The Reflection Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

The Odyssey does not clearly state whether or not Penelope sees through Odysseus’ beggar disguise, but there are subtle hints that imply that she does recognize Odysseus. The book clearly states that Telemachus, Eurycleia, and Argus knew the beggar’s true identity. If these individuals recognized Odysseus, why would his cunning wife, Penelope not see through his disguise? Many times while Odysseus is in disguise as a beggar, he comes into contact with Penelope, during these interactions it appears that Penelope is encouraging Odysseus to take down the suitors. Although the specific point Penelope recognized Odysseus is not clear, the book implies that she did at one point, realize the beggar was Odysseus.

In the works we have read so far there are many characters that show up more than once. These characters demonstrate the thoughts of the author they were written by. We can find information about Greek culture by analyzing the different texts that characters show up in. I am going to argue that Odysseus is a smart, versatile, and cunning character that shows a different type of masculinity than is portrayed by other characters.

Odysseus’ support to his crew through every situation and hardship, throughout The Odyssey, is one main sign that the Ancient Greeks valued loyalty. In the Lotus Eaters, Odysseus, “...drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, / tied them down under their rowing benches / and called the rest…”(9.48-50). Through this difficult situation, Odysseus is shown supporting his crew as their leader and keeping them on the right path by taking control of those who were possessed by the magic of Lotus plants. When his crew members struggled to stay on course, Odysseus was able to take responsibility by supporting and guiding them. Another event that showed this is Odysseus and his crew’s encounter with the sirens. According to the text, "Going forward / I carried wax along the line, and laid it / thick on their ears." (12.115-17). Here, Odysseus shows his support to his crew by contributing to protecting them from being hypnotized by the tempting sounds of the sirens by preparing wax to plug their ears with. Again, Odysseus and his crew know they will face the challenge of staying on course, and Odysseus takes these actions to support them and secure their safety. Odysseus’ support in both situations that put him and his crew in danger, reveal the Greeks’ value of

The Sirens are known for singing important wishes that want to be heard. Their songs draw people in. Circe, a nymph, advices Odysseus’ crew to stuff their ears with wax because it is forbidden to listen to this or else they would die. The only one who can listen is Odysseus and Circe orders the men to “…tie you hand and foot…” to the mast, preventing Odysseus from jumping overboard (12.56). He demonstrates self restraint as a captain. He stopped the ship from being steered into rocks having the whole crew die and wrecking the ship. Odysseus was not being selfish because he took one for the team listening to the songs. The songs sung could change Odysseus’ desire to go home and ruin the whole plan. Once passed the Sirens, they encounter another island, Helios. His men, specifically Eurylochus, suggest that it would be a good idea to rest up on the island for the night. Odysseus reluctantly agrees but warns “…keep your hands off all the herd or we will pay the price” (12.346). But if it was not important enough, Circe had also informed the crew. Odysseus was being a sensible captain, trying to protect his men from danger. His men had completely disregarded the warning, with no self control. Partly, this is Odysseus’ fault because being him the captain, he should have been able to keep control of the men and not be reckless and fall asleep. Helios is definitely incensed and asks Zeus for revenge on the men after they have sailed off. This demonstrates the early consequence plagued on the men. Either Odysseus never returns home or he does through plenty of struggle and the loss of the entire crew. And lo and behold, Zeus strikes the ship with a lighting bolt killing all but Odysseus. Odysseus’ courage act got them past the Sirens, but his lack of supervision resulted in the deaths of all his

In The Odyssey by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, is found depicting this trait several times in the poem. But his way of being a leader is very controversial. Determining whether Odysseus is a good leader on not is a difficult task. On the surface, he appears to have more faults than successes. It seems that when it comes to Odysseus’ leadership qualities, Homer presents the reader with an ambiguous impression. But looking deeper, Odysseus can be found with a pure heart that cares for others. When Circe, a witch-goddess, tells Odysseus the possible future of him and his men, he immediately goes to his crew to tell them the news. He leads his speech with, “The crew now silent before me, I addressed them sore at heart.” Although this is a very short quote, the meaning behind Odysseus’ words are found when looking in between the lines. This phrase shows the captains respect that he has for his crew. He informs them about their future for the sake of them. When he says “sore at heart”, it shows that Odysseus truly does care for each one of his men. Later in the same book, Odysseus and his men face rough seas as they try to make their way back home. The crew are quickly starting to doubt themselves, but Odysseus being the leader he is, says, “Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave? What power we had!” Odysseus repeatedly says “we” in that phrase to emphasize that it is not only him that defeated the Cyclops, but also the whole crew. He hopes that by reminding them of their past accomplishments, it would give them confidence to move

This major transition in characterization emerged as he learned to give up his flaws little by little. In his encounter with the Sirens, he acted like a completely different person when he requested his “dear friends” (689) to “tie [him] up, tight as a splint” (695). Earlier in his journey, he had used a belittling tone to describe his men during the Cicones incident (“my men stood up and made a fight of it” (57)). By the time of the Sirens trial, Odysseus had really matured to appreciate his company’s presence and understand the importance of taking help from others. This development in maturity symbolizes his progress in the hero’s journey: he crossed the threshold as an amateur hero and returned to Ithaca as a newly transformed

