Gage 2 Antiquity praises the man who leaves a lasting legacy, as that is the closest a mortal comes to attaining immortality. He will not live forever, but perhaps his story will always be told. Heroes thirst for this glory and will go to great lengths to cultivating their legacies. This excessive pride or self confidence is called hubris, and becomes an obsession, which can either cement their place in eternity or completely consume them until they lose sight of the beauty in front of them. Odysseus falls prey to his selfish pride of legacy. Odysseus ' true homecoming follows Athena exterminating his hubris and molding it into selfless pride in his family. Odysseus, like so many ancient heroes, is consumed with pride.
…show more content…
He vaunts over Polyphemos as he sails away, accomplishing nothing but feeding his inflated ego. Furthermore, Odysseus insults Polyphemos right after he almost crushed his ship with an enormous boulder. If Odysseus ' paramount concern was his homecoming, then he would not hinder himself from attaining that goal by acting rashly. Odysseus ' disregard for his safety proves that his homecoming is secondary to cultivating a lasting legacy. Throughout antiquity, several notable heroes are overcome with hubris. Odysseus witnessed this tragedy unfold when Hektor, praised by Homer for his commitment to Ilion, fell prey to hubris when he sought to wear Achilleus ' armor. He had not earned the armor by defeating Achilleus, but he wore it nonetheless. Hektor previously fought with
Gage 3 the sole intention of saving his family and city, but he reduced his cause by exalting himself and wearing Achilleus ' armor in an attempt to win the respect of his …show more content…
Odysseus could have rallied a force and stormed his own house with Athena at his side, but that would not have subdued his enormous ego. He also could have returned home to find the suitors willing to bend their knees to him and stepped back on his throne as if nothing had happened. While both of these scenarios place Odysseus back in power, neither fulfills Athena 's will for Odysseus. Instead Athena sought to humiliate Odysseus while simultaneously showcasing how courageous Telemachos and Penelope had been in his absence. As someone who is so invested in cultivating a lasting legacy, Odysseus rarely had the time to acknowledge his family 's strength and take pride in
He vaunts over Polyphemos as he sails away, accomplishing nothing but feeding his inflated ego. Furthermore, Odysseus insults Polyphemos right after he almost crushed his ship with an enormous boulder. If Odysseus ' paramount concern was his homecoming, then he would not hinder himself from attaining that goal by acting rashly. Odysseus ' disregard for his safety proves that his homecoming is secondary to cultivating a lasting legacy. Throughout antiquity, several notable heroes are overcome with hubris. Odysseus witnessed this tragedy unfold when Hektor, praised by Homer for his commitment to Ilion, fell prey to hubris when he sought to wear Achilleus ' armor. He had not earned the armor by defeating Achilleus, but he wore it nonetheless. Hektor previously fought with
Gage 3 the sole intention of saving his family and city, but he reduced his cause by exalting himself and wearing Achilleus ' armor in an attempt to win the respect of his …show more content…
Odysseus could have rallied a force and stormed his own house with Athena at his side, but that would not have subdued his enormous ego. He also could have returned home to find the suitors willing to bend their knees to him and stepped back on his throne as if nothing had happened. While both of these scenarios place Odysseus back in power, neither fulfills Athena 's will for Odysseus. Instead Athena sought to humiliate Odysseus while simultaneously showcasing how courageous Telemachos and Penelope had been in his absence. As someone who is so invested in cultivating a lasting legacy, Odysseus rarely had the time to acknowledge his family 's strength and take pride in