Character Traits Of Odysseus

Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and the main character in homer’s The Odyssey, was gone for twenty years before finally returning to his family and his homeland. He struggled through many hardships and lost many loyal companions. The King of Ithaca would not have made it home without the assistance of the Greek gods. Despite all of the help and advice that Odysseus receives from the gods, he is a very brave man because his courage and daring in the cave of the Cyclops, his inability to give up and abandon his men on Circe’s island, and his flawless following of the gods instructions are acts of bravery that is uncommon in most men.

After twenty years apart from Odysseus, Penelope longed for her husband to return with the frank hope that he still lived. She stayed faithful to Odysseus even when everyone declared he was dead and her handsome suitors battled for her hand in marriage. Loyalty is the most desired value in an individual, human or not, whether it’s toward your family, country, or a cause.

Odysseus, king of Ithaca, was probably on of the greatest warriors in the history of Ancient Greece. It is said that the poet, Homer, wrote the story of the Odyssey. In this story, Odysseus and his crew are trying to make their voyage back home to Ithaca after they have fought with the Trojans. During the long journey, Odysseus will show some of his character traits which include his bravery, cleverness, and wisdom that will assist him with the situations he encounters on his journey home.

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus goes through many trials while trying to return home from the Trojan War. On his voyage home, he must visit the Land of the Dead, evade the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis and when he does arrive home, participate in a tricky reunion with his wife, Penelope. All of these examples show that Odysseus has extreme determination and perseverance. Perseverance is an excellent quality that few possess which can spark achievement.

In The Odyssey, perseverance is an important lesson and is one repeatedly seen throughout the whole play and occurs with more than one character. Odysseus, his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus all displayed strong actions of perseverance. Odysseus fought through terrors and deadly sins in order to get back to his wife and son, his family, his home. He persevered from the beginning of Homers’ epic all the way through till the end. From his escape from Calypso’s hold to Circes temptations Odysseys was relentless in getting home and never gave up on that. He and his men can in contact with the lotus-eaters and the sirens of the sea, but never once did he stray his course and give up his perseverance. Everything from his way of thinking to his desire to survive and conquer, fall into the promotion of perseverance. When Odysseus finally returns home and finds his wife’s suitors he undermines them and takes his rightful place back on the throne of his house. Odysseus’s wife Penelope exhibits this heaven worthy trait also, by relentlessly pursuing the belief that her husband is not truly dead, and even though she lets her suitors take advantage of her house and her kindness she never once sways in loyalty to her husband. Through tears and grief she persevered and when he finally returned to her, her heart was filled naught with guilt but with love for him because unto him she had done no wrong. Lastly, Telemachus displayed perseverance by pursuing the truth of his father even when his own doubt clouded his judgment. Telemachus went on voyages and discovered the real truth about his biological father all the while growing as a person. Perseverance appears to be one of the strong traits in Homers’ The Odyssey and the fact that several of his characters all have this trait and displays it in different ways and at different times to one another really goes to show how profoundly

Perseverance is exhibited again in the episode of “Circe, the Grace of the Witch,” when Circe gives Odysseus a magic drink but it does not affect him and he threatens to kill her with his sword.” (Homer, P.387) This shows that Odysseus used his mind and perseverance when dealing with Circe and ended up creating a deal with her, which eventually saved his men. This is important because his key quality of perseverance played a big role in his part of surviving, and without perseverance, the story might have changed completely. Perseverance was another bold trait that identified Odysseus as an epic

In The Odyssey Odysseus stands up for his men who are traveling to war with him when Athena accuses them of not displaying much talent. It would be difficult for Odysseus to stand up for his men while talking to a goddess. However, he handles himself very wisely explaining to Athena the positive qualities in each of his men. In The Odyssey after Poseidon grows angry with Odysseus telling him he will suffer, it only makes Odysseus determination in himself increase. A hero is one who never gives up, so one major character traits they should obtain is determination Although Odysseus is beaten down by the god of the sea it does not decrease his determination. During the journey back from the war in The Odyssey after Poseidon has warned Odysseus that he will not make it home Odysseus not only works well with his men, but also is very self reliant. Self reliance is a huge part of becoming a hero because you have to be prepared at all times if something was to happen to your acquaintances, you need to have the confidence to fulfil your goal.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus portrays an important trait to the story, perseverance. His perseverance really stands out as something that he has and always will have. On his long journey home, he never gives up and just stays where he is, no matter how tempting. He always manages to push through and keep getting closer to his goal of returning home. An example of when he does this is when he is faced with the challenge of getting past Skylla and Kharybdis. He knows that either path will kill at least some of his men and possibly him, but he knows he has to keep going. "And all this time,/ in travail,

