He believed that there wasn’t anyone who was better than him. Odysseus did not acknowledge the gods on his journey back to Ithaca. He thought he could get there all by himself. Odysseus was also unloyal. He slept with other women besides his wife.
Throughout the story of The Odyssey Odysseus makes many questionable decisions that affect more than just himself. Whether that be, being selfish, or simply withholding essential information from his crew, he seems to choose wrong almost every time. Odysseus is an extremely flawed character who makes his journey home much harder than it has to be, his poor judgment extends his treacherous journey back to Ithaca immensely. One of his most flawed decisions is when he didn't tell his crew what was in the bag from Aeolus and ended up elongating their journey home by years.
They disobeyed what he told them and also by sleeping with them they committed adultery. Odysseus left
Odyssey Essay Did you know Odysseus let many of his men die in the Odyssey? Well, Odysseus is also known for his brave and heroic acts, but to further understand him, you have to know about his Greek Values. In the Odyssey, Odysseus’ strength and weaknesses of leadership, intelligence, and his selfishness. This reflects the Greek Values of leading others to success, and accomplishment, outsmarting others, and caring for others.
As a leader Odysseus should be careful to do exactly what will benefit his crew the most. The lack of communication throughout the whole journey home will eventually lead to mistrust and betrayal of Odysseus by his crew. Following Scylla and Charybdis they reach the island of the god of the sun, and because of the crew’s spite for Odysseus they don’t follow his directions not to harm the cattle of the Sun. Just in the events of the journey back to Ithaca alone the reader can see how Odysseus’ inability to be a strong leader leads to the dismantling of a good relationship between him and his crew, which leads to a much more difficult trip. Odysseus’ inability to be a great leader for the group leads to a lot of conflict among the crew members.
Before leaving The Land of the Dead, Teiresias told Odysseus that they will face destruction and only he will survive to return home. After the prophecy, Odysseus and his men encountered Charybdis and Scylla. To avoid destruction, Odysseus demanded his men to sail the ship quickly through Scylla and hug onto the cliff. Odysseus did not want his men to lose hope and turn against him if they knew that only Odysseus would return home. To avoid his men going against him, “Odysseus does not tell his men of Circe’s last prophecy-that he will be the only survivor of their long journey,” (Homer 716-719).
A hero is someone who is revered for his or her exceptional achievements and bravery. Anyone who puts themselves before others not for recognition or an award, but because it is the right thing to do, is a true hero. In "The Odyssey," written by Homer is an epic poem about a man named Odysseus and his crewmates competing against the power of the gods to return to their homeland, Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he loses almost all of his men, but Odysseus finally arrives home, concluding his prolonged twenty-year voyage. Odysseus must battle the suitors that have taken his wife Penelope, and may soon kill his son Telemachus.
A liar, horrible, and egomaniac leader Odysseus was. Odysseus was not a strong leader and ultimately contributed to the destruction of his own men. Odysseus would always lie and blame his crew for his actions. Odysseus did not tell the crew that when they crossed paths with Scylla, six mem from the crew would die. Odysseus wanted to explore a cyclops island and wanted to kill one.
In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus uses lies as a protective disguise against strangers. Not only does Odysseus utilize lies to keep his identity a secret but also, through the use of specific language, he conveys unspoken points. These points invoke different feelings and opinions in the people to whom he lies. Odysseus can quickly tailor his lies depending on the person and the situation he is in. Odysseus’s skill of creating intricate falsehoods and his use of lies as a way of controlling the thoughts of person he’s lying to, reveals his exceptional tact and guile.
There are many lessons Odysseus and is men learn on their journey home in the Odyssey. Unfortunately, only Odysseus makes it home and the rest of men are dead because of their foolish actions. In the Thrinacia and The Cattle of the Sun episode of the Odyssey Odysseus’s men once again disobey him and cost them their lives. The men and Odysseus learn valuable lessons throughout their epic journey, but in the episode the most important lessons they learn are; temptation can lead to death, being obedient can save your life, and trust your instincts. If Odysseus’s men would have been more obedient to their leader Odysseus perhaps all of them would have made it back home alive.
At various times throughout the story, mainly through the trials, Odysseus made many decisions and forced his crew to go through many potentially lethal situations without preparing his own crew, or situations that were just a waste of time. This then leads to not only all of his crew being killed but the creation of many bad relationships. The first example of Odysseus mistreating his crew is when he and his crew went through the trails, “No more. Come, / let me tell you about the voyage fraught with hardship / Zeus inflicted on me, homeward bound from Troy...” 9.42-44.
During these situations, Odysseus gains leadership and tactical skills from fighting in the war in Troy, which costs him 10 years of his life and another 10 years of sailing out on the sea from Poseidon 's curse. Odysseus is therefore a heroic and efficient leader because he plans his moves ahead of time and is vigilant at all times to ensure his safety. Yet, though Odysseus possesses these heroic leadership qualities, his arrogance sometimes leads to his downfall and inability to lead. While Odysseus is a little arrogant, he can also be a great leader because he is able to trust his second in command, Eurylochus, and give him more power while he is away. When Odysseus is away from Circe’s island, Odysseus has a change of heart and suddenly wants to go back to Circe’s island to retrieve his crew.
Therefore Odysseus is a bad leader since he refuse to take advice, which consequently results in the detriment of his
Penelope and Odysseus’ use of tricks and deception are both a help and a hinderacne in allowing the former to avoid a second marriage and confirm her husband’s identity and the latter to attain nostos. Odysseus is wise not to tell his crew of Skylla, but should have divulged the contents of the bag of winds. Similarly, Penelope’s trick with the bed was harmless and successful, whereas undoing her work on the shroud has severe consequences when she is caught. As Homer’s Odyssey demonstrates, tricks and deception must be used wisely in order to avoid problematic
Odysseus didn 't even ask his crew whether they should do it or not because Odysseus made it seem like their opinion wasn’t important and didn 't matter. In the story, it says “Why not take these cheeses... Yet I refused, I wished to see the cave man, what he had to offer” (pg 818 L198-199). Odysseus deserved to return home from his journey after 20 years because it was mostly his fault. If Odysseus had told his crew about everything like why not to eat the cattle or to not open the bag of the unfavorable winds, his journey wouldn 't have taken 20 years.
