Odysseus devised a plan to get the cyclops to move the boulder so that the men could escape.

Read More
846 Words | 4 Pages

When Odysseus is leaving the cyclops cave, his egotistical behavior is shown when he tells Polyphemus who hurt him. Odysseus screams to Polyphemus, “if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus, raider of cities, he

Read More
414 Words | 2 Pages

While Odysseus and his crew are slowly moving away from Cyclopes Island, Odysseus tells Polyphemus that he is “Odysseus, Laertes’ son,” whose home “lies on Ithaca” (Homer 459 and 460). Because of his arrogant decision to tell Polyphemus the truth of his origins, he essentially dooms him and his crew. Polyphemus, who is Poseidon's son, asks of his father to punish Odysseus for his arrogance, whom grants his prayer. In cessation, Odysseus’ haughty decision to tell Polyphemus his whereabouts leads to his utter

Read More

More about The Downfall Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

Open Document