Arrogance Of Odysseus

Decent Essays
In the epic narrative, The Odyssey, Homer has created a powerful character named Odysseus. He is the noble warrior from the land of Ithaca. Odysseus has fought in the infamous Trojan War. Nevertheless, his intelligence never seems to fail him as he uses a subterfuge, the Trojan horse, to invade the land of Troy at dusk. This caught the Trojans by surprise, leading to the Greeks victory. As a result of this win, Odysseus becomes arrogant and has lost respect for the Gods. Homer sends Odysseus on a journey of self-discovery as he strips Odysseus of his arrogance. He has lost who he originally was, while being able to keep his resourcefulness and intelligence; this aids him on his journey home. Furthermore, Odysseus is met with many obstacles,

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer later adapted into a play by Simon Armitage, is a narrative depicting the journey of the greek hero Odysseus back to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. His voyage spans twenty years, and throughout the course of his trip back home, Odysseus and his men encounter various obstacles that they need to overcome. Since Odysseus is essentially the leader of his crew, it is most often his responsibility to defeat the enemy and solve the problem at hand. At times, his actions could be classified as violent and unjust, such as him causing unnecessary conflicts with enemies and resorting to killing them. Nonetheless, Odysseus is still a war veteran, and has been exposed to this brutal style of solving issues for…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Epic, The Odyssey, by Homer, is about the adventures and fate of a young king named Odysseus and his trusty men. After his major role in the Trojan War, Odysseus set sail for his journey back home to Ithaca. His voyage took him twenty long years due to the occurring hurdles. Odysseus gives up so much along the way in order to bring his mates and him safely back home to their families. Demonstrating, his guile and intuitive character, Odysseus sacrifices a lot to guide his men and him through tough challenges.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Homer, author of The Odyssey, tells a lengthy epic of Odysseus. He is the protagonist of the tale, told to be one of the most heroic Greek heroes. Homer spares nothing while writing one of the most well known Greek stories, making sure Odysseus is portrayed as the amazing hero. The heroic attributes of Odysseus is described implicitly and explicitly. Some examples of how he’s been described as heroic is by his intelligence.…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus Flaws

    • 2100 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Odysseus of Ithaka encounters many challenges throughout The Odyssey, including the aftermath of the Trojan War, the Lotus Eaters, the Seirênês and more. Though he faces multiple challenges, Odysseus fails to learn from his mistakes and does not develop nor grow in character after the Trojan War. He does not evaluate the faults he has made in order to avoid the same issues in the future, and instead continues his journey with the belief that he is not the one at fault for the complications he and his crew encounter. Odysseus is a static character due to the fact that he does not jump at the opportunity to change, and instead remains to be a man who yearns to go home, and fails to learn from the lessons the Gods are aiming to teach him. Odysseus fails to…

    • 2100 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The timeline of The Odyssey begins after the Trojan War, but Odysseus’ story begins well before The Odyssey and the war. At the start of the Trojan War, the hero, Odysseus, is home in Ithaca with his wife, Penelope, and newborn son, Telemachus. This is where Odysseus receives “information… that acts as a call to head off into the unknown” (1), better known as the call to adventure. The elopement of the Spartan king’s wife, Helen, with Paris to the city of Troy culminates into “the famous Trojan war, [and serves as] the theme of the greatest poems of antiquity, those of Homer and Virgil” (Bulfinch). The Trojan War is what ultimately serves as a herald as it causes Odysseus’ call to adventure.…

    • 1331 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Was Odysseus A Hero Essay

