Comparing Odysseus And The Cyclops In Book Nine Of The Odyssey

Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus has the tendency to be a narcissistic, selfish and inconsiderate leader towards his men. When Odysseus and his men finally escaped certain death from the giant cyclops, Polyphemus, the not-so-heroic king of Ithaca shouted a taunt above the pleas of his aghast crew, towards the blinded cyclops. He yelled to the enraged cyclops,”If any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shame you so--say Odysseus(Homer IV. 558-560).” With this reproachful act of arrogance, Polyphemus, son of the wrathful Poseidon, cried out to his father, praying that Odysseus' travels be cursed and that he would return home a “broken man” and with “all shipmates lost(IV. 593).” This event shows how he is too unworthy

Three traits that Odysseus and Telemakhos share are clear-headedness, eloquence, and showing strong emotion. They are portrayed with these traits in the Odyssey, composed by Homer. Odysseus is a renowned military strategist, warrior, and the King of Ithaca. He was forced to go to war against Troy twenty years ago, and since then has traveled all over the Aegean trying to find a way back home. Meanwhile, his son, Telemakhos, has developed into a full-grown man from the mere infant he was when his father left for war. He has searched far and wide for news of his father, still hoping, along with his mother, Penelope, that Odysseus is still alive somewhere and somehow, even though most have assumed he is dead. Through his ventures, Telemakhos

Again, the gods’ warned of revenge if Odysseus’ men did not obey them in not eating the cattle. Yet, while Odysseus was sleeping, Eurylochus convinced Odysseus’ men to eat the cattle (Homer 408). When the Sun god Helios found that Odysseus’ men had slaughtered his cattle, he rallied to the gods to strike revenge on them. Helios sought out revenge by asking Zeus, “’Father Zeus! The rest of you blissful gods who never die-punish them all, that crew of Laertes’ son Odysseus…’”(Homer 409). Zeus responded with vengeance by striking Odysseus’ boat with a lightening bolt and killing his men (Homer 410). By Zeus striking Odysseus’ boat with a lightening bolt and killing his men, the reader is definitely aware of the severity of revenge associated with disobeying a god; especially the most powerful of all gods. This severity greatly shows the important role that revenge plays in the poem and the affect revenge has on Odysseus.

Heroic, Strong, Brave, Confident. A hero is these things and many more. Two heroes who are very alike are Odysseus from the Odyssey and Hercules from the Disney movie Hercules. Not only did they both battle fearsome monsters, they were both working against an angered Greek god and shared many common characteristics. Odysseus and Hercules may have been uncannily alike but in the beginning they had their differences in motive. Although towards the end their purpose became more alike than ever.

In Book 9 of Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is a clear example about how being overly cocky and full of yourself can lead to someone doing wrong acts that could lead to their downfall. Odysseus shows this himself in Book 9 of Homer’s The Odyssey when he is retelling the events that happened in the Polyphemus’, the one-eyed giant’s, cave. Here he proudly states, “They lumbered off, but laughter filled my heart to how nobody’s name -my great cunning stroke- had duped them one and all” (Homer 224). In this passage he speaks highly of himself when he talks about how he was a genius to come up with the plan and how he deceived them all with it. This implied that he thinks that he accomplished blinding Polyphemus all by himself because he is so cunning

This suggests that Odysseus is not a forgiving person and that he will punish anyone who is in the way of his wrath. His uncontrolled anger is a hazard to his life and those around him. Narcissism (hyperephania) is also characterized in the book, and it can allow a person to always have an expectancy for praise and adulation from others, and this can lead a person to think too highly of oneself, when truly one is not able to be compared to that esteem. In “The Cyclops” Odysseus had not told Polyphemus his name, but when he was sure of success, Odysseus proclaimed his name with pride, “...how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye’ (503-504):” Odysseus once again cannot leave without the cyclops knowing who did this atrocity to him, so that when he gets home people will know his name and of the great things he did. This tells us that Odysseus is a man that needs other people to know his accomplishments and achievements for he himself to feel accomplished. This means that everything that Odysseus does, he will need to receive praise from others, for it to mean

In The Odyssey- Part II, Odysseus with the help of his son and loyal servants. They slaughtered all the suitors and maids for the following: they tried to take advantage of his goods, they tried to marry his wife continuously, and destroyed his house. The slaughter of many of the suitors may have been brutal, but it was necessary.

