“There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” These words said by Mark Twain, an American author, have an unmistakable significance when compared to the journey of Odysseus in Homer’s poem The Odyssey. This collection of Odysseus’s adventures offers an account of his life and his pursuit of fame after the Trojan War. In his epic The Odyssey, Homer uses the motifs of sexual temptation and the temptation to rebel in pursuit of kleos to comment on the desires that drive Odysseus further and further away from home, therefore commenting on the desires inside of everyone that ultimately keeps them from accomplishing their goals. Homer uses sexual temptation as a motif throughout Odysseus’ journey to comment on the desires that will inevitably threaten one’s well-being. After Odysseus and his crew sail to Circe’s island, Odysseus “mount[s] Circe’s gorgeous bed” and he continues to sleep with her “day in, day out, till a year had run its course” (10:396, 10:516). Unable to resist the urge to sleep with Circe, he makes her swear that she will free his shipmates afterward. In this, he places a great importance on his shipmates and a temporary pleasure than on his wife and son, prolonging his journey by another year. Also, when Odysseus “mount[s] Circe’s gorgeous bed,” (10:386), leaving the impression that Circe is above Odysseus, enchanting and controlling him through their sexual relationship. Another of the many examples where sexual temptation
In my eyes a hero is a person who shows courage, is humble, does not give up, and is someone everybody can relate to. The protagonist in “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because although he is emotional throughout the book and lets his emotions take over his actions, he displays immense courage and perseveres through his journey and hardships.
From the Odyssey, there’s a character named Odysseus, who is a very complex character. He is proud, wise, and extremely brave. Within the Odyssey, Odysseus is a man with a large ego, he even taunted someone who nearly killed him. Even though his pride can be fatal, he’s intelligent and can get out of any situation. Lastly, Odysseus’ is fearless, even when he was placed in life or death situations, he wasn’t never cowardly.
The epic poem The Odyssey by Homer is the tale of Odysseus and his men sailing home towards the island of Ithaka from Troy. On the men’s valiant journey home they encounter several curses and diversions that kept them from reaching Ithaka for years. The gods influenced the meeting of several people and places they come across on the trip home from Troy, but of the obstacles they come across that are not god-influenced, they are because Odysseus was selfish. His selfish desire for knowledge and his other inane cravings were the undoing of many of his men. Odysseus also is selfish in the sense that he had relations with several deities and women on his voyage home, showing his lust for women to
Throughout history, poets, authors, and directors have created characters labeled as “heroes”. These figures can be brave and kind; they can be strong and intelligent, but regardless of the attributes these “heroes” possess, they reflect those valued and admired by the people of that time and culture. Homer, the author of book nine of The Odyssey, “In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave,” used the character Odysseus to appear heroic by showcasing the traits readers would find most desirable in a person. Homer showed such characteristics in Odysseus when he wrote him to be brave when confronted with danger, intelligent in problem-solving, and extremely loyal to his homeland.
The term “dynamic” is often used in literature to describe a character who changes drastically from one point in the story to another. When reading “The Odyssey” an epic poem by Homer, we see that our protagonist, Odysseus, changes throughout the course of the novel. This essay will argue how he changes, and also what changes him, such as his travels, his relationships, and how fate and the Greek gods affect and change him.
A major part of being a hero is trying to protect the ones you love from any harm, hurt, and danger. Odysseus, however, does not protect his family from harm because he leaves Ithaca for so long. In particular, Odysseus does not protect his wife from hurt when he cheats on her. Every minute of each day that Odysseus was gone, Penelope was mourning the absence of her husband, not knowing that he was deceiving her. Odysseus not only cheats on Penelope once, but twice. First, Odysseus is held sex captive by Calypso, a nymph goddess, on her island for many years. This means that at some point Odysseus had fallen for temptation. Odysseus then cheats on his wife yet again with another goddess named Circe. Although this affair does not last as long, Odysseus still sets
The epic poem The Odyssey by the ancient Greek writer Homer takes us deep into the life of a man called Odysseus. As the reader gets to know Odysseus many sides of his character are exposed through the challenges he faces. Though he and his crew face danger and obstacles every step of the way Odysseus’s character hardly changes. The entire book Odysseus longs to see his wife but he is a good man and a courageous leader.
