2. The Odyssey holds many themes for the reader to find and dissect, but the lesson Homer attempted to drive in was a warning on the dangers of hubris. Hubris is excessive pride or arrogance. Most of the characters in the Odyssey display hubris at one point or another in the story. For example, many of Odysseus’ troubles are a result of his hubris. After blinding the cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus can not stand the thought of no one ever knowing his accomplishment, so he jeers at the cyclops and tells him that Odysseus of Ithaca is who blinded him. Obviously, Polyphemus is enraged, and since Odysseus had just basically given him his address, the cyclops prays to Poseidon, wishing that Odysseus never returns home. For the rest of the time Odysseus is at sea, he is dogged by Poseidon, as the surly god sends storm after storm to harry Odysseus and prevent his safe return home. …show more content…
The suitors, who wished to marry Penelope, arrogantly refused to leave Odysseus’ house, act as proper guests, or even treat Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, with the proper respect. They believed nothing would ever happen to them, since they believed Odysseus to be dead, and that Telemachus would never be man enough to stand against them. However, their brashness and arrogance came back to bite them when Odysseus returned and refused to allow any of the suitors to survive his wrath. Homer’s sharp disapproval of hubris in the Odyssey seems to contradict the pride shown in the Iliad. Achilles arrogantly refuses to fight when his pride is wounded, so much so that he prays for the Greeks to start losing. Agamemnon decides that as the leader of the Greek army he can demand anything from the commanders under
Why was Odysseus being so resourceful and using so much hubris within the book? In the epic poem ¨The Odyssey¨ by Homer, a key strength and weakness are shown by Odysseus. He shows resourcefulness and hubris in an attempt to save him and his men. This poem by Homer demonstrates Odysseus´ greatest strength, resourcefulness, and his greatest weakness, hubris. He does this to teach his readers that certain actions can have bad consequences.
When hearing this, Polyphemus prays to his father Poseidon, the king of the sea, to give Odysseus troubles during his voyage. He wants it to take a long time to get back home and him to only arrive there after a number of shipwrecks. He also wants Odysseus to be welcomed home to find out that his house had been invaded by men trying to replace him as king of Ithaca. If Odysseus had listened to his men telling him not to provoke the Cyclops, then Odysseus would not have been through these
In life, people tend to focus on themselves and when they win and succeed they begin to drift from humility, this can lead to high egos and too much self-esteem, which can be good and bad. In the odyssey by Homer, the main character Odysseus is shown going around fighting battles and protecting his men, while trying his best to be there for his sweetheart Penelope. Still, through Odysseus's high ego, trouble arises and mistakes start to happen which leads him astray toward his goal of seeing his wife. Odysseus provides examples of high ego by demonstrating poor tactics throughout the story. During the Book, Odysseus is too blind to see how his personality is holding him, hostage, from being a good friend and family member.
Society believes that normal humans have flaws, but heroes are perfect beings. Homer’s myth The Odyssey, tells of a hero named Odysseus who is on a perilous journey home. Odysseus is a hero that Homer brings to life by giving him a fatal flaw that affects the course of his voyage. Admittedly, Odysseus is naturally witty, but on the contrary, he lets this power go to his head which results in him being overly arrogant.
While Odysseus and his crew are slowly moving away from Cyclopes Island, Odysseus tells Polyphemus that he is “Odysseus, Laertes’ son,” whose home “lies on Ithaca” (Homer 459 and 460). Because of his arrogant decision to tell Polyphemus the truth of his origins, he essentially dooms him and his crew. Polyphemus, who is Poseidon's son, asks of his father to punish Odysseus for his arrogance, whom grants his prayer. In cessation, Odysseus’ haughty decision to tell Polyphemus his whereabouts leads to his utter
When Odysseus is leaving the cyclops cave, his egotistical behavior is shown when he tells Polyphemus who hurt him. Odysseus screams to Polyphemus, “if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus, raider of cities, he
Their jealousy got in the way of what was truly right. When finally landing in Ithaca, he learns that loyalty is something that shouldn't be broken, especially when some of the suitors are from Ithaca, Odysseus' own homeland. This means that the suitors are disloyal to their King because they are courting his wife, stealing all his food, and slaughtering his animals for their feasts. Most importantly, they are plotting to kill Telemachus and Odysseus if he is ever to return to the island. He learns that the only way he can show that he is a firm leader is to reveal to all of Ithaca who he truly is.
An epic hero is someone who is characterized commonly on their nobility and bravery. However ,there are more attributes epic heros can posses. For example Odysseus, the protagonist in Homer's retelling of “The Odyssey”, shows many forms of excessive arrogance and pomposity. After conquering Troy, Odysseus and his men set off on their way home.
Telling the leader that they were done and they have given up. The men came out of the horse and killed all the Trojan men. That next morning Odysseus went on a rock and screamed, “I Odysseus have defeated the Trojan War!” A second example of his pride being shown is when he comes home from his twenty year journey. He dresses as a beggar to see if Penelope still if she’s still in love with him.
In the beginning of the book Odysseus is impulsive and arrogant. After Odysseus blinds and defeats the Cyclops, he cannot contain himself. Out of pure impulsiveness and the inability to be humble, Odysseus yells out to the Cyclops, “If any man on the face of the earth should ask you/ who blinded you, shamed you do so–say Odysseus,/raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,/Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Homer 9.556-562). Odysseus is so impulsive he has to scream out his name to the gods and the Cyclops.
Have you ever felt tempted to cheat on your homework or on a test? Have you been prideful of what your status or accomplishments? In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the brave hero Odysseus encountered these obstacles of temptations and pride that people today still face. Therefore, temptation and pride were Odysseus’ greatest enemy throughout his journey back to Ithaca, as they distracted him on his voyage, prevented him from getting home, and displeased the gods.
Achilles is maddened and appeals to his goddess mother saying, “If I am to die soon, shouldn’t I have what I want?” Feeling only sorrow for her son, Thetis requests Zeus to cause to Greeks to lose until Achilles fights again. Slowly the Greeks are pushed back farther and Agamemnon pleads with Achilles, offering Briseis back. Achilles declines due to his pride and the Trojans come close to burn the Greek ships. Even when a ship was burning, Achilles refused to fight and instead sends out Patroclus.
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.
Odysseus blinds and taunts the Cyclops Polyphemus, which leads to Polyphemus praying to his father, Poseidon, to curse Odysseus. The curse bestowed upon Odysseus by Poseidon is mentioned in book 9 lines 445-451 of The
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