When leaving troy, Odysseus and his men first lands in Ismaros where the resident natives called the kikonians lives. Odysseus and his men battle them and plunder them as soon as they step foot on the island. The Ithakans thought they had beaten the kikonians but they thought wrong. The Kikonians had retaliated dramatically though. Odysseus told his men to fall back before things really get out of hand. His men did not pay him any mind; they wanted to fight this battle till the end. Odysseus not thinking things through at the time did not know what he was getting his men into. Things started to clear up when he realized he was losing a lot of his men due to this irrelevant battle. He now began to use his common sense when difficult …show more content…
This land is the land of Cyclops, he and his men have enough supplies to last them while ashore but Odysseus is very anxious to find out what lives there. He was only there for sheep and crates of milk and cheese. His men were eager to leave immediately but Odysseus decides otherwise. They came across the Cyclops named Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon. The Cyclops show a little hospitality at first to only turn around and devour two of Odysseus’ men right before his eyes. Odysseus was enraged and wanted to kill Polyphemus right there but he finally decided to use his mind. Odysseus noticed that if he killed the Cyclops, he and his men would not be able to escape the cave since a boulder is blocking the way and the Cyclops is the only one who can move it. He holds off on killing him and come up with a plan to get Polyphemus drunk and then blind him with a huge wooden staff. The plan works, Odysseus and his men escape safely only to having to deal with Odysseus’ moment of glory. He taunts the Cyclops and tells him his true identity which made the Cyclops ask his father to avenge him by throwing Odysseus of course going home. It took him and his men ten extra years to get home all because of
The Odyssey written by Homer highlights the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, in his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus is accredited with many strong traits including his nobility, smarts, and bravery. Having one tragic flaw, being his arrogance, was put to the test throughout his heroic journey. Homer stripped the protagonist of his arrogance as the story goes on, by giving him many challenges, giving dire consequences for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus’ journey was to reach his home as a humbled man. The hero’s journey can be used as a way to look at life’s morals. The reader is able to see the protagonist continue to make mistakes, because of his arrogance and continue to be punished by the gods. Once he overcame this, he is greatly awarded with the security of his home. This essay will analyze the arrogance of Odysseus along with his extraordinary traits, the molding of his identity, and his new found lesson of humility.
In the beginning while Odysseus is on his journey, he is full of pride for himself and his accomplishments. On his way home from winning the battle in Troy, him and his men stopped to attack the Cicones in Ismarus and collect more war treasure. When Odysseus and his crew arrived to the Cicones’ land he “destroyed the city there, killed the men, seized their wives, and captured lots of treasure…”(9.40) Instead of leaving right away, they “drank too much wine and on the shoreline slaughtered many sheep, as well as shambling cows with twisted horns.”(9.62) While they were relaxing, the Cicones collected all of their neighbors and tribesmen to help fight. In the morning, the Cicones around them were “thick as leaves or flowers growing in season.
Odysseus's pride also prevents him from showing respect towards his men, by not heeding their advice and by not properly mourning their untimely deaths. At Alcinous' court, Odysseus recounts his experience with the Cyclops. The whole trouble with this one eyed monster begins when Odysseus decides to linger in the Cyclops's cave after eating his food, to see "what gifts he would give" (9.258). Instead of welcoming the Achaeans, the monster decides to eat the men who had rudely eaten his food. In sudden shock and horror, Odysseus and his men "wept and cried aloud" (9.331). Eventually, through a clever plan by Odysseus, he and his men escape, but almost die again because of his pride. Taunting back to the Cyclops, Odysseus reveals who he is, which allows the monster to almost collapse their ships, and also to issue a complaint to Poseidon that he should not let Odysseus return home. Poseidon hears this, and as a result, Odysseus and his crew are from then on beset by problem after problem. Had Odysseus listened to his crew who begged him to leave the cave before the Cyclops returned and also to not brag his identity to the monster, the men would have made it safely home. Even after witnessing the cannibalism of some of his crew, Odysseus is only "glad to escape our death / yet sick at heart for the comrades we had lost" (9.630). He does not appear to be too devastated by everything that has just happened to him, curse and all. Perhaps it is because he is surrounded by
First off, Odysseus had to leave his family to go to Troy. Odysseus was probably think that if he and his army defeated Troy than they would have any more trouble with anyone, but that is not the case when Odysseus was trying to get make to Ithaca they went to they Cyclopes island and find food for him and his men. They find food in Polyphemus cave they start to eat it. When Polyphemus return to his cave and find Odysseus and his men Polyphemus is angry at them for eating his food, but Odysseus says they are guests and just want
During the episode on Polyphemus’ island, Odysseus needs to improve on using wisdom/logic. Odysseus takes his men into the cave and they very quickly get the idea that the Cyclops do not want them there. His men tried to turn him back, but they stayed despite the Cyclops obvious bad intentions and Odysseus acted as if he would be treated as a well-respected guest. Only after many of his men are devoured by Polyphemus does Odysseus start to formulate his plan. While in the cave, Odysseus says that Polyphemus “beat their brains out, splattering the floor” (Homer 194). Odysseus should have thought through the situation and tried to create an escape plan much faster. He needed to use his judgment and common sense to spare several of his best men’s lives instead of telling the Cyclops that “any gifts/ you give – as custom is to honor strangers”
A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles- Christopher Reeve. The definition of hero is almost always different depending on who you ask. In ancient Greek society, the definition of a hero could also be taken in many different ways. Such as, a hero could be someone who is good with words, brave, a great warrior, physically and emotionally strong, or even someone who has gone through great suffering.
