External Conflicts In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

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.

The term “dynamic” is often used in literature to describe a character who changes drastically from one point in the story to another. When reading “The Odyssey” an epic poem by Homer, we see that our protagonist, Odysseus, changes throughout the course of the novel. This essay will argue how he changes, and also what changes him, such as his travels, his relationships, and how fate and the Greek gods affect and change him.

In The Odyssey, many major events and relationships occur in Odysseus’ life. Odysseus is an epic hero in the epic poem The Odyssey, which details his dangerous travels from Troy back to his kingdom in Ithaca. Throughout his journeys, Odysseus demonstrates characteristics of leadership and bravery. There are many important relationships Odysseus has to reveal these traits. Relationships such as his bond with the goddess Athena and his son Telemachus. There are many events where Odysseus’ characteristics and relationships are helpful.

The great soldier Odysseus has had many relationships in his journey, as the epic progresses we meet these characters. Odysseus’ wife Penelope, and their adolescent son Telemachus play extreme and important roles in the decisions Odysseus makes on what seems like an everlasting journey. Odysseus' interaction with his loyal wife Penelope gives Odysseus insight on how his absence truly affected his family, he's able to gain this perspective when he sees how distant Penelope is and how painful the reunion is for her.

Having confidence and using your smarts can take you a long way. Having courage and wanting something so bad can almost guarantee a person success. In the Odyssey, Homer uses external conflicts to portray Odysseus a determined, fearless, and intelligent character.

Veterans from war fight long and hard to protect and serve our country. When they return home, some soldiers have a difficult time adjusting back to a civilian life. In The Odyssey by Homer, a young man named Odysseus and his men leave for the Trojan war and face many obstacles on their journey back to Ithaca. The journey lasts twenty years and results in the deaths of many of Odysseus’ men. However, when they return home from their journey, Odysseus struggles to return to the life he had twenty years ago.

Homer, a poet from ancient Greece, wrote The Odyssey which illustrates the values of the Greeks. As the hero, Odysseus embarks on a journey home from Troy and, through this journey, the reader sees the traits that Odysseus is praised and rebuked for. Odysseus’s incredible strength and courage as well as his confidence both positively and negatively affect the outcomes of his decisions. More often than not, these two characteristics are what keep him alive; although, he relies on these qualities more than he should and it ultimately gets him into trouble. Odysseus is able to use these traits to his advantage from time to time; however, they could be considered his fatal flaw.

Both Odysseus and I have shown self-restraint. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus and his men find themselves stuck in the cave with a massive Cyclops. Seeing the Cyclops as a threat, the men want to kill him, but Odysseus knows they must not. When entering the cave the Cyclops rolls a massive stone in front of the door. If Odysseus and his men would have killed the Cyclops they would have not been able to get out of the cave. Just as Odysseus is about to kill the Cyclops he thinks, “If I (Odysseus) killed him we perished there as well” (903). Odysseus uses self-restraint in this case to keep himself from killing the Cyclopes. Another example of Odysseus showing the trait of self-restraint is when he returns home after 20 years of being away from Ithaca.

The epic poem called The Odyssey by Homer is about Odysseus and is men's journey home from the Trojan War. Odysseus and his men experience many obstacles throughout the story, and we are able to see this. He and his men are faced with whirlpools, six headed monsters, and sirens throughout the story. Odysseus had a strong army with him but their disobedience gets them into trouble on their journey home to Ithaca. Odysseus and his men got the Greek gods angry on their trip home by hurting Poseidon's son the Cyclops, and by eating Helio's cattle.

Receiving help from others defines a hero more than superpowers and magic, or knowledge and skill. Receiving help makes a hero human-like and relatable throughout their journey and trials. The god’s help throughout Odysseus’ story in a number of ways: when Hermes was went by Athena and Zeus to help Odysseus off of Calypso’s island, when the sea goddess Ino saved Odysseus with a magic scarf, Athena’s help and supervision throughout the journey of Odysseus, and Athena’s influence during the battle of the suitors and Odysseus. Odysseus’ help from the gods shows Odysseus’ virtues of humility, his humanity, and his bravery.

For example, when Odysseus was trying to trick the Cyclops, he said, “Cyclops try some wine” (253). He is clever because he is trying to get the Cyclops uneasy and make him pass out so they can leave his cave. This also shows that he is clever because he always in on his toes and always has an idea of what to do in the sticky situation. In addition, in Book 9 he said, “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, they all call me Nobody”(273-274). This shows that he is clever because he knows how to get out of any situation, no matter what is going on at that moment. This also shows that he is clever because I don't know any other person in the world that would think of things he can think of. That is why I think Odysseus a clever

In The Odyssey, the author, Homer, describes Odysseus’ epic, but difficult, journey home from Troy. As The Odyssey progresses, Homer characterizes Odysseus as the fearless, clever warrior, who is helped by Athena and Circe, who are intelligent, but always subservient to men, women, showing that men are more powerful than even the most smart and talented woman. One example of Homer’s depiction of Odysseus is when Athena tries to help motivate Odysseus in the fight against the suitors by reminding him of his battles in Troy; she says, “You are not the man you were Odysseus! Where is the courage and strength you showed in that endless conflict, those nine years of battles for beautiful Helen! Many a man you killed in open fight and by your device the great city of Priam was taken!”

Every person has strengths and weaknesses. These strengths and weaknesses are never more evident than during conflict. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is forced to find his way home and his character traits both save him and cause him great hardships, and throughout the Epic Poem he is forced to use his incredible wit to get out of a situation mainly caused by his own thirst for glory. However, it is also noticeable that Odysseus is learning his ways and he changes his glory seeking ways by the end of the poem. Throughout the Odyssey it is evident how the strengths and weakness of Odysseus and his allies interplay with the strengths and weakness of enemies in conflicts.

In The Odyssey by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, goes through a series of challenges on his endeavor to get back to Ithaca with his family. Once he gets back to Ithaca, he utilizes these skills while applying new ones to his repertoire as well. For every encounter he faces, he learns something new that changes who he is from the war. While sailing from Troy, he and his men attack the Cicones. This is foolish as many of his men lose their lives and the raid was unnecessary after the victory at Troy.

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.