The Leadership Of Odysseus In The Odyssey

Leadership is one of the most significant or valued qualities an individual can have because of the effect it can have on many others. The protagonist, Odysseus, displays many of his qualities and traits, such as intelligence, strength, and will. In the story “The Odyssey”, or also known as the long journey of Odysseus, Homer emphasizes the character traits and how Odysseus reacts going against conflicts. He does this by illustrating the disputes, problems, and the ideas of how Odysseus finds his way back home to his hometown, Ithaca. Odysseus is a heroic leader who is intelligent, stubborn, and powerful. He utilizes those traits to accomplish the unmanageable situations. Calypso, a nymph that falls in love with Odysseus, attempts to stratagem

He faces those situations while trying to bring his men home safely. As Odysseus encounters the Sirens, which sing a devious song, it’s so irresistible it forces men to jump overboard in bunches. He should somehow surpass the Sirens without him or his men leaping off. Homer supports this by stating, “I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears” (942). As stated, Odysseus is resourceful and does not want his crewmates to be lured toward the irresistible song. Odysseus also has to make a difficult choice to either face Scylla, a six headed monster, or Charybydis, a massive vortex that nibbles everything that gets close to him. In the story, Homer states “Better to mourn six men than to lose them all and the ship too” (940). In the quote, Odysseus was faced with a dilemma. It was necessary for him to make himself perfect choice for himself and his fellow shipmates. To sum it up, Odysseus reiteratively is forced to make a strenuous decision that affects the lives of his crew and

His men are starving and surrounded by Helio’s cattle, with very little options, Odysseus must do something to prevent that. A quote that backs up that comment is “You’ve gone through everything, listen to what I say. All deaths are hateful to us, mortal wretches, but famine is the most pitiful, the worst end that a man can come to” (947). As it states, knowing that his men were famished and near death, Odysseus prays to Zeus for his understanding. This shows what extremes Odysseus will go through to keep his men and himself alive. In addition, he shows compassion for his men. Odysseus even wants to sacrifice the noblest of the cattle to the gods as well as build a costly temple for the Lord of Noon to appease the gods. As displayed, the epic states “Come, we’ll cut the noblest cattle for sacrifice to the gods who own the sky; and once at home, in the old country of Ithaca, if even that day comes- we’ll build a costly temple and adorn it with every beauty for the Lord of Noons.” (947). Overall, this quote shows the reader that Odysseus will do anything to ensure his crewmates get home safely. Furthermore, Odysseus tried his hardest to complete his mission and bring his men back