In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus and many others go on various quests for glory and fame. Throughout these adventures, they are revered as heroes for their accomplishments, and they continue to do more to receive even greater fame. The Greeks revere heroes and their power. The ancient Greek’s reverence of heroes shows that the greeks value fame and power above all else.
In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus is the king of his home Ithaca. He won the battle of Troy and is trying to find his way back home. His wife, Penelope and son, Telemachus are back in Ithaca waiting for his patiently for his arrival. Along the way home he comes across many things that slow him down but he is still determined to get back to his family and Ithaca. Along the way Odysseus has shown many characteristics of a hero. Some things are when this is said in the story, “...weathered many bitter nights and days in his deep heart at sea, while he fought only to save his life, to bring his shipmates home.” ( The Odyssey page. 371). This shows that Odysseus was not only protecting himself but also protecting his shipmates. Knowing that he
What is a hero? Someone who fights for themselves, or shows bravery? Homer’s The Odyssey, follows the journey of Odysseus back to his homeland, Ithaca. Along this journey, Odysseus performs some actions that some consider heroic. Although modern literary scholars of The Odyssey have argue that Odysseus is a hero, closer examination shows that he is indeed not a hero because he only cares about himself, he does not finish his mission successfully, and he kills innocent people.
Hero’s are eminent and cherished by the general public; they use their abilities to help others. A hero can be defined as many different kinds of people. A doctor who saved someone’s life for example, could be their hero. A hero sticks out to people, be that in a good way or a bad way. In Homer’s, “The Odyssey,” Odysseus is a character portrayed as a hero through his bravery, wisdom, and loyalty.
In the epic poem, the Odyssey, by Homer Odysseus experiences many amazing events before arriving at home in Ithaka. I believe that the experiences that he has had on his long journey and his personality will not allow Odysseus to be at peace in his homeland. Odysseus has been away from home for about twenty years. He has experienced many trials and adventures on his prolonged journey home. I believe that Odysseus will not be at peace in his homeland because he has been a warrior since an early age, he is not patient, and most importantly, he has a very curious mind.
One mortal man going under a lot of change can be the savior of the world. Odysseus goes through a lot of change throughout these adventures. He has many attributes that make him the dynamic character he is. His self control is key in the book and gets him what he needs without having to go out of his way. The charming side of him saves many people throughout the book and gets a few girls loving him.
How would you feel if you had to leave someone you love and you had to go on a long trip with many dangers and quests? Odysseus has to go through all that in the Odyssey by homer. In this book is a series of pomes of challenges a man name Odysseus must face to try to get home. Odysseus has to face challenges going to a Cyclopes home, a women name Circe, and a giant beast name Scylla. But when a person is trying to achieve something the outcome might not always satisfy the person.
Odysseus is on an adventurous journey home. Due to the gods being angered by the Battle of Troy, they send hardships to Odysseus and his men on his way home to Ithaca. He faces gods, goddesses, and monsters like the cyclops, Aeolus, Athena, and many more. Odysseus’ men fall, but he survives to retake his kingdom and his wife.
Odysseus was on his way home from the war. It would take Odysseus 10 years to travel back to his homeland of Ithaca. On his way to home he encounters the island of the Cyclopes. When he’s on the island of Cyclops he becomes clever.