Odysseus 'Wit InThe Odyssey'

If a hero only has bravery but no wisdom, then they can be impetuous. But Odysseus has both qualities and is terribly intelligent and cunning. Before attacking the Cyclops, he came up with a cunning trick for the Cyclops. He told the Cyclops that his name was Noman and when he attacked him, the Cyclops said nonsense, like “‘Noman has attacked me, Noman is hiding in my cave’”(47). This is an ingenious plan because the other Cyclopes thought that the Cyclops had gone crazy and didn’t help him fight Odysseus. If it weren’t for Odysseus’ quick-thinking skills and intelligence, then he and his men would have already been violently murdered by the Cyclops. Odysseus had also came up with the Trojan Horse to defeat the Trojans. The attack had gone smoothly for the Greeks and they were extremely successful, thanks to Odysseus’ cleverness. Selected armed comrades were hidden inside the “enormous wooden horse” and when the Trojans “dragged it back to their city as a prize of war” (28), the Greeks “overcame their resistance” and “took their revenge without mercy” (30). This proves that Odysseus is a genius because he was able to trick the Trojans into believing the gigantic horse was a gift. This wonderful plan has been retold for centuries and is still a symbol of Odysseus’ intelligence. It also shows that Odysseus is extremely creative, due to the fact that he had came up with something completely new and surprised the

Odysseus’s escape from the Cyclops is one of great intelligence. A Cyclops is a giant one eyed monster. Homer said, “The booming voice and the very sight of the monster filled us with panic” (IX, 256). From the first moment Odysseus and his men set eyes on the Cyclops they know they are in trouble and will not be able to get out easily. The Cyclops, Polyphemus, eats two of Odysseus’ men from the start. As soon as this happens, Odysseus

The epic, The Odyssey, centers around Odysseus, whose disposition can be controversial. Like all heroes, Odysseus displays both positive and negative characteristics, which determine whether he is a admirable figure or not. In my opinion, the parts of his character that are commendable outweigh his lesser qualities, making him an honorable role in the poem. Odysseus’s three main favorable attributes are his cleverness, his determination, and his leadership.

Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus experiences many ups and downs throughout his journey home. He is throw into peril and there often seems to be no hope for his return home. While he remains victorious in the end, returning to his wife, son, and father, the poem itself is filled with many darker moments filled with doubt and sadness. Odysseus is the hero of the Odyssey, and in order to exist as a hero he must be relatable. His story cannot be one entirely of triumph, it must include a more human perspective. Triumph cannot come without strife, and heroism cannot come without tribulation. Athena and Odysseus’ experiences as divine and human, respectively, and define whether or not they are heroes. By comparing Odysseus to Athena, it is apparent that what makes Odysseus a hero before anything else is his humanity.

Before finally landing in Ithaca, he had to sail past Scylla, a six-headed monster who swallows one sailor for each head from passing ships, and Charybdis, an enormous whirlpool that could swallow an entire vessel. Circe instructed Odysseus to not put up a fight with Scylla as he sails past her, and he obeyed her instruction. Here, Odysseus showed firm self-discipline, where he refrained himself from the desire to battle with the monster when she plucked out and killed six of his strongest men (pg. 163). It is true that Odysseus is a war hero with immense physical strength, but what truly set him apart from other war heroes in The Odyssey are his wits and intelligence. The tale of the Trojan Horse, which was a device Odysseus designed to help the Greeks invade the city of Troy and win the Trojan War, greatly highlights his intelligence and skills in tactical warfare. The true extent of his wits can be seen when Odysseus tricked the cannibal Cyclops into letting his crew go by using a clever word play on his own name (pg.

In life, humans are faced with a multitude of different kinds of problems and challenges. Throughout all of life, these moments have always taught young kids, adults, and even elders different life lessons and values. In The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, battles several different obstacles throughout his journey. He learns about many different values, life lessons, and even rediscovers and reinvents himself. To an audience member in ancient Greece, one could learn of the important values just by listening to these stories.

This shows that Odysseus was clever because he told the Cyclops that his name was “Nohbdy” so that when Odysseus and his men stabbed him in the eye and his Cyclops’s friend came to ask ‘who has tricked you?’ the Cyclops would answer ‘Nohbdy did it.’ This shows how Odysseus was a hero because without his cleverness they probably would have been stuck in the cave forever. Another way Odysseus showed his cleverness is when he gave up six of his men to the Scylla instead of going into the Charybdis and risking the lives of his whole crew. “Then Scylla made her strike, whisking six of my best men from the ship.

