Examples Of Cowardice In The Odyssey

The first theme I would like to present as an option I have mentioned already. That is that men are measured by their bravery on the battlefield. Within the writing whenever anyone shows any sign of cowardice they are almost always immediately berated. “Diomed all undaunted answered, “Archer, you who without your bow are nothing, slanderer and seducer, if you were to be tried in single combat fighting in full armour, your bow and your arrows would serve you in little stead. Vain is your boast in that you have scratched the sole of my foot. I care no more than if a girl or some silly boy had hit me. A worthless coward can inflict but a light wound;” (Pg. 209) for a single act of cowardice a man is criticized even in the middle of a battle.

I’ll be using an abridged quote from my close reading section here because I think it does wonders to illustrate the theme. “Ulysses looked fiercely at him and said, “Son of Atreus, what are you talking about? Wretch, you should have commanded some other and baser army,” (Pg. 209) Once again this is Ulysses or the Greek version Odysseus criticizing his king for cowardice calling him wretched and immoral. This is a king, the

It may seem a bit ridiculous at first to judge a man purely on one attribute, but bravery is a rather important attribute. In a modern context I wouldn’t say every man should join the marines but they need to be able to stand up for the selves and back their beliefs with some resemblance of a spine. What do we think of submissive yes men who always repeat what someone else has said and never produce an original thought. I can tell you I dislike those kinds of people, those who back away from every confrontation and refuse to take a stand. I’ll use a less profane colloquialism, they are snakes, they bend and go with the