The Effect Of Human Character On Fate In Homer's The Odyssey

Kali Smolinski

Ms. Jewell

Period 5

23 February 2023

The Effect of Human Character on Fate in The Odyssey

Greek historian Thucydides wrote that “Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most.” In stories from Thucydides’s time, there were many Greek heroes who manifested their power in different ways. For example: Zeus used his thunderbolt, and Hercules used his muscles. But it is the moral overcoming of one’s self that requires the most power. It takes more strength to win the battle against your own impulses, than to win a battle against someone else. Odysseus, from Homer’s The Odyssey, struggles to battle his own pride. Homer explores the effects of pride and other character traits, on fate. Odysseus is a complex man, whose

His resourcefulness is portrayed by his ability to analyze a situation and determine what move he should make. For instance, when Odysseus has been drifting in the rough ocean for 2 days, he finally sees land, and contemplates how he should approach it. He had “many times been awaiting death” (4), while drifting through the ocean, and must have been weary and delirious. But instead of seeing land and immediately swimming towards it, Odysseus takes time to think about what he should do. He visualizes: “If I swim down the coast, outside the breakers, I may find beach and shore and quiet water- but what if another gale comes on to blow?” (4). He then wonders if he should go back to sea, but thinks that “some shark may find and hunt [him], sent by the god of the deep sea” (4). Odysseus’s thought process illustrates that he clearly examines each situation and its possible outcomes, demonstrating his intelligence. Even when Odysseus was in a most desperate situation, he could still think thoroughly about all possible threats to his survival (as conveyed by the fact that he worried about Poseidon, the “god of the deep sea”). Other ancient Greek heroes overcome situations through brute strength, but Odysseus uses his wits to defeat forces much stronger than him. Another instance in which Odysseus shows intelligence can be seen when he keeps himself and his crew safe from the Sirens. He makes sure his

The trait that most commonly ruined a character's fates was hubris, the Greek word for excessive pride. The suitors, and Odysseus himself, both showed hubris, leading to their downfall in the epic. The suitors' behavior is represented in the way that their ring leader, Antinous, speaks. When Odysseuus, disguised as a beggar, talks to Antinous, Antinous replies “You idiot. Aren't you content to fill your belly with us?” (32). These rash words portray how prideful Antinous is. He thinks that letting a beggar eat with himself and the other suitors is a generous act, when it is only a simple kindness. He rudely tells Odysseus- “No other beggar listens in on us or talks to us” (32), referring to his fellow suitors and himself. Antinous does not even think to ask the beggar’s name, simply referring to him as “beggar,” denoting the man as worthless. His words convey that he does not see beggars as people, instead he sees them as interchangeable, uninteresting beings that are unworthy of his conversation. He has no interest in the beggar’s- Odysseus’s- name, story, or words, simply because he looks like a beggar. Another prominent example of hubris is depicted when Odysseus and his men slaughter the Cicones from the town of Ismarus. When Odysseus speaks of what he did, he declares that he and his men ``stormed that place and killed the men who fought” (10). He also includes that he “enslaved the