Odysseus Character Analysis

Telemachus was the son of Odysseus, mighty king of Ithaca and hero of Athena. Telemachus was a mere infant when Odysseus set sail for Troy where he helped to conquer the Trojans and retrieve Menelaus’ wife Helen. Despite emerging victorious from the Trojan war, Odysseus hadn't succeeded in returning home to Ithaca, and so twenty-one years after his departure for Troy, his family and kingdom believed him to be dead. Telemachus had lived his entire life without his father and as the Odyssey begins, although twenty-one years of age, Telemachus seems to be a child and not a powerful young man. Telemachus was first portrayed as a somber young lad who's heart was stricken with grief for the loss of his father. He was daydreaming and keeping to himself

Since the cyclops’ vision is impaired, Odysseus “tied them silently together, twining/cords of willow from the ogre’s bed/then slung a man under each middle one/to ride there safely, shielded left and right/So three sheep could convey each man” (Homer 500). Odysseus possess the trait of cleverness which is demonstrated through his quick thinking and by only using using the resources available to free his men from Polyphemus’ grasp. He is a man to be revered because he uses his cunning skills to help others reach safety. Odysseus is also the last man to exit the cave because he puts their lives before his. He is also willing to take the responsibility and consequences of their actions. For example, if the cyclops were to notice him he would force his men escape and leave him behind to be devoured. Odysseus is a hero, for his willingness to put his companions’ lives before his own and use of his wits to save those around him.

Odysseus is tested for his loyalty by Calypso and his crew members, who are victimized by the lotus plant. The protagonist practically

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.

Odysseus thinks that his reasoning are final and his activities are constantly just and right, although he frequently allows his ego control his rational thinking, resulting harm to his group and messing with the gods’s plans. His men could have went back home Securely for it is the desire of Athena and the other heavenly gods who surround to her in Mount Olympus, however Odysseus takes it to himself to outrage and blind Polyphemus, the monstrous son of Poseidon, adored by his dad yet abhorred by the people, In this way distrusting their whole arrangement . Subsequent to being blinded by the heroine, Polyphemus tosses huge pieces of rocks at Odysseus's ship, nearly obliterating them at the same time. But instead of retreating for safety, Odysseus keeps on provoking Polyphemus and “[calls] out to the cyclopes again, with [his] men hanging all over [him] begging him not to”(Book 9, 491-492). His feeling of pride and presumption influences to disregard the requests of his people even in these critical circumstances . He will fulfill his own feeling of interest and pleasure without thinking of the result it would have on his crew. Despite the fact that he is bound to get away from all passings and assaults, his group isn’t so blessed. Their lives are in mortal peril since Odysseus considers them as child sheeps who should forfeit their lives for him when the circumstances comes, much the same as how mortals make conciliatory offerings of sheeps for the heavenly gods. He is willing to fulfill his own feeling of interest without thinking of his groups lives or their suppositions and is regularly infuriated when they negate his request. If they hurt his sense of pride and self-importance and pomposity , Odysseus will be overcome with outrage and

Circe has been seen throughout mythology as a Minor Goddess, the Goddess of Magic, a nymph, witch, sorceress or an enchantress; in the Odyssey she is seen as a witch goddess. Though there is no set side Circe agrees with, her actions both harm and help Odysseus on his journey. Being a goddess of magic Circe possesses a wand, can brew potions, and has the skill set to turn people into animals. She uses her vast knowledge of herbs to create a potion that would turn humans into pigs. When Odysseus and his men reach her island Circe invites them all to a great feast, all but Odysseus accept her invitation. At the feast all but one of the companions end up drugged and turned into pigs. The companion that has yet to be transformed runs off to tell Odysseus. With Hermes’ help Odysseus protects himself from the poison and befriends Circe, resulting in her freeing his people.

