How Is Odysseus A Sympathetic Character

We often think that we are a caring and kind person but when we become tired, stressed, or rushed all empathy we have can seem to vanish. We start to put our own needs first and others second. But what if we weren’t always like this? The odyssey is a perfect example of what happens when we don’t have empathy for others. In book 9 Odysseus and Polyphemus fail to understand each other leading to some unfortunate results. Polyphemus shows almost no empathy in his interaction with Odysseus but he shows even less, showing that without empathy pain is inevitable.

In the poem "Calypso" by Suzanne Vega, the reader understands that Calypso really did care for Odysseus an is sad when she has to let him go. In the poem Vega states,"It's a lonely time ahead/I do not ask him to return/I let him go"( Vega lines 38-40). Many years ago there was a war between the gods and the titans. Unfortunately, Calypso chose the wrong side to oblige. Therefore, when the gods won the war, they punished Calypso by placing her on an island for eternity and sending her heroes to fall in love with. In addition, after awhile she had to let them go eventually. Odysseus got sent to her island and, as predicted, the "regular routine'' of her falling for heroes and releasing them started once again. In conclusion, when Odysseus leaves her island for good she is left heartbroken, but in the end acknowledges that she has to let them

In the poem of The Odyssey Odysseus is seen as a good person in general but really he is not because he cheats on his wife with a lot of different people. When he ends up on the island of Calypso he really wants to get back home but Calypso does not want that in fact she wants something a little different. In the book this can be see when Calypso says, “ But if you only knew, down deep, what pains are fated

"If I play a hero or a good guy, I'll try to find his darkness or his flaws." -J. Kinnaman. (Brainyqoute.com) As Kinnaman mentioned, there are almost always flaws in a hero, and these defects usually make the story more interesting. (Knowing a protagonist's defects is helpful to follow the story, because they usually propel the tension the story.) (-- removed HTML --) , an ancient Greek epic poem written by Homer, the protagonist attracts readers by showing not only his heroic qualities but also his shortcomings. The poem is mainly about Odysseus, a victorious general of the Trojan War, going back to his beloved homeland Ithaca after the brutal battle. However, he suffers through a 20-year-voyage to get home, which is caused by his own flaws. Indeed, he has plenty of heroic qualities, yet they are closely connected to his defects.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus realises how much he truly loves his wife and country. For many years Odysseus was held captive and had an intimate relationship with the nymph Calypso. She held him there for years, "by nights he would lie beside her” yet he was not happy “all the days he would sit upon the rocks, at the seaside, breaking his heart in tears and lamentation and sorrow

What Calypso essentially wanted was Odysseus to stay with her and for a while she was successful in holding him. While a man would have easily been able to do this without worrying about Hermes coming in and demanding him set the woman free, Calypso had to find another way to assert herself. In the end, her actions could not withhold the double standard.

Calypso fell in love with Odysseus and wants to marry him. She was possessed by her ‘love’ for Odysseus. Although Odysseus did not

Calypso begins her conversation with Odysseus by saying, “Good luck to you, even so. Farewell! / But if you only knew, down deep, what pains / are fated to fill your cup before you reach that shore, / you’d stay right here, preside in our house with me /

2. During Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca, Odysseus had seen wooers that consumed, killed, and wooed when he was on Calypso’s island. When Odysseus arrived at Calypso’s island, he was wooed by Calypso to stay on her island and be her husband. She offered a life of ease with an abundance of resources and a beautiful wife. On her island, there was an abundance of food and wine that they could consume and all of the things that were necessary to live a life of luxury and ease. This life of ease would lead to Odysseus’ “death”, because he would be forgotten by his friends and family. As a result, some of Calypso’s actions were similar to those of the suitors.

Calypso lusts for Odysseus so much that she holds him captive for many years. Odysseus, however, does not feel this lust for her. At this point in the epic, he wants nothing more than to reach his home and his wife, whom he loves very much. Finally, the gods tell Calypso that is time to release Odysseus, and she obeys.

Odysseus arrives on Calypso’s island alone, after the loss of his men and ship. Calypso rescues him and loves and cares for him in her cave. At first, it seems like Odysseus doesn’t seem much to mind her taking care of him, but over time it is plainly evident that he is unhappy with her. When Hermes arrives on Calypso’s island to give her the message from Zeus to release Odysseus, he is bawling on the beach a day-long activity for him. Calypso is holding him with her by force; she has no companions to help him back to Ithaka, nor has she a ship to send him in. Athena pleads with Zeus to give Odysseus good fortune, saying that "he lies away on an island suffering strong pains in the palace of the nymph Kalypso, and she detains him by constraint, and he cannot make his way to his country, for he has not any ships by him, nor any companions who can convey him back

Nearly every story in Greek mythology revolves around a character with a certain outstanding attribute, be it strength, intellect, or even musical talent. Heroes such as this might spend their lives questing for kleos, or the myth might simply be a tale in which the hero was trying to accomplish a certain task, such as returning home or rescuing a lover from Hades. In every case, these heroic tales would always end with tragedy; the hero would be killed by a jealous lover, go mad, or have a loved one taken away from him. However, one Greek hero existed whose story did not end with tragedy: Odysseus. Homer's The Odyssey is unique among all other Greek myths in that it is the only story in which the hero does not meet a tragic end; why

Odysseus loves his family and desires to return despite his act with the nymph Calypso and Circe. At the

Throughout the story Odysseus faces many magical beings such as monsters and sorceresses. One magical being that Odysseus faces is Calypso. She keeps him on her island for 8 years. “ I kept him here for years”(page 651). This shows that Calypso was holding Odysseus back from completing his return home

“Though he pulled away” Calypso was pulling Odysseus towards her to satisfy her needs. She kept him there “for years” although Odysseus made it apparent that he longed for home. After setting Odysseus