The hero of Homer’s Odyssey is Odysseus—the glistening, golden-skinned, muscular, clever hero that every audience aspires to be…right? Homer’s idea of Odysseus being the ideal man at the beginning of the Odyssey is repeatedly proven to be wrong. On more than one occasion, Odysseus displays definitively unheroic behavior that conflicts with his descriptions as a paragon of honor and virtue. His beautiful exterior conceals his true interior: that of a hypocritical antagonist who flouts the same rules he claims to uphold.
In the epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer, temptation plays a big role in each character's life. Many people face temptation. Whether or not people let it get the best of them is a test of their mental strength. Odysseus is a strong kind hearted leader who lives by a code of ethics. Odysseus has been tempted on many different occasions. Three times Odysseus is tempted, and each time he succumbs. The first instance is, he is unfaithful to Penelope. Then again when he stays on Circeʻs Island for a year to feast instead of continuing on with his journey. Lastly, he lets temptation get the best of him when he gives in to letting his his men rest on Helios Island. Odysseus is a noble leader, however temptations often get the best of him.
Heroes are everywhere, no matter how small their heroic actions may be. However, what is a hero? A hero is someone who helps others without regard to themselves. A person like Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, who put Tom Robinson in front of his own reputation, and was called a “black lover” in the racist community for doing the right thing. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus has done this more than once on his journey home, however he also has been selfish. Odysseus is a man who has been both heroic, like when he rescued his men from Circe, but he has also done unheroic actions, like when he didn’t tell his men about the dangerous bag of wind.
In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, the protagonist Odysseus is traveling home from the war in Troy. Odysseus has been traveling home for twenty years and throughout his journey longs for his son Telemachos and his wife Penelope as well as his estate in Ithaca. Odysseus is a man with a penetrating mind as well as outstanding valor; however, a weakness of Odysseus is his sensualness. Odysseus always encounters women throughout his journey home. These women adore Odysseus because of his attractive looks and brave spirit and wish for Odysseus to remain with them. Although Odysseus is vulnerable to the rich and beautiful women he encounters, he rejects their kind offerings with the determination to be reunited with his wife Penelope.
Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Gandhi, are all real life examples of what a hero is. The Odyssey, written by Homer, is an epic poem written in ancient Greece. The Odyssey is about the many difficulties Odysseus, the main character, had to go through in order to return home to his kingdom after fighting in the Trojan War. Originally Odysseus was supposed to only fight and then return home with his crew, but after his lack of worship to the Gods he was thrown off course, resulting in a much longer journey. Through all of the many difficulties on his journey, Odysseus proved to be a hero, similar to how Mahatma Gandhi is a hero. Odysseus is a hero compared to Gandhi, because they both share similar traits through their
Odysseus is a hero because he went on his journey home from the Trojan War with strong determination and bravery to get him and his men home. After being already a war hero for being a great help to winning the war, he later proves himself even more of a hero when he leads his men through countless dangers hoping that eventually they will return home. The things they face on their adventure back home will take good amounts of courage and bravery.
The Virtue of Odysseus We are a species of black and white. We take pleasure in sorting people into definite categories with little room for variation. In the arena of virtue, we are no different. Even though virtue may be difficult to define, people are considered either virtuous or unvirtuous depending on the trends of their actions.
In The Odyssey, an epic by homer, Odysseus and his crew are returning to their home island, Ithaca, from the Trojan War. Their ships have been blown off course and they are now lost at sea; it is up to Odysseus to lead his men home safely. Many readers believe that Odysseus is a strong leader whose only goal is to lead his men safely home to Ithaca. However, Odysseus has other, more personal goals in mind on the journey home. Understanding that Odysseus is an inadequate leader will give the readers a more in-depth understanding of Odysseus’ personality and mindset. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is unsuccessful in leading his men because he is egocentric when he assumes his superiority over others