Calypso being the temptress that she is kept Odysseus on her island, Ogygia, for seven years. Eventually, after Zeus talked to Athena, Zeus told Calypso that she must set Odysseus free. Even with Zeus’ orders she did not want to let Odysseus go so Odysseus had to escape her dreadful island and return home on his own. Then after he left the island of Calypso, he ran in to Circe. Circe started to mess with all of Odysseus’ men and made it harder to get home. Both Calypso and Circe, made Odysseus’ journey home so much harder than it needed to be. Since Calypso trapped him on the island for seven years, his family and everybody at home was starting to believe he was dead. They had no hope that they would ever see him again. So they started to push themselves on Penelope. Also if Circe would have just left him alone and did not mess with any of his men and stayed out of the way, he could have made it home faster. Since both of the Goddess wanted him for their selves they both interfered with his journey in many different ways. Some ways was the same like giving him the gift of immortality and persuading with other stuff. Some ways was different like trapping him in a cage for seven years and turning his men into pigs so he could not leave as

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

Polyphemus, a low-life, gullible cyclopes, who plays an important part in the journey Odysseus takes across a great ocean. (CM) The rocky, grassy island lies in the unknown waters of this ocean. (CD) Foreshadowing that Odysseus and his men will be trapped on the island in some way.(CM) Odysseus tricked Polyphemus, a huge, one-eyed beast, into believing that his name was “Nobody.” (CD) Thus showing Polyphemus will believe anything told to him.(CM) In the cave Polyphemus consumed one of Odysseus’ men after the food storage had been nearly wiped out.(CD) Showing that Polyphemus is a vile beast that is not afraid to kill.(CM) The Cyclops is a innocent beast that is easily provoked into madness.(CM)

In this scene, Odysseus encounters the one-eyed, giant Cyclops, one of the most memorable characters of this story. Firstly, with an empty, growling stomach in his search for food, Odysseus displays exceptional qualities of a true hero with his cleverness and quick-thinking strategy. Furthermore, this is when Odysseus shows how cunning he is and as sly as a fox as he conceives as a plan to trick the Cyclops.

Calypso was a beautiful nymph. Calypso was the daughter of the Titan Atlas. In the Odyssey Calypso was referred to as a goddess.

After our encounter with the wretched Cyclops beast by the name of Polyphemus, in the land of the Cyclops, my crew and I were able to escape his wrath of being pleted by boulders larger than any mere mortal could ever imagine. I, overwhelmed with pride, felt that he and his people did deserve a declaration of my glories and the knowledge that who has defeated them was no mere man but Odysseus, conqueror of Troy, son of Laertes, legendary warrior of Ithaca.

Odysseus is a great person, but even a great leader. During the Trojan War, he showed great leadership and guile when invading the Greeks and killing them. He shows great leadership when calming his men down and guile when he puts his men into the large horse sculpture, in which the Greeks thought were a gift. However, most of Odysseus’s epic hero character traits can be seen in the epic The Odyssey. In this epic, Odysseus is on a mission to go back to his home, Ithaca. He goes through many difficult obstacles and has to make hard decisions. By the end of the story, he returns home only, to find out that he has to win his wife, Penelope, back from the corrupt suitors. Throughout Odysseus’s life, there are many characteristics which shows that

Odysseus gains the support of Athena, but does not seem to have Lady Luck by his side. Through a series of unfortunate events​, Odysseus demonstrates his cunning wits with simple twists that would avoid future consequences. Odysseus and his men found a cave where “wild goats in hundreds breed there; and no human being comes up the isle to startle them” (9.128­130). Polyphemus did not show hospitality and became hostile, devouring two of Odysseus’ men. When morning came, Odysseus and his crew manage to blind the cyclops, while he was intoxicated by the wine offered, with a wooden staff that was hardened by fire. Odysseus’ states himself as “Nobody,” and left the giant indignantly screaming, “Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdy’s ruined me” (9.444).

Odysseus was definitely full of leadership. When his men went out to explore an island that was knew to them, they got addicted to the Lotus plant. The Lotus Plant was a plant that when people ate it they lost all care for what they were previously doing. Odysseus didn’t hear back from them in more than three days, so he went out with some of his men to go look for the missing scouts. Odysseus found them not with a care in the world eating the flowers instead of returning. Odysseus knew that this was awful for his men to just sit around and eat flowers all day, so Odysseus had them dragged back to their boats, tied down to their rowing benches and then sailed away, so they would never see the plant again. (Homer 658) Our own lives have challenges and rewards like Odysseus had in his life. We need to take in the great moments in life and when times get tough fight through and persevere. Self-identity can be based on your social status, income level, gender, family, and other important factors. These factors make people think that they’re better than others even though they might not be. Homer’s The Odyssey and Christine Spark’s The Elephant Man show that character traits can have positive and negative impacts on one’s journey and self-identity.