Odysseus Literary Analysis

Not only does Odysseus demonstrate a strong sense of courage in his journeys to prove that he is a hero, but he also shows never-ending perseverance through the countless adversities berating him. Although much of Odysseus’ journey is guided and assisted by various gods, especially in tough situations, what he does is ultimately of his doing and free will, as demonstrated by his tenacity when coming across many hardships. An example of this is later on in Odysseus’ story, as he and his men sail away from the Island of Aeaea to complete their journey home to Ithaca, they encounter many obstacles. The sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis terrorize and put Odysseus’ men and journey into peril, as his crew is struck with the terrifying might of the sea monsters.

Odysseus is a man to be acknowledged as a hero because he wisely resided with Circe, allowing him to learn of the dangers that lay ahead. After Odysseus returns from his visit with the dead prophet Tiresias, Circe informs him he must “Listen with care to this...in your ship’s path are Sirens, crying

Around the 1200 B.C., Odysseus was sailing the Mediterranean Sea for the purpose of reaching home. In his long narrative poem, The Odyssey, Homer conveys how Odysseus desperately wishes to go home to Ithaca. However, he faces brutal treatment and obstacles from several different antagonists, and more obstacles appear when he reaches home. Odysseus came across many external conflicts, which he dealt with intelligence, determination, and loyalty.

What heroic qualities does Odysseus show? Explain the situations in which Odysseus shows these qualities.

When people think of a hero, they think of a tall, handsome, loyal, brave, and a type of man that could do no wrong. The “hero” that is portrayed in the Odyssey is a man named Odysseus. This “hero” may be tall and handsome, but he is often arrogant, disrespectful, conceited, and rude. Odysseus consists of positive and negative characteristics that is shown in the text by Homer. These characteristics impact the characters day to day, or in the book’s case, the quests. In the Odyssey, Homer values the characteristics hospitality and cunning, but he objects bad leadership.

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.

In homer's Odyssey the main character Odysseus is a person who only tries to help himself. Although he earns the trust of his men while in Troy, he loses it on his perilous journey home. Many times in the epic he manipulates others, commits foolish acts and is full of hubris. He tries to take shortcuts and as a result of this is men are killed and his boats destroyed. He plays with the lives of his men and he is punished for it. Odysseus is not a hero because, he is foolish, lacks faithfulness and is consumed by his Hubris and selfishness.

Circe gives him a life of ease and self-indulgence on an enchanted island. In Phaecia, Odysseus is offered the love of a young princess and her hand in marriage. The Sirens tempt him to live in the memory of the glorious past. Calypso, the goddess with whom he spends seven years, offers him the greatest temptation of all: immortality. In refusing, Odysseus chooses the human condition, with all its struggle, its disappointments, and its inevitable end. And the end, death, is ever-present. But he hangs on tenaciously and, in the midst of his ordeals, he is sent living to the world of the dead to see for himself what death means.” (Lawall,

In this book the little girl who we all know as Athena even gives Odysseus advice, ?A cheerful man does best in every enterprise, even a stranger? (Book 7). The interference by Athena shows how much she likes Odysseus and how much she wants him to make it home to the suitors.

Odysseus uses many examples of words, images, and compliments in his attempt to persuade Nausicaa to assist him. He describes her as if she was Zeus’ daughter; she has her looks, and her form and the same stature as Artemis. He also compares her to being as beautiful as a tree. This tree he saw was like nothing he had ever seen before, something he had never seen grow from earth. Lastly he pretty much complains or pity’s himself to Nausicaa about what has happened to him through his travels back home, hoping that Nausicaa would feel bad for him and help him out.

The Odyssey Analytical Essay: Down, Down, into the Underground Death causes souls to be lost forever into the bottomless pits of the unknown, but is that believed to be true? In the epic poem written by Homer, The Odyssey, Odysseus travels to the underworld, given a chance to uncover the past and unlock his true potential where he proves that self-knowledge is the key to success.

Even a man as brave as you think yourself to be wouldn’t be able to achieve this fete. It is quite a dangerous one and, after all, that treasure doesn’t belong to you. The king would be furious to see you trespassing in his home." Prakati turned to walk away but without warning stopped because Odysseus let out a long sigh. The thoughtful man paused with concentration and gave much thought to the wisdom given to him by this beauty.He finally interjected “Although what you have warned must be very reasonable, I cannot even begin to grasp the meaning of your words. I am, as of late, the only man inhabiting this island, which should therefore make it fair for me to obtain my earnings; do you not think I have earned them?” Odysseus hesitated with a look of concentration plaguing his stature, along with a slight smirk, for he knew deep in the back of his mind that he just had to be correct. With no immediate reply from the goddess, he advanced with, "I have travelled on the rough sea for the past five days, alone on a raft. The least I deserve is the acclamation of the treasure within this forest, patiently anticipating my retrieval, like a hunting dog waiting for its master’s return. This treasure is destined to be mine and I will stop at nothing until it sits in my arms at last." He calmly anticipated the goddess's response. She retorted with, "Young traveler, you are mistaken; you may be the only human man

Odysseus is the only one afraid to forget and for his men to forget their

As he gets the Cyclops drunk he then says his name is nobody. He then pierces the spear through the sleeping Cyclops’s eye, blinding the giant beast. The Cyclops then tells everyone that nobody blinded his eye. Nobody is actually Odysseus who is king of Ithaca who can be very smart and cunning in the story. The author of this story is a man named Homer. Homer cannot be proven the author of this book because there is no proof he ever existed. Odysseus king of Ithaca set sail with his crew to fight at Troy, but Odysseus and his crew run into some problems returning to Ithaca. Odysseus’s character in the story shows he is very cunning, he is very cocky, and he is very brave.

Odysseus raises himself from the ground looking up at the sky shading his eyes from the sun. “ Come I must make way to my swineherd’s humble abode.”