Three Symbols in The Odyssey

Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus is warned many times of the perils and difficulty of his journey. All through these times it seems that Odysseus will never get home, but he never loses hope. In Book 11, Odysseus ventures into hell to meet with the great prophet, Teiresias. Teiresias prophesizes, “But anguish lies ahead: the god who thunders on the land prepares it…” As terrible as this sounds, Odysseus just accepts his fate and continues on with his journey. Just as he did earlier in the story, after his encounter with Polyphemus, the Cyclops puts a curse on his head. “…and thou art father: grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his

The magnitude of his punishment could have been much more severe; however, the Lord was with Joseph and sheltered him from other endangerments, such as the Pharaoh’s temper. Whilst this was occurring, Joseph remains steadfast in his faith and loyalty to the Lord and discerns the importance of demonstrating his courage to individuals in a foreign land. Similarly, Odysseus embodies the heroic quality of courage as he embarks on his journey back to Ithaca, years after the Trojan War, destined to be long and perilous. With his newfound sense of confidence and nerve to rebuff Calypso’s offer of immortality, Odysseus longs “for home, long for the sight of home. If any god has marked me out again for shipwreck, my tough heart can undergo it. What hardship have I not long since endured at sea, in battle! Let the trial come” (Odyssey, 87). Predestined to return home following the Trojan War, Odysseus understands his fate and the ominous obstacles he will withstand. Nevertheless, he assumes the challenge and departs from the island of Calypso. Travelling in foreign waters, Odysseus heavily relies upon Athena to safeguard him from other greater beings, such as Poseidon. (need more evidence/support)

Odysseus, through the tremendous physical journey that he has embarked on, goes on many mental journeys that greatly develop him as a character: he starts out hotheaded and single-minded, yet grows to be a lot more rational by the end of the book, which ultimately saves his own life and the lives of many others. For example, because of the inadvertent trip he and his crew take to the island of the Cyclops, and their subsequent escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus (which causes the ire of Poseidon, Polyphemus’ father, to be incited), Odysseus learns to not invite the wrath of the gods. He also learns, after taunting Polyphemus multiple times and consequently, almost getting everyone killed because of it, to not act in such a rash manner and to

In book nine: the Cyclops fate is demonstrated; these are the times you see that the gods take action in Odysseus life. Odysseus is talking to the terrifying Cyclops; Odysseus is explaining to the Cyclops how fate has brought them to his island. Odysseus says on page 116 lines 159 thru 163. “We are Achemans…took the wrong route as Zeus I suppose instead that we should.” Odysseus says that he

In The final chapters of Odysseus's quest, the reader believes that the main character has finally found himself. The problem with his happy ending is that he has forgotten one thing. Odysseus is not perfect he is human. Though he has learned much through his perils, the vices of Pride, vengeance, and dependency, all come back to haunt him during the

A key event that delays Odysseus immensely on his journey home is Poseidon’s revenge. While sailing home, Odysseus and his men come to encounter Polyphemus, Poseidon’s Cyclops son. Odysseus and his men try to steal food from Polyphemus while he is away tending to his flock (Homer 362). When Polyphemus returns to his cave, he finds Odysseus and his men, and traps them in his cave. While trapped in the cave, Polyphemus eats many of Odysseus’

Odysseus describes this incident himself “I called back with another burst of anger, ‘Cyclops--if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so--say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Homer 227). This is a clear representation about how his overconfidence in himself has gotten the better of him. This causes Polyphemus to bellow out what Odysseus did to his father, Poseidon, “Hear me -- Poseidon, god of the sea-blue mane who rocks the earth! If I really am your son and you claim to be my father-- come, grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca never reaches home. Or if he’s fated to see his people once again and reach his well-built house and his own native country, let him come home late and come a broken man-- all shipmates lose, alone in a stranger’s ship-- and let him find a world of pain at home!”(Homer 228). This is the reason that Odysseus came home late, the reason why he was alone, and the reason why he had such a rough, terrible, journey back to his homeland

While being taunted by the suitors Odysseus kept his composure, the best choice for protecting his family. Odysseus also sees some of the servants sneak off to have sex with the suitors. He “was stirred by this, and much he pondered in the division of mind and spirit, whether to spring on them and kill each one, or rather to let them lie this one more time with the insolent suitors, for the last and latest time; but the heart was growling within him".(homer,20,9-13) The personification of his growling heart depicts how very angry Odysseus is. He could have unveiled himself then and attempted to kill the suitors and punish them, as well as prove his strength. Instead he waits for a better moment so that he does not risk the lives of his son and wife only to demonstrate his superiority, a mistake he made previously when calling out his name to the cyclops. Odysseus also realizes more about himself while on the journey. He makes the realization that he is no god, only a mere mortal whose imperfect decisions can often put other people at risk. Odysseus and his crew had been trapped by the cyclops due to his own

