Personal strengths and weaknesses are magnified during the course of a journey. Some strengths that were magnified during the course of Odysseus’ journey were courage and self-discipline. There were many instances in which he proves to be a courageous man. In the Cyclops story, Odysseus knows that whatever lives on the island he has arrived to is “a towering brute” and a “wild man ignorant of civility” and yet he decides to venture into the cave. His actions prove that he is courageous because although he knew of the danger ahead he decided to proceed. Self discipline, just like courage, is a strength that was continuously shown by Odysseus in the selection in which he reveals himself to his son. For instance, it is stated in lines 1124-1128 of page 599, “If they make fun of me in my own courtyard, let your ribs cage up your springing heart, no matter what I suffer if they pull me by the heels or practise shots at me, to drive me out.” This quote helps one understand why Odysseus could be categorized as disciplined by illustrating a way in which Odysseus’ self-discipline was enhanced, after all, not all people would be able to control their emotions after being humiliated in their …show more content…
Odysseus shows arrogance spasmodically through the course of his journey. As an illustration, in the Cyclops story one can see that Odysseus is arrogant in the lines where he says, “‘Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus raider of cities took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca.” This corroborates with the idea that one of Odysseus greatest weaknesses is his arrogance by showing that his actions are sometimes driven by emotion and could have devastating consequences. Likewise, odysseus inability to control his men could be seen as a weakness as it brought upon him many ordeals he must
He constantly faced life-threatening challenges, but in the end, he still managed to get out of them successfully. This is shown by the time when he encountered the sirens, he bravely resists by having his crew tie him to the pole of the ship. Additionally, during his battle against the suitors, as he returns to Ithaca, Odysseus bravely handles the unloyal men. Being unable to have strong problem-solving skills would make things much harder and have many different outcomes. This displays his strong leadership and courage throughout dangerous
Some of his weaknesses are being prideful, stubborn, unloyal, and having a quick temper. Odysseus makes pride one of his weaknesses because after killing the Cyclops, they escape onto their ship where Odysseus yells back at the Cyclops revealing his real name and shames him for letting him escape. This does not work out in Odysseus' favor because the Cyclops' father, Poseidon, curses Odysseus. His other weakness is being unloyal. Odysseus proves to be unloyal when he lived with Circe for a year and they had three children.
Yes, the terribly challenging circumstances in narrative in which the Odysseus finds himself is a challenge of courage and heroism of which very few would willingly volunteer. His ability to remain courageous in the face of brute beast, the actions of gods and demi-goddesses, and in almost impossible natural and supernatural circumstances certainly admirable. However, it is evident that there are circumstances where his hubris leads him to trust his intellect and wit over more reasonable course of action that not only endanger his life, but the life of his entire
In the Adventures of Odysseus, the narrative points to the fact that even those individuals who appear to be untouchable or immortal have fundamental flaws and that pride and hubris make them vulnerable. Odysseus is a famed warrior who has been away from his home for 19 long years due to the Trojan War and a troubled journey home. His adventures include fighting a mighty Cyclops, outwitting the sorceress, Circe, and traveling to the land of the dead. When the Gods finally smile down on him and help him find his way home, he faces more hardships, for there are many suitors of his wife that would kill him if they knew who he was. Throughout the story Odysseus shows strength and fortitude through his hardships, but again and again his pride leads him
An example where he is arrogant is when he goes to the Island of the Cyclops. Odysseus and his shipmates arrive to the homes of the Cyclops, they find a cave with food and decide to enter. When they eventually, get caught by the Cyclop that lived there. The Cyclop ate some of his men and capture the rest for another day's meal. Odysseus comes up with a plan to escape.
His first trait is being exceptionally skilled continued with cleverness and bravery. Despite Odysseus’s challenges he proves himself a hero because of the actions that show him as skilled, clever and brave. Odysseus is exceptionally skilled in many ways aiding him from each challenge to the next. When Odysseus is trapped in the cave with the Cyclops he decides to us his skills to make a stake to blind the monster, “[He] hewed [the stake] again to make a stake with a point at the end.” (Homer.
Trapped against their foes, fighting to survive. The common problems while trying to fight for your life. In the book The Odyssey by Homer, the main character Odysseus has just began to return home from Troy after fighting in the Trojan war.
During Odysseus’s journeys, while trying to find his way back home, he goes through many adventures showing off these characteristics of a hero. The first characteristic that Odysseus possessed, which shows he is an epic hero, is how brave he was. For instance, when Odysseus wanted to venture off to Circe and leave the island, it was Eurylochos that told him not to go without his
The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.
An example shining his courage is when him and his men had to go past Scylla when he knew any of them could die and he was also putting himself in danger. Another example is when he chose to be tied up for the passing of the Sirens. This was a courageous act because no other mortal man had been able to do that and make it out alive. One last example is When he came home to all of the suitors in his house. This is courageous because the suitors only cared about getting Penelope and if they cared so much about that why would they want Odysseus to come home to ruin their chances?
Just as Achilles is confronted in the Iliad with the problem of balancing his honor with his pride, Odysseus repeatedly faces situations in which self-restraint and humility must check bravado and glory-seeking. In his early adventures, he fails these tests, as when he taunts Polyphemus, inflaming Poseidon. As the epic progresses, Odysseus becomes increasingly capable of judging when it is wise to reveal himself and when it is appropriate to rejoice in his
Odysseus is heroic, courageous, outrageous, bold, fearless, manful, and valiant. Odysseus is heroic because he tricked the cyclops thinking that nobody was his name. Odysseus told his men to make a sharp spear and drop the spear in the cyclops eye so he can remove the giant rock and escape. Odysseus is fearless because him and his son killed the men that tried to take over his kingdom and marry his wife. Another thing is that Odysseus is bold because he made his son believe he was the father after the son did not believe him.
Odysseus’s traits help him achieve his goal of returning to his home. Odysseus and his men have a lot of willpower to continue traveling after some dangerous and life risking experiences with cannibals, lotus-eaters, cyclops and many more creatures that could of killed Odysseus and his whole crew. Odysseus's confidence and epic hero traits only increase as the story goes on, his confidence in his men increase as he starts noticing how strong and powerful his men can be, and also shows confidence in
“Character Development and Analysis of Odysseus in ‘The Odyssey’” Odysseus, the Ithacan king portrayed in Homer’s “The Odyssey”, is a complex and round character that develops further and further as the epic poem progresses. These traits are crucial to the representation and image of the main character of the epic. Not only does “The Odyssey” reveal numerous attributes of Odysseus, but also helps the reader and the audience understand the features of the ancient Greek world. Several specific incidents and events in the epic demonstrate the development of Odysseus’ character and the development of the epic as a whole.
In the book The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, is a man who is loved and respected by many. In the beginning of the book, we learn that Odysseus has left on a journey and, since it has been many years since his departure, many people assume that he has passed. On his journey, he portrays his many traits, not all of them being good ones either. Some of his good traits include his cunning, bravery, and hard work ethic. On the other hand, his negative traits are his excessive pride, immense curiosity, and rather large temper.