Throughout his journey, Odysseus and his men faces numerous temptations. When Odysseus is at Circe’s island to rescue his men, as he and his crew were about to depart Circe tell Odysseus “Remain with me, and share my meat and wine’ restore behind your ribs those gallant hearts/ that served you in the old days, when you sailed/ from stony Ithaka.”(X.509-511). Odysseus falls into the hands of Circe as she tempts the crew with as much meat and wine they want. He and his crew givegave into Circe’s island, regaining the fat he lost, as the year goes by. As Odysseus and his crew areis warned not to eat Helios cattle for “the cattle here are not for our provisions,/ or we pay dearly for it”(XII.409-410). Odysseus and his men are stuck on the island
In the Odysseus (book 9), written by Homer, (book 9) has several symbolisms throughout the episode. One major symbolism used throughout this episode was hospitality. Homer use Cyclops and Odysseus to represent the different view of hospitality. Odysseus action symbolize the poor use of hospitality. Odysseus and his men sailed to the land of the Cyclopes. When they made to Cyclopes’ land, Odysseus wants to find out if the men on the land believe “…wild savages with no sense of right or wrong or hospitable folk who fear the gods (l70 line).” Odysseus and his men enter one of the Cyclopes cave without his permission. Odysseus and his men ate all the Cyclopes food, drank his wine and took some the Cyclopes stock. Odysseus wanted to leave but he
As eager as Odysseus is to get back home to his wife and son in Ithaca, the shipmates on board with him are struggling with hunger and the loss of energy. Looking at Odysseus’ intense determination to return to his town, it seems as if the only idea that is filled in his mind is to go back to Ithaca without looking at the tired condition of his shipmates. Odysseus’ yelled difficult orders and tasks that were expected to be fulfilled by his sailors, and for the most part they were able to complete it. Looking at the poor men rowing day and night over the monstrous waves, Odysseus never gave them a chance to take a break and enjoy a single meal, until one shipmate decided to speak up. Even so, Odysseus was narrow-minded and thought only about
Throughout history, feasting has been a way to bring people together, to celebrate, and to entertain. In Homer’s play, The Odyssey, food serves multiple purposes. The opulent banquet that Telemachus attends in Sparta with Menelaus displays the hospitality and wealth of the Spartan royalty, and provides key information about the whereabouts of Odysseus. While this instance of feasting displays how eating can bring people together to celebrate, overindulging in the Odyssey is also portrayed negatively. As the play progresses, readers learn that excessive and unnecessary eating is one of the reasons that Odysseus does not quickly return home to Penelope, and additionally, it is the reason that many of the crewmen do not return at all. The recurring motif of feasting portrays the harmful consequences of falling prey to temptation, which include the delayal of Odysseus return home and the death of his
Can dishonesty be valuable if it was used to achieve desirable outcomes? Is lying considered justified if it was involved in a dangerous situation? It is not always bad to lie. As children, we were continuously taught to be honest. We have grown to be implanted with the fact that lying is unacceptable but admissible. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, some might argue that Odysseus’s dishonesty and deceit cause loss of trust and negative consequences. However, Odysseus’s dishonesty and deceit do not always have bad intentions, it can be seen when Odysseus and his men escaped out of Polyphemus’s cave to get out of trouble and when Odysseus received help from his men to get closer to their objective.
In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus is bestowed with great abilities. But along with this potential, he is cursed with great arrogance. Conveying that even the labeled ‘perfect’ among us have fatal flaws that causes pain and suffering among the ones closest to them. The author, Homer, uses Odysseus’ arrogance to create a melancholic atmosphere to convey the idea that arrogance is a fatal flaw that will lead those around them to pain and suffering.
Odysseus and his crew members longed to return home, however this desire was in conflict with the many temptations that they faced. These are similar to the temptations that people today face. For example, on the island of the Lotus Eaters, Odysseus and his men were offered the Lotus
Greed can be a good thing if it is used for the right reasons. For example, greed can be the key that leads to success. If a person wants to achieve recognition, they’ll go extreme measures to make it happen such as inventing something, excelling in their studies, or even being the best. However, in most cases, greed can lead to disaster. Having the desire to obtain something a person already possesses is selfish. In the “Odyssey,” Homer illustrates the lessons learned throughout Odysseus’ journey. This book exemplifies how greed can lead to misfortune through the story of Odysseus and the King of the Winds, Aeolus. Greed is the cause of Odysseus’ delayed travels, causing more to be lost than what was already given at the time. The lesson learned is that you should never desire for something that isn’t going to benefit you if you have to commit terrible acts in order to achieve them.
