Odysseus Courage Quotes

Throughout the Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus show bravery, which, I think, is the most important trait for a hero to exhibit.

In Book Five of The Odyssey, although Odysseus is royal, he is even more poor.

In Book 9 of Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus always has pride in his actions and in his name. After Polyphemus told the other Cyclops that “Nobody” hurt him, Odysseus exclaims how smart and funny he is. Odysseus acknowledges, “they lumbered off, but laughter filled my heart to think how nobody’s name––my great cunning stroke––had dumped them one and all” (Homer 224). He is acknowledging his intelligence when he says “my great cunning stroke”. He is taking all the ownership of stabbing Polyphemus in the eye with the fiery tip of a stake and changing his name to Nobody when truly his men did a lot of the work. Thus suggesting that he is very great and smart and that he should get great recognition for his work. When trying to come up with a plan

Odysseus is not only a brave, strong, and smart man, but he is also caring.

Not only is courage one of the most important factors of life, but it is also a virtue held by many. According to Aristotle, courage is what creates attainability for all other virtues and therefore is the first virtue (Treasurer). Courage can be both useful and important in life because it can lead to success through good leadership. In the poem The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus possesses a valiant personality. Odysseus’s bravery in a time of need sets him up to be a more victorious leader.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus exemplified strong leadership and outstanding noble qualities. Like Achilles, Odysseus carried some flaws at the beginning of the story. A strong case can be made that his biggest flaw as a character was pride as it caused him unnecessary risks that only delayed his journey and possibly endangered his men. This is evidently shown when Odysseus and his crew wander around in Polyphemos ' cave. After the confrontation with the Polyphemos, Odysseus and his men escaped by stabbing Polyphemos’ in the eye while he was asleep. Once Odysseus and his men were safe on board on their ship, Odysseus took it upon himself to reveal his true identity and proceeded to taunt Polyphemos. At

The question that was asked was whether or not pride was a necessity for a hero to succeed. If one was to be truthful though, it is the exact opposite. It is like extra baggage, an extra flaw. The hero, thanks to his pride, may experience many downfalls. In the article, “The Heroic Pride” by Stephen Fuqua, he mentions the stories of Odysseus and how his pride helped him fail. In the article it says, “Why would Odysseus do this? The only explanation is that he, in his arrogance, wished to have the absolute upper hand of this situation”(Fuqua). Here Fuqua talks about how when on his journey, Odysseus doesn’t just flee the island but instead taunts the cyclops. He could have been long gone, on his way home but he had to have the last word. Odysseus’

A hero accepts who he is as an individual, but strives to change himself for the better. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, the main character Odysseus is a valiant king who embarks on a life-changing voyage. While traveling from Troy back to his home in Ithaka, King Odysseus overcomes daunting obstacles, and in doing so discovers his place in the world. Odysseus is truly a heroic figure because he demonstrates courage, improves his character, and wins the support of the gods.

First of all, Odysseus was very selfish during their journey back to Ithaca. For example,“We lit a fire, burnt an offering, and we took some cheese to eat; then sat in silence around the embers, waiting”(Homer 219-222). If Odysseus took the cheese and left, his men would not have had to dealt with Polyphemus. He put himself before his men because he wanted a gift from the cave owner. Odysseus was also selfish when he sailed near the lands of Sirens.“Steer wide; keep well to seaward; plug your oarsmen’s ears with beeswax kneaded soft”(Homer 669-671). Although Circe told Odysseus to steer clear of the area, Odysseus wanted to be known as the man who survived a Siren’s song. He put his own men in danger just because he wanted to become famous. Odysseus was also very arrogant to think that he could get past the Sirens.

Odysseus’ courage in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus banishes his crew’s trepidation and eventually gets them out of there. When Polyphemus returns to the cave after capturing them, Odysseus takes the risk to get the Cyclops’ attention so he can manipulate the one-eyed giant into drinking the potent wine. Odysseus’ bravery is catching and he inspires those with him. Once Polyphemus has passed out, Odysseus and a few other men stab the giant’s eye. This quote of Odysseus inspiring his men in the Cyclops’ cave shows how Odysseus bravery never abandons him even in a situation where it seems he cannot win: “Now, at last, I thrust our stake into a bed of embers to get it red-hot and rallied all my comrades ‘Courage—no panic, no one hang back now!’” (9. 420-422). Odysseus’ boldness ultimately leads to an escape. Without the courage that never seems to

When Neoptolemus and Odysseus are on their way back to the ship and Neoptolemus decides to return to Philoctetes, the reader sees the side of Neoptolemus with a strong conscience. Even though it meant defying Odysseus, he put the life of Philoctetes above his own advancement. This seems to be the point in the story where the reader realizes the internal struggle of Neoptolemus. One side of him wants to help Odysseus, and their people, by bringing the bow back to fight, while the other side of him feels great

Even when faced with difficult choices Neoptolemus stays true to his self and does what is right, and in the end, that’s what makes the difference.  Although he does go along with Odysseus' plan to deceive Philoctetes at the beginning of the play he makes up for it, towards the end when he gives

He called Odysseus out on his unethical ways and stated "I did wrong when I obeyed you and the Greeks, I practiced craft and treachery with success". Neoptolemus is not proud of his actions toward Philoctetes and hated that he let Odysseus manipulated him into doing such an ennoble act. Neoptolemus knew his actions would've had an effect on Philoctetes but it had a way greater impact than he had presumed. Neoptolemus realizing how wrong doing and leaving it behind is a

Another quality of being a hero is, having courage; and Odysseus clearly conveyed this during his journey. In order to be courageous, the hero has to be fearless, meaning he has to act confident about his actions. This applies to Odysseus and the deities. If Odysseus were to appear weak, than the gods may think he's too weak for the journey and won't make it out alive. So, as a way of showing his courage, confidence overcomes Odysseus and he talks to the gods as if he were one of them. “After these years...to my harm.” (Book V, Lines 183-190). Odysseus shows no fear when speaking with Kalypso. Also, Odysseus shows more courage when he blinds Polyphemos. He humiliates Polyphemos, without even thinking of the effects. “Kyklops, you ask my honorable

People learn lessons every day. They can either learn them the easy way, or they can learn them the hard way. Homer documented Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca in The Odyssey. In this journey, Odysseus learns several life lessons that applied to our lives.