The Ineffective Leader In Odysseus Of Homer's Odyssey

In the Odyssey, Odysseus is quite the legend known to people, whether you are high up in the sky with Zeus, or deep in the ocean with Poseidon, everyone knows Odysseus. In the epic poem, the Odyssey told by the one and only Homer, the brave, the godlike human, Odysseus is finding his way home after the big battle victory against the Trojans. This story is about his travels home and how he got caught up in other business. Let’s just say he stabbed Poseidon’s son, had his crew turned into pigs, faced a six-headed monster and whirlpool, and that is to say the least. He may as well be on America’s most wanted list with all the trouble he was causing. Even though Odysseus is a troublemaker, he has multiple great characteristics of a leader. Odysseus, when it comes to his crew and family, is confident, compassionate, wise, and always knows a way to get out of any problem.

Traits that leaders possess honesty, selflessness, morals, physical and mental strength, forethought, and many more traits. A leader guides their men and women to success. Odysseus does not fit this definition. Odysseus is not a good leader because he didn’t not lead his men to victory, he wasn’t honest to his men, and he cheated on his wife during the journey. This has relevance to this day and age because we have people who are put in position of leadership that make really questionable decisions.

In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus faces many challenging situations in which many people look to him for leadership, which he must provide. However, Odysseus has a way of tackling these situations that is not effective for his followers. For effective leadership to take place, there must be a clear, strictly professional relationship between the leader and the followers. This is not the case with Odysseus and his crew, which is why his leadership is often ineffective, when it needs to be effective and helpful for his followers. The Odyssey reveals the distrust and the problems that enter a leader-follower relationship when the leader and the followers’ connection is too close and too personal.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus is an amazing leader because, time after time, get his men out of difficult situations. For example, Odysseus gets his men out of a difficult situation on the island of cyclops. He does this by blinding the eye of the cyclops, then riding out on the sheep when they get let out, saving most of his men. He felt the urge to get his men out because they were getting eaten. He is a good leader because he cares for his men and gets them out of difficult situations. Odysseus also saves his men when they are with Circe. She turns half of them into pigs, so to keep the other half human, he slept with her. So she let them stay safe with her for a year because of Odysseus. He saves his men once again by doing this. Some

Odysseus, the main character and the hero of the epic, The Odyssey, is the leader of a fleet of men who tend to get themselves in many wild shenanigans and setbacks. Although he does get and at his men, he understands the human nature of his men, and do want the best for them. This task of keeping his men alive is made easier by the fact that Odysseus is naturally a heroic person and leader. He is willing to do or go anywhere to ensure the safety of his men and a higher chance of arriving at their home, Ithaka. Thus, throughout the course of Book 10, Odysseus has shown to readers that he justifies the traits that originates from being a brave and caring leader.

In the book “The Odyssey” there were many situations where Odysseus might not have been the strongest leader. I think that he was a strong leader overall in many different circumstances. Towards the beginning of the book when he gets to the first island where they stopped for food and supplies. I think he was a good leader cause he went with them but when they had troubles with the others it wasn't his fault that he lost some of his men. He could not control what happened at that island. Towards the middle of the book when he goes to the underworld to find Teiresias. He goes by himself with none of his men all alone. I think that when he did this it made himself look very tough and strong. Towards the end where he goes by Charybdis and scylla

An anonymous author wrote, "Leadership is not a position or title, it is action and example. " This idea that leadership is not a title, but earned by actions and examples can be directly applied to Odysseus' poor leadership and destruction of his crew. Odysseus claimed to be an influential leader but his actions showed otherwise when he faced Scylla and was tempted by the Cattle of the Sun God. Odysseus was not a strong leader and ultimately contributed to the destruction of his own men because Odysseus chose to sacrifice his own crew rather than himself and Odysseus didn’t take responsibility for his actions that were detrimental to his crew.

Odysseus is meeting Hermes. One of the Quotes is when Odysseus meets Hermes and he tells him “As soon as Circe gives you a tap with her long rod draw your sword at once and rush upon her as if you meant to kill her.” pg (118) Odysseus is challenged to save his men from Circe. Odysseus has to defeat Circe. One quote is when Odysseus makes Circe say an oath to never harm him ”Swear you will never try to bring harm to me.” pg (119) Odysseus has outsmarted Circe and she has fallen in love with him. Odysseus outsmarted Circe with the help of Hermes and had to face a very difficult challenge

In the Odyssey, Odysseus is a leader of men. As one examines his narrative of the voyages and encounters with various people and challenges, it becomes evident that his capabilities as a leader are varied, and he as a character is often nuanced and contradictory in his representation of these characteristics. This can be seen in many of his adventures, but especially in his encounter with the Cicones, his brush with the Cyclops Polyphemus, and his experiences on Aeaea, the island of Circe.

