Odysseus, “’the Son of Pain,’” unquestionably earns his name in full (19.464). He frequently brings pain onto himself and others, like when he tells Polyphemus his name is Nobody. He stays true to his real name, Odysseus, in this moment by using his characteristic cunning; afterwards, as he leaves the island of the cyclopes, he yells out his true name, “’Odysseus, raider of cities,’” and ultimately brings as much misfortune onto himself as he did to Polyphemus, thus remaining as the man that “’was born for pain’” (9.560-.561, 3.106). The meaning behind his name is a constant reminder of his identity: one of curiosity and control. “’No man in the world is nameless;‘” everyone has their own identity (8.620). Odysseus surely lives up to his.
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Combined with his curiosity, this perseverance occasionally puts him in situations that make him a “’man of misery’” (5.515). His curiosity drives him to investigate things that he is probably better off leaving alone, and his “’stubborn spirit’” causes him to stay there, pushing the limits of his safety (10.448). When he “held fast in place, hoping that [shades of famous heroes] might still come” in the House of Death, “thousands raising unearthly cries” came and “blanching terror gripped [him]” instead (11.719-.725). His curious nature insists upon exploring the cyclopes’ island and “’would not give way’” once they reached Polyphemus’ cave (9.256). The decision to remain in the cave results in the death of a few of his men.
Readers question the advantages and disadvantages of Odysseus’ cleverness. Odysseus’ contemplative and skeptical nature ultimately help him to make the right decisions, but his curiosity combined with his persistence puts him and his crew in danger, making the question of whether his curiosity’s advantages outweigh its disadvantages a difficult one to answer. In the end, his cunning gets him out of the situations his curiosity gets him into, so it is essentially
Combined with his curiosity, this perseverance occasionally puts him in situations that make him a “’man of misery’” (5.515). His curiosity drives him to investigate things that he is probably better off leaving alone, and his “’stubborn spirit’” causes him to stay there, pushing the limits of his safety (10.448). When he “held fast in place, hoping that [shades of famous heroes] might still come” in the House of Death, “thousands raising unearthly cries” came and “blanching terror gripped [him]” instead (11.719-.725). His curious nature insists upon exploring the cyclopes’ island and “’would not give way’” once they reached Polyphemus’ cave (9.256). The decision to remain in the cave results in the death of a few of his men.
Readers question the advantages and disadvantages of Odysseus’ cleverness. Odysseus’ contemplative and skeptical nature ultimately help him to make the right decisions, but his curiosity combined with his persistence puts him and his crew in danger, making the question of whether his curiosity’s advantages outweigh its disadvantages a difficult one to answer. In the end, his cunning gets him out of the situations his curiosity gets him into, so it is essentially