Odysseus In The Odyssey

    In order for Odysseus to encounter and pursue his destiny, he must be tried and tested by obstacles put forth by gods or their offspring, such as Poseidon, the Sirens, and Polyphemus. One instance of this occurring was when Poseidon sent a storm in an attempt to capsize Odysseus’ boat. Poseidon shows his hate for Odysseus when he says, "I hope to plunge him into sufficient trouble" (50). Poseidon sets forth an obstacle to test Odysseus by making a huge storm in the seas to capsize and break up his boat. Without these obstacles put forth by the gods, Odysseus would have made it home without any trouble. The epithet, "Long-tried

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus endures an arduous voyage filled with countless dangers. Although he is praised by comrades and countrymen as a wise, heroic king, Odysseus does not actually live up to his name as he begins this trip back to Ithaka. Through his journey though, Odysseus corrects his reckless, undisciplined, and arrogant actions, learning responsibility, restraint, and humility in the process.

Odysseus is known for being a great war hero and leader who must go through many obstacles to reach his homeland of Ithaca. Many of the obstacles are caused by the gods, however Odysseus is the cause of his own troubles. He does not learn from his mistakes and his main flaw is pride.

Odysseus is a brave soldier who was independent and adventurous. He was the hero whose master plan let the Greeks win the battle of Troy. The journey home was filled with many obstacles as he was not respectful in giving the gods sacrificial thanks in aiding to win the war. The best way that the gods could punish him was by delaying his journey home to Ithaca using the god of the sea Poseidon.

“A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time.” (Homer, The Odyssey). Throughout our lives, we withstand many struggles and distractions. This results in straying off the correct paths to reach our goals. However, even though we may hit some bumps in the road, most of the time we'll end up alright. We’ll learn new things and can make better decisions for future references. In the book The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus undergoes several episodes and adventures. One can learn valuable lessons from these scenes. On his expedition back to Ithaca, Odysseus overcomes numerous obstacles to achieve his goal of returning and restoring order back to his kingdom. Considering this, The Odyssey is

In almost every Epic Journey story, the main character, the hero, faces many obstacles. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus, the main character, encounters a twenty-year journey. In this journey, Odysseus comes across Zeus’ son, a Cyclopes and he has trouble dealing with his own pride getting himself in trouble. Many real life lessons can be taught through Odysseus’s voyage. Odysseus’s journey teaches people that life does not come easy, the whole time he is fighting at sea. Another lesson people can take in from The Odyssey is when Odysseus is fighting off suitors that want to marry his wife, Penelope; the readers can understand that giving up certainly does not result in success.

During the episode on Polyphemus’ island, Odysseus needs to improve on using wisdom/logic. Odysseus takes his men into the cave and they very quickly get the idea that the Cyclops do not want them there. His men tried to turn him back, but they stayed despite the Cyclops obvious bad intentions and Odysseus acted as if he would be treated as a well-respected guest. Only after many of his men are devoured by Polyphemus does Odysseus start to formulate his plan. While in the cave, Odysseus says that Polyphemus “beat their brains out, splattering the floor” (Homer 194). Odysseus should have thought through the situation and tried to create an escape plan much faster. He needed to use his judgment and common sense to spare several of his best men’s lives instead of telling the Cyclops that “any gifts/ you give – as custom is to honor strangers”

Numerous characteristics define an epic hero, including the aiding or hindering by supernatural forces. The main characters opposing Odysseus include Polyphemus, a cyclops, and his father Poseidon, lord of the seas. Due to Odysseus’ blinding of Polyphemus, Poseidon obtains revenge against him by lengthening his trip home and attempting to drown him multiple times. Athena, the gray eyed goddess, continually helps Odysseus concerning his plan with the suitors, including the battle at the end in which she directs his weapons toward the suitors and killing them. Ulysseus prays to God saying,” We’re helpless, lords…help us, please,” (Oh…Thou) and in return, God creates a flood that drowns the officials and saves them. Epic heroes also perform deeds of great strength. Ulysseus accomplishes more realistic deeds, yet he still walks all the way home from a penal farm while resisting many temptations and evading police. Odysseus performs various deeds; one of the more famous acts consists of blinding the cyclops Polyphemus under the pseudonym Nobody. During that story, the reader sees Odysseus as a strong and strategic man who tricks a cyclops while also saving a lot of his crew members. Lastly, the reader can usually find a flaw in many great heroes. In The Odyssey, Odysseus obtains a big issue due to pride and ego. In the story of Odysseus and Polyphemus, Odysseus ruins his great deed as he sails away, telling

First, there were many people by Odysseus’s side through his journey. Poseidon, who was the god of the sea, had a big effect on Odysseus, but his actions were mostly negative toward Odysseus. To begin, Poseidon was the main reason it took Odysseus so long to get home. He messes with Odysseus and makes him suffer for blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus. Although, Poseidon does eventually help Odysseus on his journey. After Odysseus suffers through a terrible storm caused by Poseidon, his raft gets destroyed, and Poseidon washes him upon an island called Phaeacia. There the Phaeacians helped Odysseus get home by giving him their best ship with food and supplies on it, plus their best men to help him. Finally, Odysseus reaches Ithaca but, his plans on seeing Penelope when he get’s there aren’t going as he thought. He then faces multiple issues before seeing the love of his life.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus goes through a great deal of suffering. He has suffered so much, that anyone he told his tale to felt sorry for him. When Odysseus told the King of the Phaeacians his stories, the King responded, “Odysseus, now that you have come to my bronze-floored house, my vaulted roofs, I know you won’t be driven off your course, nothing can hold you back however much you suffered, you’ll sail home,” (Homer 286. 3-7). It takes a great deal of suffering and hardship for a king to feel bad for you because most kings have gone through a lot of hardships also. This truly shows just how much Odysseus has

The long lasting campaign of Odysseus ends in his success, initiating himself by taking responsibilities into his hands, and striving for

Odysseus was an arrogant yet successful warrior during the Trojan War shipwrecked at sea due to him angering the gods with his arrogance and selfishness

Odysseus is a combination of the self-made, self-assured man and the embodiment of the standards and mores of his culture. He is favored by the gods and respected and admired by the mortals. Even the wrath of Poseidon does not keep him from his homecoming. He is confident that he represents virtue even when a modern audience might not be so sure. He is also a living series of contradictions, a much more complicated character than we would expect to find in the stereotypical epic hero. We can contrast Odysseus, for example, with the great warrior Achilles in The Iliad.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus’s pride is the reason most of his friends are killed, but he manages to survive and learns how to think less of himself and more of the gods. First, towards the beginning of the story, Odysseus and his men escape

In congruence with the many flaws Odysseus has he still pertains the heart of a survivor which is commendable despite his many inequalities. Through and through Odysseus could have quit at any time during his journey, but he pressed on despite the coercion of divine beings like Poseidon, Calypso, and the Circe. In fact, removing his family from his mind is the much easier choice out of the many dilemmas he faced during the journey, but he kept on fighting through the many problems that were created. “All through the trials of his voyage home, the temptation to find the release in death has always been in hand—the inexhaustible resilience and determination, that keep him alive (The Odyssey,