One's inner strength is tested time and time again for the wily Odysseus, King of Ithaca. In the epic poetry “The Odyssey”, shows Odysseus’s travel home after the fall of Troy. Homer, the author, demands the reader’s attention to look deeper into the text to see the different meanings instead of just seeing what’s right in front of you. For instance, instead of seeing Odysseus as a man trying to get home you see all his layers like his loyalty to his men when Circe turned them into pigs and how wily he is when he escapes the Cyclops Polyphemus by tying himself to the underside of the sheep. Although for every reader “The Odyssey” can be interpreted different ways, some might see Odysseus as a man whore who is easily tricked by the goddesses while others might see him as a trickster who gets out of multiple sticky situations.

Whenever people hear the word “hero”, they portray in their minds a perfect person, who always choose the correct decisions, and saves many people; but not all heroes demonstrate a flawless life and deserve the title hero. In the great epic poem by Homer, Odyssey, Odysseus embodies the classic hero quality Greek culture respects—bravery and intelligence. Many readers admire Odyssey’s heroic qualities, ignoring the fact Odyssey also had weaknesses. While the readers could focus on the triumphs and accomplishments of Odysseus, Odysseus has done wrongs. Despite those great hero traits Odysseus embodies, he demonstrates great weaknesses humans have in common—pride, irresponsibility toward his crews, and revengeful heart, these flaws ultimately brought demise and trouble to his men and himself, which constantly reminds the audience that Homer represents Odysseus as another human, rather than a hero.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus is clearly the main character. As the main character he has many leadership roles, He is the leader of his men in the military, a leader of his son later on in the book, and lastly he is a leader to his wife as a husband. Those are the leadership roles that will be touched on in the analysis. Odysseus is a very resectable man who usually has good morals but will do extreme things to get home to save his wife from the suitors of Ithaca, and to protect his men on the journey back ( although sadly they would not make it because they angered a god after eating his cattle ). Early in the book Odysseus is introduced by recounting his journey home from the Trojan War, he is leading men back from the battle that he fought in the Illiad.

In addition to this, Odysseus throughout his journey home loses focus of his goal or task at hand. In the episode, “The Enchantress Circe,” Odysseus is provided with an deal in which he must sleep with Circe in order for her to turn his men back to normal after she had previously turned them into pigs. Odysseus takes advantage of this offer to save his men, but eventually learns that he has spent multiple years with Circe, living under many luxuries and pleasing her. While Odysseus overall had good intentions in trying to free his crew, he gets distracted and loses track of how long he has been with Circe and for that time loses his focus on returning

Throughout time, views and ideals change drastically—what was seen as crucial or even sacred in one generation can come to be disregarded or abandoned in the next. These shifts reflect what the people of that particular time period decided was important, as seen when comparing and contrasting Homer’s epics The Iliad and The Odyssey. In The Iliad, might is right, and physical strength—and sometimes even mindless brutality—is viewed as the most important and noble trait a person can possess. In The Odyssey, however, cunning, wits, and contemplation become what the people value most. Odysseus’s ability to think rationally and use a well thought-out plan to escape trouble elevates him to a mythic and almost godlike stature. However, this ability for deep thought can also cause him to overthink, especially in regards to his own abilities and sense of pride. While Odysseus’s cunning makes him closer to the gods, his prideful need for recognition and revenge keeps him flawed and human, holds him back from achieving his full potential, and greatly prolongs his journey home.

Odysseus is arguably one of the most admirable classical heroes in all world literary masterpieces. However, although he expresses the commendable traits of manliness, conduct, and intelligence, there are also numerous faults in this round character— most notable being his excessive pride. Many of his praiseworthy qualities also prove to work against him at times, and extend his journey in The Odyssey by several years. Homer constructs Odysseus by attributing both godly and human characteristics to him, allowing readers to admire him while simultaneously relating to him. The combination of these revered traits coined Odysseus as being an omnicompetent man, polumetis, in the eyes of the Mycenaean’s and in the eyes of most modern day readers. This shows that the popularity of Odysseus transcends time; however, modern interpretations of The Odyssey in cinematic productions portray Odysseus in conflicting perspectives that may not directly correlate to Homer’s intention of the hero.