Odysseus Is To Blame For The Death Of The Crew In The Odyssey

In tough times, do you follow the leader’s commands, or do you follow your own instinct and make your own decisions? This can be a difficult decision, especially if you disagree with the leader. The epic poem, The Odyssey, created in the 8th century BCE by Homer, follows the journey of Odysseus and his crew traveling to their home, Ithaca, after the Trojan War. Throughout the story, Odysseus and his crew meet new people and face danger. The actions of Odysseus and his crew sometimes result in the death of the crew. The blame can be placed on Odysseus or his men. Over the course of the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus’ crew is to blame for their deaths and accidents because of their disregard for safety, as shown in the stories of

Odysseus and his crew reach the island of Thrinacia but are stuck there for a while. Odysseus was previously warned about the cattle of Helios, to not touch the cattle, under no circumstances. He and his crew will only eat the food they already had. Odysseus states, “They quickly swore the oath that I required and once they had vowed they’d never harm the herds…” (12.328-29). All of the crew acknowledges the oath and will not harm the cattle. They have been stranded there and the food has been running low. Eurylochus, a member of the crew, tries to convince the crew that eating the cattle is best in the situation. He states, “Listen to me, my comrades, brothers in hardship. All ways of dying are hateful to us poor mortals, true, but to die to hunger…that’s the worst of all…”(12.366-68). Even though Odysseus strongly warned the crew about harming the cattle, they still followed Eurylochus’ lead. The decision to ignore Odysseus was detrimental, as after, Helios found out and was assisted by Zeus to bring harm to Odysseus and his men. A devastating storm hit the ship, killing the crew. Odysseus had emphasized to not harm the cattle, but the crew’s ignorance and disregard for Odysseus’ commands is what kills them in the