Later Odysseus' ship stops at an island inhabited by Cyclopes. One of the Cyclopes, Polyphemus, captures Odysseus' and his men. To escape, Odysseus stabs Polyphemus' eye. As Odysseus is sailing away he shouts out, " `Cyclops, if any mortal man should ask about the shameful blinding of your eye, then tell him that the man who gouged you was Odysseus, ravager of cities: one who lives in Ithaca--Laertes' son' " (185). Odysseus is being prideful, ignorant, and asking for trouble. Polyphemus now knows Odysseus name and where he lives; Polyphemus can now easily have revenge whenever he wants.

Odysseus is the main character in an epic poem called the Odyssey. In the poem Odysseus has had some bad luck getting home, with some of the gods helping him and some hindering him; his journey towards home is a constant struggle. In this poem we see a man being broke and rebuilt, through constant irony his faith was damaged and without the help of Athena he probably would have given up on his journey. Through his hard work and wise spirit he finally does achieve his goal.

As Homer's The Odyssey progressed, the character of Odysseus seemed to demonstrate the larger change compared to Telemakhos. While it can be argued that Telemakhos became more assertive and dominant as the book neared the end, I would argue that Telemakhos's weakness and lack of dominance was largely due to circumstance, not because he himself was weak and submissive. Looking at Telemakhos's situation at the beginning of the book, his country is dominated by the opposite political party who are very able and willing to kill Telemakhos while Telemakhos himself has very little influence or power to combat the suitors, as shown with Telemakhos's political defeat during the assembly in Book 2. Acting dominant in the beginning of the book would be a good way for Telemakhos to be killed, which is further proven when the suitors actually plot to kill him once he becomes more dominant during the later stages of the

Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, a hero to many, a wife, a father, and a leader. He has done amazing things in his life. Odysseus faces adversity many times trying to come home from the trojan war. He would do anything to come home and be with his wife and son which shows how the relationships in his life matter to him. Odysseus lived a fulfilling life because he had positive relationships, was intelligent, and brave.

The Odyssey: Odysseus’s Justification Hammurabi’s code states, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” An ancient system of justice basically saying you get what you deserve. Everyone knows the classic revenge story; the protagonist is disrespected or hurt by the antagonist, and will eventually exact their revenge. In Homer’s The Odyssey, revenge is precisely what Odysseus carries out.

As he finally outsmarts the cyclops, Polyphemus, he taunts him, letting his pride and anger take over instead of his mind. The narrator recounts, “I called back with another burst of anger, ‘Cyclops — if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so —say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!’” (9. 558-562). Odysseus has the chance to arrive home safely, but instead his emotion leads him to lash out. This results in Poseidon's fury, which is easily avoided. This prolongs his journey by multiple years, which draws out his journey to go back to his family. Once Odysseus finally arrives home, Athena disguises him as a beggar. Not being able to control his anger, when another tramp insults him, they start fighting which he could have abstained from doing. The epic states, “Tongue-lashing each other, tempers flaring” (18. 39). Odysseus could have easily stayed quiet and accepted his inhumane treatment, and yet his emotions take control and he starts a fight. Odysseus reveals himself as a greater threat than he wants them to know, and this causes the suitors to have mass amounts of anger and hatred towards the beggar. With the suitors multiplying fury, Odysseus is withheld of precious time he needed to fulfill his roles as a king again. An exceptionally vast consequence for Odysseus foolhardy actions

This main character is a hero that has all the elements of an epic hero. He has supernatural abilities, he faces many magical being such as monsters or sorceresses, and he is tested in multiple ways to exhibit his abilities. His name is Odysseus. Odysseus encounters many obstacles on the way home. He gets passed every obstacle he has came across so far.

Odysseus has no regard for the consequence of his actions and his self-control he once displayed before is now gone. Odysseus actions are problematic, but he is aware of what he is provoking. The way he continues to provoke Polyphemus even when he knows it is wrong is very ignorant