Odyssey Essay, Research Paper

The Odyssey Essay

Odysseus was a virtuous but flawed heroic leader. He was a man of bravery and

wisdom. The bravery that Odysseus possessed wasn?t always a good virtue to

have. Odysseus? virtues were tested in many adventures that showed his

weaknesses and strengths. One of his flaws is that Odysseus has a tendency to be

a little bit boastful at times which got him and his crew into more dilemma.

Overall, Odysseus has more strengths than he has weaknesses.

In the Cyclopes episode, Odysseus? first sign of bravery is when he and

some of his crew leave their safe ship and walk into a large, empty cave.

Odysseus has no knowing of what or who may be living in this huge cave. When the

Cyclops enters the cave and closes the door with a huge rock, Odysseus starts to

offer wine to the giant. Odysseus? hospitality to bring the wine turns into a

wise decision because it saves him and most of his crew from obliteration.

Odysseus comes up with a very sensible plan that would get him and his crew out

of the cave without them moving the massive boulder. First, Odysseus already

told the giant that his name is ?Noh`bdy?. Second, Odysseus would have to

gather up his courage and stab the Cyclops? eye when the Cyclops is drunk and

asleep. This wise move causes the Cyclops to awaken and move the boulder so that

he can yell to his brothers telling that ?Noh`bdy? had blinded him. The

crewmembers and Odysseus slip out easily because they hid under the sheep that

the Cyclops has kept inside his cave. Once out and sailing away from the island,

Odysseus yells at the Cyclops saying, ? O Cyclops! Would you feast on my

companions? Puny, am I, in a cave man?s hands? How do you like the beating we

gave you, you damned cannibal? Eater of guests under your roof! Zeus and the god

have paid you!?(695) This remark that Odysseus makes only infuriates the

Cyclops. The Cyclops starts throwing boulders into the ocean, nearly hitting

Odysseus ship. Odysseus stops when his crewmembers tell him to stop aggravating

the Cyclops and bragging about his victory.

Odysseus? encounter with Circe really illustrates the strengths of

Odysseus. This episode was one of the toughest on the mind and body. Many

barriers had to be broken in order for Odysseus to succeed in keeping himself

and his crew safe. When Odysseus hears about what happened to some of his crew,

he ventures into the island by himself to save all of them. Being a one-man

army, Odysseus climbs a large cliff so that he can rescue his crew. Climbing a

large cliff just to save a couple men shows a lot of character. As Odysseus is

climbing the cliff, the messenger of the gods appears and instructs Odysseus to

eat a poisonous plant in order for him to block out the sorceress magic. As

Odysseus reaches the top of the cliff, he needs to be brave enough to sleep with

Circe in order to save his men. He needs to be brave because he is betraying his

wife, but saving his men. Odysseus has to put aside the fact that he is married

and to just save his crew. Eventually, his crewmembers are saved and Odysseus

and them return to the sea in hope of finding Ithaca.

Odysseus has to make a lot of decisions in the Scylla and Charybdis episode

that could affect his whole crew. As the ship is head for doom, Odysseus keeps

all this secret so that he does not frighten the crew. ?I told them nothing,

as they could do nothing.?(708) This is a smart decision because if Odysseus

told his crew about the dangers ahead, some crewmembers may mutiny, quit, or not

fight to the fullest. Odysseus starts to show some overconfidence when he says,

?Did I not keep my never, and use my wits to find a way out for us??(708)

This may also be a smart prep talk so that the warriors/crew would have

confidence. Odysseus overconfidence is probably what keeps him alive for so

long. After a little talk with the crew, the ship starts to enter the opening

that leads to Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus shows a great deal of bravery when

he tries to fight the slayer, Scylla. Eventually, Odysseus? ship and all his

crew are killed.

Odysseus (in my opinion) is a very human heroic figure. He may have his

faults, but what human does not? Odysseus is able to keep his cool when needed

to (except sometimes) and is an awesome warrior. His main strengths are his

ability to make wise decisions and his amazing bravery. Being wise and brave can

almost let you do anything, but Odysseus has his faults as any other human

would. The overconfidence that Odysseus acquires can sometimes get him into more

trouble than needed, but it also can help him or others have more strength and

courage. No one ever said being cocky was a bad virtue, but it?s just that it

can cause more damage and death than needed. Odysseus is one of the most human

characters told in Greek stories that I have read in a long time.

Babusci, Roger, et al. Prentice Hall Literature. Gold Edition. Englewood

Cliff: Prentice Hall. 1989