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Although modern scholars have argued that Odysseus was a hero, closer examination of the greek legend shows that Odysseus was not a hero, because he was ungrateful to the gods, he cheated on his wife, and he returned to Ithaka without any men. Odysseus, King of Ithaka, was called upon to fight in the Trojan War. At first, he was averse to the idea of going to war, because his son, Telemachus, had been born days before. Eventually, he sailed to Troy, with the best of his men, and fought bravely against the Trojans for ten years. When he thought that surrender was inevitable, he came up with the brilliant idea of the Trojan Horse, and the war was won.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Odyssey, Homer immediately expresses the heroic aspects of Odysseus’ character design when he states “Could I forget that kingly man Odysseus? There is no mortal half so wise; no mortal gave so much to the lords of the open sky" (Homer, chapter 1, lines 84-86). Homer begins his book writing Odysseus as a grand hero, and encourages the reader to cheer for Odysseus alongside the characters. Throughout this entire book, the reader is reminded how magnificent Odysseus is through his great feats, whether it be outsmarting a cyclops to save his crew or shooting an arrow through a line of axes. Odysseus does no wrong in this story.…

    • 1119 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Maryam Poonawalla Sadia Warraich Essay The Odyssey Every hero is composed of exclusive characteristics that defines them in a unique way. In today’s society heroes are often described by their significant character traits such as; courage,loyalty and great strength. In the epic poem, The Odyssey the main character Odysseus fulfills all these characteristics by defeating his enemies with the help of his crew.…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus's Fate Analysis

    • 1335 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Odysseus begins his journey as the traditional epic hero, harboring both brains, brawn and overwhelming egoism. The aftermath of war is marked with grief; it reveals that peace cannot harbor the pride and arrogance of war and that actions once deemed heroic are nothing more than the ruthless slaughter of men. Odysseus’ return to Ithaca, though marked by peril and misfortune, ultimately leads to Odysseus’ all-encompassing change of heart and, subsequently, his eventual peace. His suffering has been an act of divine retribution not to eliminate him but rather to cleanse his character and humble his nature. The desire for glory and fame within needless conflict only breeds infamy in men, the wiser man eventually chooses…

    • 1335 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Gods try to humble Odysseus in many ways but it takes him wandering for 20 years, being showed that his will to continue can be taken away, tied to a ship while listening to a siren's call, and losing all of is men in one gruesome way or another for him to finally get the picture that he should always give the Gods credit over…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Theme Of Arrogance In Oedipus

    • 1630 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 6 Works Cited

    Prior to the plays setting “Oedipus goes to Delphi where he asks the oracle who his true parents are. To this the god responds that he will kill his father and marry his mother.” (Hogan P. 19) Determined not to allow the prophecy to come true Oedipus runs away from his home in Corinth. During Oedipus’ travel, he encounters a small group of men “where three roads meet”. Oedipus first displays his arrogance by not peacefully resolving the confrontation he encountered, knowing that the prophet prophesied Oedipus killing his own father.…

    • 1630 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 6 Works Cited
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The gods all know Odysseus is impulsive and arrogant, so they allow Poseidon to test him, and becomes Odysseus’s biggest enemy because of that. Odysseus’s narcissism and egotism makes Odysseus stumble upon many obstacles and fail before he succeeds in his return to Ithaca, and as he tells the story of his wanderings, he finally realizes…

    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Blinded by Arrogance? Or Blinded by a Pin? Hubris, is the greek word referring to excessive pride or self confidence. Hubris is often considered to be ones “fatal flaw; meaning the characteristic that eventually leads to one 's downfall or death.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The Odyssey” is an epic poem that consists of 24 books and is told by the creator, Homer, during the ancient Greek times. All epic poems contain an epic hero, this classifies a specific person as the protagonist of the story that goes above the readers expectations. Odysseus is an epic hero because of his intelligence, bravery, and glory. Odysseus is an epic hero because of the intelligence that he displays throughout the poem. Odysseus shows his intellect by his ability to think under an immense amount of pressure.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Odysseus has been on a long journey trying to find his way home. On his journey Odysseus has changed into a man of loyalty, a man of hope, a man of honesty. Over the journey he experiences many battles that has made him the man he is today. In the Odyssey, Homer uses odysseus’s journey to show how one’s journey can change them as a person. Odysseus has gained loyalty when he and his men arrived in the land of the Lotus-Eaters, three of Odysseus' men ate the intoxicating lotus plant.…

    • 125 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays