Odysseus In Homer's 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

Resulting in angering Polyphemus’ father, Poseidon, who has curse Odysseus to never return home with years of bad luck. Indicating that Odysseus cockiness has lead Odysseus to try too hard to be heroic in unnecessary situation. Though, a point could be made that the Polyphemus does do bad things to people on the island, but nobody really ask for help from Odysseus. He kind of just take self liberty to bring justice to the people by defeating the Polyphemus. Not to mention, that the Polyphemus offer him a chance to forget all about the incident and be friend, but instead of accepting that offer, Odysseus provoke him even more by saying, “If I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell!” (line 480, pg. 997). To put in simpler term, Odysseus indicate that he will never befriend the Cyclops for he is horrible creature that should be annihilated. Showing the reader how rashly Odysseus made his decision, as he could have make friend with Polyphemus, and continue on to his voyage home instead of putting himself in a bad position by insulting the Cyclop. Lastly, another quality that is bad about Odysseus is that he is selfish. For once, when he has come across an island on his way from Troy, he had decided to raid the village and take women as hostages for sexual pleasure. Showing how he is only doing this for his own need and not caring about the people that live in that village. He

In The Odyssey, the god Poseidon chases Odysseus, constantly trying to punish him for his disrespect to him. Odysseus spends almost his whole journey home running away from Poseidon, though Odysseus eventually recognizes that the gods deserve respect, and the conflict is resolved. In O Brother, Sheriff Cooley, the lawman in charge of tracking down the three escaped criminals, plays the role of Poseidon. He has devoted himself to following them on their trek home, and does not give up until he is drowned when the valley floods. Secondly, Polyphemus, Poseidon’s son the cyclops in The Odyssey, is replaced by Daniel “Big Dan” Teague in O Brother. They both have one eye, first of all, but they also try to kill the protagonists. Polyphemus wants to eat Odysseus, and Dan Teague wants to kill them for interrupting a KKK rally, and also because they might reveal his identity as a member of the KKK. Polyphemus ends up getting killed by Odysseus, and Dan Teague is killed by Ulysses and his men. Third, there are many seductresses in The Odyssey that Odysseus must challenge himself to ignore. When he arrives on Circe’s island, she drugs some of his men and turns them into animals. The nymph Calypso wants to keep him on her island as well, wishing to make him immortal and marry him. Lastly, there are the sirens, who Odysseus can listen to safely while his men keep him tied to the mast of his ship,

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

Odysseus displays many examples of fatal flaws throughout The Odyssey, however, his most prominent is his hubris. Odysseus is favored by the gods, and he appears to have a strength and intelligence that are larger than life. As one may guess, he can be a bit proud. But Odysseus’ confidence can lead to trouble at times, especially when he gets trapped in Polyphemus’ cave. During this trial of his 20 year journey, Odysseus gets trapped with some of his men in a Cyclopes’ cave. Crafty as he is, Odysseus manages to escape at the cost of a few nights and some of his crew. By escaping on the Cyclopes’ sheep, Odysseus and his men make a hasty retreat to their ship; but Odysseus, proud of defeating the Cyclopes by blinding him and claiming that his name is Nohbody, shouts back at the Cyclopes instead of making a silent escape. In his ranting, Odysseus shouts at the Cyclopes, “if ever a mortal man

After Odysseus and his men are on the boat, he calls out to Polyphemus, “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”(IX). His pride from escaping the Cyclops’s lair gives him a rush which causes him to tell Polyphemus his name. By telling the Cyclops his name, Odysseus seals his fate for the rest of his journey home. Once Polyphemus learns the name of his attacker, “,,,[Polyphemus] prayed and the god of the sea-blue mane Poseidon heard his prayer”(IX). Polyphemus is able to curse Odysseus’ journey home, because he knows his name. Once he curses Odysseus, the man’s way home becomes distorted, drawn-out, and difficult. Because Odysseus lets his pride get the better of him, his simple journey home becomes years of twists and

However, this caused the Cyclops to have a better idea of their location as they were sailing away. Even after the crew members urged Odysseus to be quiet multiple times, Odysseus reveals his true name, his father’s name, and where he lives to Polyphemus. This information causes Polyphemus to cry out to his father, the god Poseidon, and plead for him to stop Odysseus’ journey home. Due to his lust for glory and honor, Odysseus and his crew may have suffered and died under Poseidon’s wrath. Fortuitously, Odysseus gained the admiration of Athena and she was able to interfere and help guide them safely

