I Am Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

Epic poetry, known for its grand descriptions of glorious accomplishments, revolves around an honorable protagonist. As the hero faces adversity in his journey, he triumphs in fleeting moments of bravery. He often exhibits his physical strength to overcome his hardships, manifesting a story with a violent nature. In Homer’s The Odyssey, King Odysseus of Ithaca struggles to return to his loving wife and son after having fought in the Trojan War. Stranded at sea with his crew, he relies on his wits and instincts to survive. Due to his sense of righteousness, Odysseus decides to wreak havoc upon all evil in his path. Odysseus vanquishes immoral individuals during his journey, in order to assert his power throughout the land. Examples of this include

I am Poseidon, god of the seas. In this story, I will talk about my life and my adventures. I rule the seas with my all powerful trident. Millenias ago my father, Cronus, swallowed me and my siblings, Demeter, Hestia, Hera,and Hades. Zeus fought Cronos in a great battle, after much time Zeus finally defeated Cronos.

In Homer’s text, the vivid imagery and tone set the scene for a suspenseful and dangerous adventure; Odysseus encounters the deadly mythical beings and manages to survive their horrible song. Homer sets the scene with a dark and serious tone,

However, his escapades in particular are especially demanding. For instance, Odysseus is held captive for several years by the goddess Kalypso, who allures him with her enchanting looks and mesmerizing ways, on the island of Ogygia. All the while he is there, the protagonist continuously longs for his wife and home. This is especially evident when he admits to the goddess, “Yet, it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home” (5. 228-30). He struggles with this yearning emotionally, but is forced to remain strong.

In this case, the misgivings following the escape of the cyclops-inhabited island were the wrath of Poseidon. And while enduring the punishment of one god, Odysseus admits to a lack of free will, “hardly landlocked of…free will,” then reasons, “I…have angered one of the… gods,” and interrogates a nearby immortal, “which one of you blocks my way” (Homer 2006: 148). However, critics might point out that Odysseus was not a definitively pious hero considering his infidelity, excessive cruelty, and tensions with Poseidon, and Odysseus only sought divine intervention in dangerous situations. Where he lacks in piety, Odysseus makes up for in favorable traits–heroic characteristics that appeal to others in his society as well as a number of Gods including Athena, “[Odysseus is] far the best at tactics…and I am famous…for wisdom” (Homer 2006: 389). And with what diminished piety and favorability among the Gods Odysseus has at the end of his journey, he still admits to losing free will when the Gods

"How dare she!" Poseidon seethed, the ornate mosaic flooring of the palace depicting his heroic deeds trembling beneath his form as he paced, raking his hands through his sea-sodden hair; "continuing to champion for that mortal! And of course, my darling brother would take the side of his favorite daughter!" Huffing, the raven-haired god collapsed onto his throne; a crack of thunder sounded sharply in the distance, but he paid no heed, scrubbing a hand over his face. The Olympian still couldn 't believe that the rest of his family could not see reason.

“A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway” and this shows the quality of a hero that the well-known hero, Odysseus, does not have. In the novel, The Odyssey, Odysseus goes to war against the Trojans in hope to win. When Odysseus slaughters the Trojans, he starts to act like he was greater than any god. The gods punished him by stranding him at sea for more than ten years without being able to go home. Odysseus is not a hero because he was not humble or good at accepting the help that he received, and he also acted before synthesizing the consequences that he would face in the future.

Though intelligent, Odysseus lacks the wisdom to control his nature. “He comes to grief because he cannot resist the temptation to gloat over his victory and make sure that his enemy knows the identity of his vanquisher” (494). Over the course of his journey for self knowledge, Odysseus slowly becomes more and more aware of his fault in character. He finds himself allowed to return to his native Ithaca after remaining on Calypso’s island for years. In a sense, his imprisonment there had served as penance.

The journal The Adventures of Odysseus by Ernst Abrahamson demonstrates a similar idea and is exactly about what the title suggests: Odysseus’s journey, travels, and adventures. One specific paragraph of this journal states, “The Wrath of Poseidon means in Homeric language nothing but a hostile sea,” (Abrahamson 316). “The Wrath of Poseidon” alludes to the god of the sea’s rage over the stabbing of Polyphemus's eye and his stopping at nothing to make sure Odysseus pays the price for his actions. In addition, “nothing but a hostile sea” refers to the fact that Poseidon’s revenge will be carried out while Odysseus and his men are still at sea. Both quotations from the novel and the journal manifest corresponding ideas: Poseidon’s outrage and fury from the stabbing of his son’s eye is

Odysseus is a typical example of a hero. He is able to pull off miraculous things to save himself and his crew seemingly without fail. The story of his journey is well known, and a great tale of his adventures. In the two parts we have read so far, we see what he is willing to do for his crew, and his intelligence and quick thinking in difficult situations. The first challenge that waits them is the island of Cyclopes.

Odysseus takes extra precaution and has his men tie him to the ship’s mast. Odysseus said, “From the bottom of my heart I longed to listen, and I ordered my men to set me free, nodding my head and working my brows; but they simply went on pulling with a good swing” (Homer, 141-2). Finally, Odysseus and his men were sailing along the ocean, when they came upon the divided hell that was Scylla and Charybdis. They all stood paralyzed in fear as Charybdis moved the water nearby

The OG Archetype Hero Ever since the story of The Odyssey was written, people have deemed that Odysseus was not an archetype hero. At first, you may not think he was. Odysseus was considered arrogant, irresponsible and unfaithful. Have not a lot of people been like that though? Odysseus has been heroic in many circumstances.

The Odyssey, written by Homer, is one of the most well-known stories about struggle and war, encompassing Odysseus’ twenty-year struggle to battle in the Trojan War and return home. At first glance, the poem appears to be about a “hero’s colorful, salt-caked adventures on the high seas [and] his encounters with witches, nymphs, and cyclops” (Higgins 3). The story relates to that of a soldier’s in today’s time. Throughout the epic poem, Homer reveals the countless number of challenges that Odysseus faces during his adventuress. Odysseus is accompanied by his crew, but unlike other stories, Homer shares the names and families of almost all the fallen crewmen.

Here we came upon a cave full of sheep and crates of milk and cheese. The men advise me to snatch some of the food and hurry off, but, unfortunately, I decided to linger. The cave’s inhabitant soon returned, and it was the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon. He made a show of hospitality at first, but soon turned hostile. He devoured two of my men on the spot and imprisoned us for future meals.

Many people can agree that firefighters, policemen, and soldiers are heros. They all share similar redeeming qualities. Selflessness, bravery even when they’re scared out of their minds, and compassion. Saving people that they have never met, sticking to the moral code, and risking their lives for a greater cause. Whether it be saving one person, or saving hundreds. Usually nobody thinks about how these heroes in their everyday action, after a while they slowly become this heroic act. That is all people know about them and that’s all that they want to know. However, people who perform heroic acts aren’t always heros. In The Odyssey, Odysseus may have done a few honorable things here and there, but in this case he was not known for these. He