Following the instructions of Circe, Odysseus travels to the Land of the Dead to speak to the Theban prophet, Teiresias. Once able to speak with Teiresias, Odysseus is informed of what is in store for him in the future, according to the prophecy. As the prophet mentions to Odysseus, “you will reach home late, in a wretched state, upon a foreign ship, having lost all your comrades. You will find trouble too in your house - insolent men eating up your livelihood, courting your royal wife and offering wedding gifts. It is true that you will take revenge on these men for their misdeeds when you reach home” (11.115-118). In other words, the prophet tells Odysseus that all of his men are destined to die and if he manages to evade death, he will reach Ithaca once again with the help of foreign people. Odysseus also learns of the Suitors that currently inhabit his home and of their cruel intentions. Most importantly, the prophet reveals that Odysseus will get revenge on the Suitors for attempting to steal his throne, family, and wealth. Evidently, the revenge will be in the slaughtering of the Suitors at Odysseus’s hand, as the battle between Odysseus and the Suitors occurs later in the

Ten years after Odysseus destroyed Troy, Odysseus has still not returned to his home Ithaca. Odysseus sets sail on a makeshift raft, but the sea god Poseidon whose curse Odysseus got earlier in his adventures by blinding the Cyclops Polyphemus, who father Poseidon creates a storm. Odysseus’ men had more losses at the land of the Kikones and then were nearly tempted to stay on the island of the Lotus Eaters. Next, the Cyclops Polyphemus ate many of Odysseus' men before a clever plan allowed his soldiers to escape. The wind god Ailos then gave Odysseus a bag of winds to help him return to Ithaca, but the crew opened the bag and went to the land of the giant who was a man-eating Laistrygonians, where they again barely escaped.

Odysseus being one of the most flawed characters in the book struggled vigorously with his imperfections. Odysseus presented many flawed actions throughout the book conveying him as an arrogant and conceited individual. He demonstrated on many occasions his arrogant thoughts and actions and he did not seem to have any sort of remorse to his actions making his doings almost inhumane. One example of Odysseus arrogance is observed when he and his crew are escaping the firm and fatal grasp of Cyclops, the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea. They come up with a plan to get Cyclops intoxicated with the wine they had brought for their voyage before getting captured, after succeeding with the first half of their plan they set out to complete the second part; gouging out his eyes.

After Odysseus and his men are on the boat, he calls out to Polyphemus, “Cyclops- if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so- say Odysseus raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca”(IX). His pride from escaping the Cyclops’s lair gives him a rush which causes him to tell Polyphemus his name. By telling the Cyclops his name, Odysseus seals his fate for the rest of his journey home. Once Polyphemus learns the name of his attacker, “,,,[Polyphemus] prayed and the god of the sea-blue mane Poseidon heard his prayer”(IX). Polyphemus is able to curse Odysseus’ journey home, because he knows his name. Once he curses Odysseus, the man’s way home becomes distorted, drawn-out, and difficult. Because Odysseus lets his pride get the better of him, his simple journey home becomes years of twists and

Odysseus angirly exclaims at the cyclops,” Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest”( The Cyclops 260-261). Odysseus gets full of courage and pride when calling out that he could have Zeus come after him not even thinking of the destruction that could come from saying that to the wrong person. Odysseus second detriment from anger is shown when he attacks the Cyclops when he did not have to stop and get stuck in the Cyclops cave. In the story leading up to The Cyclops episode people know that Odysseus and Poseidon do not get along so his anger was taken out on the Cyclops. Odysseus tells the Cyclops,” Poseidon Lord, who sets the earth atremble, broke it up on the rocks at your land’s end.”(273-274). If Poseidon did in fact crash his ship then there has to be a dislike between the to leading the readers to believe he is going to harm the Cyclops out of anger. Odysseus third and final detriment through evil thoughts in the episode “The Cyclops” is shown through his boastful attitude when he puts his crew at risk. Odysseus tries to exclaim again across the ocean,“Now when i cupped my hands I heard the crew in low voices protesting.”(492-493). Odysseus is being very boastful wanting the Cyclops to know who he was and how he was better not even considering the fact that he could get his whole crew

Throughout the Odyssey, the struggles of Odysseus are revealed to the reader through the well written epic. His journey is very difficult and he is haunted with the loss of his entire crew and seemingly impossible task of getting home to his family. While journeying homewards, Odysseus makes the mistake of harming the Cyclops, who happens to be Poseidon's son. Poseidon is so angry at Odysseus for the harm he inflicted on the Cyclops, that through the influence of all powerful Zeus, he punishes Odysseus along with his other children, the Phaeacians, who can be seen to parallel as well as contrast with the Cyclops.

Much like Odysseus had many setbacks and help from others on his journey home, I too had similar events on my journey to becoming a fully capable driver. In The Odyssey By Homer the characters and events that Odysseus came across all symbolize things that every person on a journey has experienced, no matter what it may be.