Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

His companions urge him to “make away” with the contents they found in the cyclops’s cave and go back to their ship (Homer 9.253). In spite of that, Odysseus does not “give way” as he expects to receive xenia and “gifts” from the host (9.253, 258). He does not acknowledge his crew’s opinions on being safe and escaping the cyclops’s island. He considers his solution the most proper and does not recognise his companions' perspective. Due to Odysseus’s position as king, he expects to receive gifts and hospitality immediately.

On the ship that carried the lost warriors, Odysseus’ heroic leadership and desire to bring his men home, fueled the men’s hunger to follow him. Odysseus’ persistence and clear mind are

Odysseus shows great mental strength and bravery through his loyalty,as he sits watching the ocean on a mesmerizing island, that is filled with a

Upon arriving at the island of the Phaeicians, Odysseus, driven by hope and desperation,

During his trip home to Ithaca, Odysseus’ was thrown off course by strong currents and dangerous winds where he landed upon the island of Lotus Eaters. He forced those who had eaten of the Lotus back to the ships, where they then cast off again, with not a second glance back at the island of care removing fruits. Afterwards, they landed on an island of Cyclopes, where they were then detained and eaten several at a time by the Cyclops Polyphemus. After blinding him with a heated stake, Odysseus and the remainder of his men escaped, using the Cyclops’ sheep to escape unseen, while mocking the beast as they sailed away.

Odysseus has trials and tribulations throughout this entire wandering, and he is faced with tremendously challenging decisions that only courage could allow him to properly make. One of the keys to surviving on foreign soil is the ability to

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a series of tough circumstances which seem to be never ending? In this book, Odysseus is lost at sea for 20 years. He is faced with many difficult situations, in which he learns that he has to be very intelligent and brave. Many times he is given the help he needs to go back home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus, but it gets difficult along the way because of all the people Odysseus must confront in order to continue on. Finally, Odysseus gets home after a long journey and has to kill all the suitors who have taken over his power by eating is food and taking other items.

Out to sea again!’ My men were mutinous fools, on stores of wine … -while fugitives went inland running to call arms to the main forces of the Cicones.” Odysseus is wise enough to realize that the enemy would slaughter him and his men if they stayed. His wisdom is also evident when he landed on the where the Lotus-Eaters live. The Lotus-Eaters are people whose only concern is to eat an addicting plant called the lotus. If one happens to eat the lotus, one becomes obsessed with browsing on the lotus. Odysseus does not send the entire crew out to this land; he sends small party of men to explore the land. When they do not return, Odysseus realizes something detrimental to their journey is on the land.

Even though many of his men seemed wary of their journey, Odysseus was always determined to make it back to Ithica. When Odysseus’ ship washed up on the island of the Lotus Eaters, all of Odysseus’ men ate the Lotus flowers to escape from the hardships of life, but Odysseus refused. “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest”(Homer 211-213). Instead, Odysseus tied up his men and dragged them back to the ship so they could get back on their journey home. Even though it would take 20 years to get home, Odysseus always showed great

When he was held captive on the beautiful sea nymph Calypso’s island for 7 years, he thought only of returning home. Or, when Odysseus enters The Land of the Dead, and learns that his mother had taken her own life, he still continues on his way home. Later, when his men eat the holy cattle on the island of Thrinacia and are smitten to appease Helios. Instead of giving up, since he no longer has a boat or a crew, he decides to drift at sea, risking his life in the hope of returning

Stay on your benches and beat the deep surf with your oars!” (12. 216-223). After he and his men manage to escape the reach of Scylla and Charybdis, Eurylochus praises Odysseus for his leadership and almost godlike abilities, that of a hero’s, saying, “You’re a hard man, Odysseus, stronger than other men, and you never wear out, a real iron-man,”(12.287-289). The situation that Odysseus and his men were set in was extremely dangerous, posing an imminent threat to his journey, full of dire. Nevertheless, he disregards this and continues on, showing determination to ensure he and his shipmates are safe.

As the king of Ithaca and the crew leader of several men accompanying him on his focal return journey from the site of the Trojan War, Odysseus is necessarily loyal to his men, and to his denizens, as otherwise, Ithaca would falter, and the men on board with him would not be able to withstand the lengthy, epic journey as they had done. The demonstrations of this vital heroic character trait are numerous, such as when Odysseus remains alongside his supportive crew men during an assault upon his ships, with only the one upon which the previous portion of the odyssey had been conducted remaining afterward, and when his men are in despair at his temporary absence, coming to them in order to not only assuage them, but more importantly to signal to all of them that he would always be with them; that he would be their natural, passionate

All the winds rushed out - storms winds seized them, swept them out to sea, in tears, away from their own native land.”(10.64) Odysseus believed that he was the only man honorable enough to know what was in the bag and that caused the men to become suspicious and untie the bag, blowing them a great distance from their

After suffering from the Cyclopes, Odysseus’ ship came to a stop at the land of Aeolia (king of the winds). Aeolia let him and his men stay on his island for a month so they could recover. Before they left, Aeolia gave Odysseus all the east

Odysseus' love for his crewmen is apparent; when his men are turned into swine, Odysseus courageously risks his life to rescue his men from Circe.  Delaying the return by opening the bag of winds, the crew causes Odysseus frustration as he debates whether to "jump overboard and drown or stay among the living and quietly endure" (Homer 10.51-53).  However, he tolerates his crew's "senseless stupidity", and they continue to achieve their common goal, returning to Ithaca. In return, the men respect and trust their "master".  As a leader, Odysseus is not overbearing, but sees himself equal to his men.  Similarly, Ulysses has a close fellowship with his crew.  With his confidant speech, he arouses excitement in his men.  "My mariners, Souls that have toiled and wrought, and thought with me" (Tennyson, Lines 45-46) indicates the crewmen and Ulysses have faced many adventures together.  Ulysses feels most alive when he is "exploring the world" with his crew.  He says, "Come, my friends,...the gulfs will wash us down; and see the great Achilles, whom we knew" (Tennyson, Lines 56, 63-64).  The consistent "we" and "us" shows that the journey will be a team activity in which all will contribute and gain.  The stories of Odysseus and Ulysses show the gratification of a close fellowship in which all work as team.