Odysseus: Man of Many Traits

Odysseus, the ruler of the island kingdom of Ithaca, was kn consume by all(a) for his briskness and cunning, but what I noniced through surface my readings of Odysseus is that he is in like manner shows whatever weaknesses at times. I go away discuss examples of each of these prevalent traits throughout this essay. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus is driven to m both wanderings during which he bring outs many wonders and endures many sufferings. image of Homers theme in The Odyssey is the vicissitudes that have promoted Odysseuss various(a) char personationer traits.He stooge be clever, as seen when he tricks Polyphemus by art himself zilch. .. So, you ask me the name Im kn suffer by, cyclops? / I will tell you. But you must give me a guest-gift / as youve promised. Nobody-thats my name. Nobody- / so my m separate and father call me, all my friends. (9. 408-412) When Polyphemus is moaning and calling to his friends that he has been injured, they come running to his spel unk. They ask their fellow daphnia what has happened and when he replies that he has been harmed by nobody, he receives no savvy or suffice.He also is very clever when faced with the obstacle of the Sirens. Because he knows how dangerous it is to hear the song of the Sirens, he uses wax to plug the ears of his custody, and leaves his own free to hear. He has his men tie him down tight to the enthrall and they manage to, yet again, escape the danger courtesy of Odysseus clever mind, and sail to safety. Though Odysseus may not always have a process on his hook and gloat, he is quite adequate to handle mind-over-matter mail services corresponding the one he is faced with on Helios island.When they come to the island, Odysseus demands that his crew will not eat the sacred livestock. Though they are trapped on the island for so long that their food supply dwindles and they begin to starve, Odysseus keeps his word and though he is slowly starving while surrounded by sexually a ttractive herds, he never gives into the temptation of killing and eating the cattle. I rule that to be an extremely strong and valued attribute, being able to compel temptation. Odysseus can be deceitful, as seen when he disguises himself as a refuse in Ithaca.He was warned by Agamemnon that he should no longer trust Penelope, and in turn he disguises himself in order to be able to snoop on the suitors, and even on his own wife to understand the situation he is returning to after so many years. He learns who is serene loyal to him, and how to deal with those who are not. The information he gains as a beggar in his own kingdom, stand bys him to formulate revenge without being detected. He possesses stick out strength, and continues to carry on, as seen in his refusal to give up during any of the struggles he is faced with on his journey back to his radical island.Odysseus also displayed the strength of a hero through his epic journey. He was an persistent man who was incapa ble of being subdued or overcome, and possessed spectacular amounts of physical strength. Most men would give in to the exhaustion of twenty years of obstacles, but not Odysseus. When sailing away from Calypsos island, he versed Poseidon would destroy his raft, so he swam adrift on the heaving swells both nights, two days- / quite lost (5. 429-430. ), an act that would have caused a lesser man to perish.Odysseus also displays his heroic strength when he returns to Ithaca. Upon arriving domicil and gambleing over a hundred suitors trying to steal his wife, he took his revenge. With the serving of his son, he killed all the men, despite the fact that he was greatly outnumbered. The cleverness, deceitfulness, and enduring strength combine to help Odysseus survive throughout the tale. Odysseus also has an essence for wealth and adventure, traits that are common to all Greek heroes.He eagerly welcomes the gifts that the Phaeacians bounty him with unconcealed pleasure and enthus iasm he is also pleased to see Penelope trick her suitors into presenting her with gifts. Just as Odysseus welcomes riches with wide arms, he also very often seeks out adventure. For example, he chooses to go to Polythemus cave though he knows nothing of what may be inside and it proves to be a very dangerous decision. If we actually judge about how things counterbalance began, it is a search for glory and riches that causes Odysseus to ever leave home to start with.Though he is a great hero, Odysseus exhibits many weaknesses during his journey home to Ithaca. Homer was easily able to integrate these weaknesses because all humans can relate to his problems and can learn from what Odysseus had to go through. We relate to the fact that no matter how strong and cunning and brave this hero may be, nobody is perfect. Odysseus excessive pride and overconfidence realise him into anesthetize with the gods, genus Zeus and Poseidon. His capricious ways stomach him into trouble with the Cyclops, Polythemus.He humiliates the Cyclops without thinking about the consequences. Odysseus calls from the sauceboat to Polythemus, So, Cyclops, no weak coward it was whose crew / you bent to devour there in your vaulted cave- / you with your brute force Your filthy crimes / came down on your own head, you shameless cannibal, / daring to eat your guests in your own house- / so Zeus and the other gods have paid you back (9. 531-536. ) His taunts anger the Cyclops so some(prenominal) that he hurls rock toward the voice and nearly sends the group of men to their death.Though the taunting has obviously proved to be a bad idea, and though his crew has begged him not to say another word, Odysseus must have the conclusion word. He continues, Cyclops- / if any man on the face of the eart should ask you / who blind you, shamed you so-say Odysseus, / raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, / Laertes son who shake offs his home in Ithaca (9. 558-562. ) This was a very dangerous bit of information to give out to Polythemus, who is the son of Poseidon. He did not think ahead as to what dangers Poseidon could tack at him throughout the rest of his journey.We should all learn from Odysseus mistake and think before we speak. We should overcome our impulsive ways and think of the consequences of our actions before we act so that we may void further problems which will divert us away from our lifes journey. Odysseus pride and confidence also incur him into trouble with the god, Zeus. From the beginning only Poseidon had hated Odysseus, but as the history progresses, Odysseus angers not only Poseidon but also Zeus. The gods made his journey unsafe throughout the sea.They constantly pushed him away from Ithaca in order to make his trek that much longer and more difficult. We should learn to keep our confidence and pride in ourselves at a level to where we do not get distracted from our main objectives. Odysseus is able to overcome all of his weaknesses by receivin g help from others around him. As we read his story and bond with this character, we learn from his mistakes and find ways to use his lessons for ourselves. We should learn to keep ourselves on task and to avoid lifes distractions from our main goal like Odysseus had done.He was distracted much longer than we ever would be, but was still always able to call that his main destination was to successfully journey home to Ithaca. Odysseus weakness gets him into trouble multiple times. However, every weakness that appeared, he was able to overcome and at long last reach Ithaca. Through bravery, intelligence, and strength Odysseus fits the definition of an epic hero. He is able to accomplish all the things he did and make his way home to his wife, Penelope, with the help of his guardian Athena.This is what often times defines Odysseus as an epic hero. On the other hand, Odysseus character is different than many epic heroes. It is apparent that what matters most to him is not the heroic praise and reputation, but life in itself. He didnt put great worry into what others would think of him later on he focused on the fact that he wanted him and his men to get through every situation alive. And because of this, he did in fact make it through his journey successfully.?