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is an archetypal hero. Odysseus presents himself as a strong leader throughout this epic poem, but the characteristic that appeared the most is his encouraging attitude towards his men. Homer states, “I cheered my men along with battle talk to keep their courage up” (Applebee et al.906). Overall, Odysseus accomplished what leaders are supposed to do and uplifted his men even

Odysseus changes in many ways throughout The Odyssey. These things created a new person. You can very clearly see these changes as he turns more twords wisdom and listens to others. He starts very self sure and smug, but realizes that he needs everyone else more than he thinks.

The Odyssey shows many of Odysseus’ Epic Hero traits such as the ability to lead and this is shown when Odysseus and his men face the sirens and their dangerous music. Even before they faced the sirens themselves

As Odysseus was the only Ithacan to return home, it would seem that he placed his own needs above those of his fellow men. In fact, it would appear that Odysseus did not show any determination at all because he was unable to save a single crew member. However, Tiresias, a prophet, told Odysseus that he would be the only one to survive the journey. There was nothing he could have done. In addition, Odysseus’ determination throughout the journey compensates for his sole homecoming. His encounter with the sirens is one example of his determination. Odysseus instructs his crew, saying, “Therefore, you are to tie me up … and if I shout and beg to be untied, take more turns of rope to muffle me” (Homer 12.1249-1254). Odysseus goes to great lengths to survive the sirens’ song, and tells his crew to stop at nothing, even if he will “shout and beg to be untied”. Odysseus’ actions with the sirens is one of the many instances where he displays relentless determination. This enables Odysseus to be classified as a hero, as he fought to the best of his abilities to return home and save the lives of his

In “The Odyssey”by Homer, Odysseus and his crew go in a journey to going back to their home, but they go through some obstacles just like when you are going through life. For example in the book Lotus Eaters were trying to encourage Odysseus and his crew into eating their Lotus which can make you lose your sense of place or home, just like with drugs or peer pressure. Another example is the monster six headed monster Scylla who can kill and snatch you quickly, that represents how easily an accident or a tragedy can happen in your life. My last example is Penelope’s loyalty to Odysseus, which made her not so easy to give up on their love. That represents the loyalty and love of your friends and family and how you don’t give up on them.

The king of Ithaca, son of the god Laertes and Anticleia, married to Penelope and father to Telemachus, was the hero Odysseus. Odysseus is known for his cunning and brilliant intelligence. During Odysseus’ lifetime, he went on many adventures including a few that involved a cyclops, the Land of the Dead, and the Suitors.

The Odyssey, by Homer, is a journey of survival. Odysseus faces many difficult challenges during his expedition to get home. He is tested frequently when he encounters the presence of Gods, Monsters, and Mortals. It’s these interactions with the Gods, Monsters, and Mortals that examine Odysseus’ true survival skills. He is confronted and put to the test in varying ways with each group and must learn to outlive his enemies.

Once the men are drawn to the Sirens, they are stuck and there is no way for them to escape. Additionally, Homer explains Odysseus’ encounter with the Sirens from Odysseus’ point of view. The Sirens try to attract Odysseus by singing compliments to “famous Odysseus,” so he will assume he is the object of their desire (14). The Sirens are intelligent, and therefore determine what Odysseus’ true weaknesses: flattery and the desire for recognition. His faults are similar to other men; however no other men share Odysseus’ unique wish. When Odysseus sails by, they attack his weaknesses, just as they do to the other ships, but Odysseus already is prepared. The Sirens sing to him and promise he will be able to “[sail] on a wiser man” if Odysseus listens to their song (18). His plan almost fails because the song captivates Odysseus and, thus, attempts to join the Sirens, risking his life to gain the knowledge that the Sirens guarantee. Odysseus navigates himself through the sea with hopes of becoming more intelligent. Homer describes the Sirens as beautiful yet cunning because of their ability to identify men’s weaknesses easily. Their beauty attracts men and thus draws them toward their death. Homer’s view of the relationship between Odysseus and the Sirens prove that the Sirens are extremely tempting and the men cannot help but fall for them.

As Odysseus travels through the epic, he is constantly trying to maintain his image, always bragging about his wisdom and talents. The Sirens expose and exploit this weakness of his when he encounters them. Their “honeyed voices pouring from [their] lips” (Homer, Odyssey, p. 277, 12.203) is a sticky trap that reveals just how much Odysseus yearns for glory and fame. They call him “Archaea’s pride and glory” and tell him to “come closer, famous Odysseus” (Homer, Odyssey, p. 277, 12.200). By making “famous” the new epithet to his name, they have already won his heart. They then proceed to tempt him in with promises of more wisdom. Odysseus had to literally be tied down so that he would not jump off the ship. All the while, the Sirens most definitely knew that humans are inherently greedy and susceptible to temptation.