More handpicked essays just for you.
Challenges of odysseus in the odyssey
Challenges of odysseus in the odyssey
Challenges of odysseus in the odyssey
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Odyssey Quiz Erin Brzusek 1) Book I, page 7-8, lines 236-254 “’As for my sailing here-/the tale was that your father had come home,/ therefore I… he can do anything’”(Mentês). 1 Athena, disguised as Mentês, is speaking to Odyssey’s son, Telemakhos. Mentês enters Odysseus’ home in search for Telemakhos. Once Telemakhos sees Mentês he brings him to a more secluded area away from the suitors in order to speak with him. Curiously, Telemakhos asked Mentês “’What kind of ship is yours, and what course brought you here?
In the epic The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus’ foolishness greatly impedes his journey home and costs him the lives of all of his men. After spending 10 years away during the war at Troy, Odysseus’ prolonged journey home lasts ten more years due to his constant foolishness along the way. After defeating the cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus turns and yells “‘Cyclops, if ever a mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’ on Ithaca”’(Homer 501- 505). Odysseus tells that cyclops what his name is and where he is from just because he wants recognition for what he has just accomplished.
Achieving great deeds for a group, tribe, or civilization is one of the main characteristics of a hero. Later on in Book Nine Odysseus’s trickster aspect is shown when he gets the Cyclops, Polyphemus, drunk. He then tells him, “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends,
Witty Odysseus Wit by definition means “Mentally sharp; keen intelligence”. Throughout The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus represents many ways that he has earned the title of “Mighty Odysseus” by showing Wit for himself and his men. He has shown that he is mentally strong enough, has an overpowering mind, and is able to think about ways that are not obvious while being in so many emotional states. He leads himself along with his men, through the adventures on the trail to the Island of Ithaca. For his mental strength he has earned the right to call himself and for others to call him “Mighty Odysseus”.
In book nine of Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus displays his intelligence, patience, and hubris when killing the Cyclops, Polyphemus. When Odysseus meets Polyphemus he introduces himself as “outis” meaning nobody. Lying about his name shows Odysseus’ intelligence. When Polyphemus fell asleep, Odysseus stabbed him in the eye and he woke up screaming “Nobody’s killing me”. (9: 455)
Many people lie or disguise themselves to stay away from the truth. However, in the Odyssey, lies and disguises are used for safety and the test of loyal. The theme of trickery plays a extensive role throughout the Odyssey, especially within Books 13 and 14, and is displayed through the concepts of lying and disguising. Throughout Homer’s Odyssey, the instances of Odysseus lying to Athena disguised as a young man and disguising himself when talking to his swineherd illustrate this theme of trickery. After being at sea for 20 years, Odysseus, the main character, doesn’t trust anyone or rush back to his house, when he gets back to his homeland, Ithaca.
Homer, was a great bard who travels from villages telling many villagers his famous epic. The Odyssey of Homer, Homer’s epic creates a theme around Dolos:Trickery. Trickery can be used to escape from life threatening situations. He uses irony, when Odysseus, is trying to escape the one-eyed cyclops Polyphemus by using “the trick of nobody”. He then foreshadows how Odysseus’s homecoming will be, using the sirens voices as a symbolic message.
Homer writes, “if mortal man inquire tell him Odysseus raider of cities took your eye.” Odysseus first told the cyclops his name was “nohbody” which masked his
In The Odyssey, societal values and ideas about what a hero should be are quite different from the modern ideas, and Odysseus is the hero shaped to a near perfect representation of those ancient ways from centuries before the common era. In Book 12 of The Odyssey, Circe warns Odysseus of the Sirens he will inevitably come across when he continues his journey. She tells him to plug his men’s ears with beeswax, but also includes what to do in case Odysseus wants to listen to the Sirens’ beautiful singing. Odysseus warns his men about the Sirens; nobody questions his commands, and they continue their journey, Sirens awaiting. In The Odyssey, Odysseus states, “Going forward I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears.
In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus uses lies as a protective disguise against strangers. Not only does Odysseus utilize lies to keep his identity a secret but also, through the use of specific language, he conveys unspoken points. These points invoke different feelings and opinions in the people to whom he lies. Odysseus can quickly tailor his lies depending on the person and the situation he is in. Odysseus’s skill of creating intricate falsehoods and his use of lies as a way of controlling the thoughts of person he’s lying to, reveals his exceptional tact and guile.
After Odysseus men are eaten by the Cyclops, they come up with a plan to hurt him so they could escape. When they stab the Cyclops in the eye, the Cyclops calls the other Cyclopes. When they approach they ask who ruined him and the Cyclops answers, “Nobody, Nobody's tricked me, Nobody's ruined me!” (9. 317). Earlier in the poem when The Cyclops asks Odysseus for his name, Odysseus tells him the name is Nobody. This takes a tremendous amount of intelligence which is why Odysseus is known for his cleverness.
The Trickster is an archetype. This means that many characters, across many different myths, display traits that would make them fall into this category. The Trickster is not one specific character. Rather, it is a character type. As one would expect, the main goal of the Trickster is to trick or deceive someone.
One way that Odysseus shows cleverness is when he is able to get his men out of dangerous situations. Two stories in which Odysseus uses his cleverness to get him and his men out of dangerous situations are in “Scylla and Charybdis”, and “The Cyclops”. Another way how Odysseus shows his cleverness is he deceives others to his advantage. In “The Cyclops” he deceives Polyphemus when he tricks him into thinking his name is Nohbody, and this helps him to escape the island and not get caught. Cleverness is a trait in The Odyssey that helped Odysseus to get him and his men out of dangerous situations, and cleverness also helped deceive others to Odysseus’
Simile - “Like a charm the name deceived them” (III: 410). This simle compares the way that the false name, Nohbdy, that Polyphemus thought belonged to Odysseus, tricked the other cyclopses into believing that nobody harmed Polyphemus to a charm, which is extraordinary and amazing. By saying this, Odysseus is
In the quote, “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy,” (lines 360-361) Odysseus and his men have just gotten Polyphemus drunk and Polyphemus asks Odysseus what his name is. This quote is important because it shows Odysseus being clever when he told Polyphemus his name was Nohbdy. This quote illustrates Odysseus being a good leader by using his cleverness and not telling Polyphemus his real name to protect his men and himself. Also, in the quote, “I drew on all my wits, and ran through tactics, reasoning as a man will for dear life, until a trick came-and it pleased me well. The cyclop’s rams were handsome, fat, with heavy fleeces, a dark violet.