Another trait that Odysseus demonstrates repeatedly throughout the story is his loyalty. In various situations he never gives up on his crew, even when he has reason to. During an episode in the epic, Odysseus travels to the underworld to receive a prophecy. He meets his great friend Elpenor, who has died earlier in Circe’s hall. Because he is unburied and unmourned he asks Odysseus to build a cairn in his honor. Odysseus replies, “Unhappy spirit, / I promise you the barrow and the burial.” (Homer, lines 609-610). Although Odysseus is preoccupied with finding Tiresias, he shows loyalty to his crew mate by spending time with his spirit, and carrying out the spirit’s request. It could have been easy for Odysseus to ignore the spirit of Elpenor, but Odysseus shows a real emotional reply to this meeting. Not only does he show loyalty to his crew but his homeland as well. Although he could have given up during the ten year span Odysseus wandered from home, he persisted even though giving up would have been easier. At one point Odysseus is detained by the enchantress, Circe, but remains determined to reach home:

This specific statement highlights his strength and refusal to submit to anything less than victory. In addition to his spirit, he was significantly clever especially in his notable confrontation with the monster, Cyclops. He escaped from Cyclops’ stronghold by using available resources and a creative idea to intoxicate and subdue him. Subsequently, he was forced to travel along “rough, deadly winds on the fish-infested sea” and “land of the Lotus-eaters” (Homer, 173). Odysseus was truly “never at a loss” or backed in a corner for a prolonged time (Homer, 157). It was his responses to consecutive strenuous experiences that enabled his comrades to respect, admire, and trust him. Odysseus was the ultimate standard due to optimistic disposition during harsh times.

“ Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years on end, after he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy.” (Homer page 751 lines: 0-4) That was an opening prayer from The Odyssey. The Odyssey is about a 20 year-long travel of a man named Odysseus. He traveled to Troy facing the dangers on many mythical creatures and many fictional creatures. This king of Ithaca, left his beloved wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus, that he has not seen since his son was a young child. Odysseus expresses his traits, that helps him survive the obstacles he faces. Odysseus’ traits are bravery, curiosity, and intelligence.

In the book The Odyssey, the main character is Odysseus. He is the King of Ithaca. Odysseus is brave, cleaver, and smart. He is also noble. He has a son named Telemachus.

Odysseus showed that he was loyal to his men just not by leaving them behind, but he revealed his true colors to notify his men that they cannot not ever give up even when things get difficult. He was known for his leadership skills; leaving home for so many years, to return back to his family. During Odysseus early life, he had the ability to solve problems as well as outwit his opponents. He promotes his own code of conduct through his exploits. Odysseus is more intense than Achilles, more pensive, but still is able to create explosive violence. Odysseus is all about being victorious; even when it was time for him to return back to his home.” A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time” (Odyssey). This quote represents all of the misery that he came upon his excursion. He played a special role in Homer’s lliad; demonstrating his abilities to advise his followers so they can be independent.

Odysseus left Calypso’s Island and began his journey back home. His odyssey might be described as one’s own life struggles. There are ups and downs to every situation, and through reading The Odyssey, readers can connect parallels between Odysseus’ experiences and lessons learned in their own life. Human weaknesses can still prevail through even the strongest men you may think of; examples of this are shown in this epic. Even though there is a large gap in space between Odysseus’ travels and the present, human nature and weakness still share the same obstacles.

Every obstacle that was faced during Odysseus journey he always found a way to survive. His journey started when he signed up for the Trojan War that lasted ten years, a war that could have killed him. Not only he signed up for the war but it took him another ten years to get back home with his wife and