Throughout book nine of The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus’ encounter with Polyphemus is described, as well as the events leading up to the encounter. After taxing run-ins with the Circones and the lotus-eaters, Odysseus arrives at the island of the cyclopses, a rough and uncivilized land. Odysseus’ own greed leads him to put his men into a dangerous situation, and though he uses his metis to save himself and his crew, it is clear that his hubris is still quite intact and may lead to his downfall.

The Odyssey conveys that the journey is far more important than the destination. Odysseus’s main goal is to reach home, and while going through his journey he’s having great learning experiences along the way. His greatest learning experiences are a result of the journey rather than the destination. While Odysseus is on his expedition, he is learning to conquer the resistance of temptation. The most important example that reveals the journey is more important than the destination is, “As soon as they tasted that honey-sweet fruit, they thought no more of coming back to us with news, but chose rather to stay there with the lotus-eating natives, and chew their lotus, and good-bye to home.

When the Cyclops, Polyphemus, finds Odysseus and his men in his home, he begins eating them not caring who they are, or why they were there. Odyseus gets him drunk while trapped in his cave and then stabs him in the eye. What Odysseus doesn’t know is Polyphemus is Poseidon’s son. When he is fleeing the island he reveals his name. Polyphemus then prays father calling for vengeance on Odysseus.

After defeating Troy Odysseus gets to the actual part of his adventure also known as the threshold. Odysseus encounters with The Cyclops named Polyphemus and is cursed by Poseidon which is now one of Odysseus’ enemies. Circe, Nausicaa, and Ino were his allies because they all attempt to help him try to get back to the ordinary world which would be the land of Ithaca. On his way back from Nausicaa’s, Odysseus disguises himself as a suitor.

Odysseus describes the cyclops as a “horrid creature, not like a human being at all.” Polyphemus lives in a dirty cave with his goats and sheep, and Odysseus feels this lifestyle is barbaric. He feels that the cyclops is stupid. Polyphemus devours his guests, and Odysseus

            Odysseus is no god.  He is man, and with that comes the mistakes and errors in all of us.  In many situations Odysseus' mortal side is seen.  An example of the power of Odysseus coinciding with his human flaws is his battle with Polyphemous the Cyclops (son of Poseidon).  After escaping the lure of the lotus-eaters and their island, Odysseus and his men find themselves on another island, rich with food and shelter.  After feasting, the men grab a large container of potent wine and go off exploring the new island.  Later in their search they stumble across a large cave filled with food.  Curious where the owner's whereabouts are the men encourage Odysseus to steal the food.  Odysseus (showing his hospitable and genuine character) decides to instead wait for the

Though Odysseus does not deal directly with Poseidon, he purposefully spends time with Poseidon’s son, the Cyclops, Polyphemus. In his escapades, Odysseus is intent upon laying his eyes on the great Cyclops. His men are against the daring quest, but Odysseus is not one to turn down a challenge and they proceed to find the inhabitants of the island. Due to this tenacity for adventure, Odysseus and his men wind up captives in Polyphemus’ cave. In order to escape, Odysseus and his crew devise and execute a plan to blind Polyphemus with a large spear. This act incurs the wrath of both the one-eyed son and his father, the master of the seas. Polyphemus implores Poseidon to “grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never / see his home. . . Let him lose all companions” during his travels (Homer

While mortals do not unjustly complain about their fates, they fail to acknowledge that they are also responsible for their ill fate, as mortals themselves, possess a sizable degree of control. There is little doubt that Odysseus and his crew are unlucky, but had it not been for their brash decisions they would have reached Ithaca much sooner. After Odysseus cunningly escapes the Cyclops, Polyphemos, his pride gets the best of him, as taunts the Polyphemos proclaiming, “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” (9.559-561). Odysseus’ arrogance furthers his misfortune, since Polyphemos is Poseidon’s son. Polyphemos proceeds to ask his father to never allow Odysseus to return and if Odysseus returns home that it be well over due and without his crew;