Odysseus And Circe In Homer's Odyssey

In Homer’s Odyssey book 12, Odysseus and his men return to Aiaia, and Circe reappears to them. Upon their return, she greets them with the great hospitality and prepares a feast. While they are eating she also warns the men of the dangers they face ahead. Sitting with Odysseus, she hears the story of this journey and then instructs him about the dangers ahead and how to navigate them. She is concerned about the men’s safety, especially Odysseus, “Now listen to what I have to say, and you will not forget it, please God” (page 150). Circe has been irreplaceable to the men. She released them from the swine spell, given them a bag of winds used for sailing, been an excellent hostess, and is now doing everything she can to help the men on the next …show more content…
Then they bound me hand and foot and fastened me upright against the mast” (page 153). Again trusting in Circe, he does not fight the sea monster and loses six men, but the rest of his crew and the ship pass successfully. Although, against Odysseus’s insisting against it, the men vote to stay a night on Thrinakia, and a storm traps them there for a month. Odysseus tells them the dangers of harming Helios’s cattle, but the men do not listen. They kill and eat a cow, and upon Helios’s request, Zeus strike the ship with a thunderbolt and kills everyone by Odysseus. Ultimately Odysseus was a capable leader but he could save his men from themselves. Self-control is the contemporary value in this book. The sirens tempting voices are like the temptations in everyday life. “Come this way, most admirable Odysseus, glory of the nation! Stay your ship, and listen to our voice” (page 153). These voices will lead those who follow them to their demise. Odysseus makes sure he is in a position where he cannot fall to these temptations. Like Odysseus, one should make sure he is not in a position to fall to temptation because there are times that they can overcome