Twenty years from home can be enough to break a man down. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus struggles to get home over his two-decade hero’s journey. While he fought against monsters, women, suitors, and even his own men, his most tremendous battles are against himself, fighting his own officiousness and hubris. This conflict causes his expedition to not only be significantly longer but also notably more difficult. Odysseus’s flaw of curiosity provoked the god Poseidon, who is arguably his most heinous enemy. Once Odysseus’s and his men arrived at the Land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus inquisitiveness prompted him to explore the island, provoking Polyphemus, the Cyclopes. After violating the barbarian’s household, Odysseus quickly finds himself escaping Polyphemus’s wrath, however the Cyclopes was still able to curse Odysseus, calling upon his father, praying, “Should destiny intend that he shall see his roof again among his family in his fatherland, far be that day and dark the years between.

The epic poem, The Odyssey, performed by Homer, expresses views about what a hero means to the author through a constructed Greek myth. Homer utilizes different styles of literary devices to portray his explanation on what a hero means to him through three different characters: Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus. The book takes place on an Island in Greece, specifically, the protagonist’s wanderings cover the Aegean and surrounding seas. The story eventually ends in Ithaca, in northwestern Greece. Telemachus travels from Ithaca to southern Greece around 700 B.C. As the book goes on, these three characters develop heroic qualities as people who put themselves in front of others, use wit rather than brute force, and the develop strong familial values.

“The Intelligence, but Foolish Overconfidence, of Odysseus” Odysseus, the heroic protagonist in Homer’s epic The Odyssey, struggles for 10 years to get back to his homeland of Ithaca and to his faithful wife, Penelope. While Odysseus passes through foreign lands, he earns the respect of some gods and the wrath of others, loses crew members and friends, faces many difficult decisions and literally journeys to hell and back. However, the particular challenge that Odysseus faces with a Cyclops, Polyphemus, illustrates one of his best qualities and quickly contrasts it with one of his worst qualities; his superior intelligence with his overconfidence and demanding need for glory. Odysseus comes into contact with Polyphemus after his crew unknowingly

In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus is the king of his home Ithaca. He won the battle of Troy and is trying to find his way back home. His wife, Penelope and son, Telemachus are back in Ithaca waiting for his patiently for his arrival. Along the way home he comes across many things that slow him down but he is still determined to get back to his family and Ithaca. Along the way Odysseus has shown many characteristics of a hero. Some things are when this is said in the story, “...weathered many bitter nights and days in his deep heart at sea, while he fought only to save his life, to bring his shipmates home.” ( The Odyssey page. 371). This shows that Odysseus was not only protecting himself but also protecting his shipmates. Knowing that he

I completely agree with your statement about time never stopping, if you aren't right there with it, it will pass you in a heartbeat. Odysseus was gone for twenty years and had to come back to a kingdom that was completely different from his memory, suitors in his house, his son being an adult, having to be disguised as a beggar allowed him to study how his kingdom had changed and how it was affected while he was gone. “I am that father whom your boyhood lacked and suffered pain for lack of me. I am he.” (295, lines 221-222) Odysseus has to come back to a grown son and has to prove to him that his father has really returned, he came back to a completely different place that had gone through many years without him there. This often times occur

After successfully avoiding Charybdis, Odysseus and his men, famished and hoping to find nourishment, stop at the first island they see. The island is isolated, green, but not lush with trees, and flat. They dock their ship at an inlet and await Odysseus’ commanding orders.

After we left Cierce Island of paradise for the second time, Odysseus told us to start rowing to the mysterious island of the sirens. As we were rowing, Odysseus explained to us what Cierce told him about the island of the sirens and how to avoid the sirens voices luring us to our own death. Cierce also instructed Odysseus to tell the crew members to tie him up with very strong ropes and not to release him until they got pass the sirens because Odysseus alone can only hear the voices of the sirens.

Homer's epic tale The Odyssey is a story of the triumphs and downfalls that are in store for one warrior's long pillage home.  Odysseus, the hero from the Trojan wars, has led his people of Ithaca and other Achaean soldiers to victory and now wishes to return home to his wife and family of Ithaca.  Through his twenty year journey Odysseus is often tested not only of his physical strength, but his wits as well.  The many accomplishments he achieved earned him great status and recognition throughout ancient Greece.  The mistakes he made caused the deaths of many men.  Consequently, we as readers are able to see the many personas that Odysseus carries with him.