ST2: Furthermore, Odysseus submits to temptation again, and Homer displays the temptations as another display of hubris on Odysseus’ voyage home.
Odysseus’s crew and Veasey both have parallels when comparing the stories of The Odyssey and Cold Mountain; the two accompany the stories’ respective heroes and serve as hindrances despite good intentions. Additionally, both serve as subordinates, Veasey venturing wherever Inman dared go and the crewing being under the command of Odysseus. As the story progresses, it is apparent that the crew and Veasey do more harm than good to their respective protagonists.
Homer’s Odyssey and the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou are mirror images of each other. The characters in both stories go through events that display similar themes. For example, when Odysseus arrives at Helios island, his men show a lack of discipline and control within themselves. The crew were told by Odysseus not to hurt the cattle of the sun god when they were to arrive at the island. Odysseus, being as strict as he should be, wouldn’t allow anyone off the boat until they "vowed they'd never harm the herds" (Homer). This promise though was broken later on and the men had to pay for the mistake they had done. Rather than "die of hunger" (Homer), the crew "slaughtered and skinned the cattle" (Homer). By this act of theirs, choosing to disobey their leader instead of thinking of the ramification and wanting the benefits for killing
Through Homer's depictions of temptation and their consequences, we can conclude Greeks constantly struggled with temptations. Homer thought how one deals with temptation determines character and the consequences that follow. If one did not give in, rewards followed, but if they did, punishment ensued. The Greeks were similar to us in their desires, but exceedingly lusted after beautiful women and reigning power. The Gods proposed heinous things to those that submitted. Homer was enthralled with the idea of temptation and used it in The Odyssey’s plot exceedingly
Odysseus starts to learn the importance of being modest through moments of despair. One can perceive a change in character midway through the journey, during his trip to Helio 's Island. Prior to the trip, the crew was deliberately told not harm Helios’s, cattle, for they will suffer the consequences. However, hunger grew in all their bodies leading them to eat the sun god’s cattle. In despair, Odysseus cries to Zeus explaining how he needs a god to save him from starvation. He reaches out to Zeus, “For hope that one might show me some way of salvation” (Homer 625) and in replication, the god, “closed [Odysseus’] eyes under slow drops of sleep” (Homer 625). Although the quotes display amnesty, they have a deeper meaning than finding salvation. In response to the hero’s call, the god puts Odysseus to slumber, while the crew indulges in the cattle. Moreover, Helios messages the thunder god to kill those who ate his cattle. It was this decree that made Zeus throw a bolt at Odysseus’ men, killing them all. Odysseus’ prayer shields him from Zeus ' bolt. The cry to Zeus conveys that the hero needs help from the gods and is unable to do everything himself, thus showing Zeus he is learning. This shows progression because in the beginning of the journey Odysseus disregards the gods and gloats about the obstacles he excels, whereas on Helios Island, the hero calls for help knowing he can not surpass famine/every challenge. This change in philosophy is classified under crisis, where the
The Odyssey is a fantastic story full of interesting characters, conflicts, and theme. The Odyssey was written by Homer who was a blind poet. It was written in the 8th century B.C during a time of Greek god worship. With intricate characters, exciting conflicts, and an impressive theme the Odyssey is an amazing book for anyone.
The cave is dark and musty. The beast is gruesome: nasty, brutish and gross. He gobbles down men and sheep for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With only one eye, decaying, rotted teeth, and the stench of his rancid breath filling the confined cave, the journey Odysseus had embarked on, did not look like it had a bright future. But, this was part of the journey that he had agreed to. On a journey, the final destination is everybody's goal, but what about the journey itself? The journey matters more than the destination when you pick up knowledge from all of the experiences and challenges you encounter.