Home Page
Odysseus As A Good Leader In The Odyssey By Homer

Odysseus As A Good Leader In The Odyssey By Homer

Improved Essays

Show More

In The Odyssey, Homer writes of Odysseus, a good leader. Odysseus does make mistakes, for example when he leaves Ismarus he says, “I sacked the city, killed the men” and then he takes the riches and wives as plunder (9. 46-47). In this situation Odysseus acts similar to a pirate and goes against the Greek value of order. Also, when Eurylochus and the crew asks to land on the island of the Sun God’s cattle Odysseus says, “I’m one against all, the upper hand is yours” even though this island is where Odysseus was told he will have their greatest disaster (12. 322-323). Odysseus giving in leads to the death of his entire crew and ship.
However there are many times when Odysseus shows he is a good leader. “I sent a detail ahead, two picked man

Related Documents

Improved Essays
Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey
- 863 Words
- 4 Pages
Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

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

Read More
Improved Essays
Odysseus Attractive Leadership In Homer's The Odyssey
- 190 Words
- 1 Pages
Odysseus Attractive Leadership In Homer's The Odyssey

In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus demonstrates bravery as a trait of exceptional leadership when he fearlessly rescues his crewman from Circe’s potion. Despite seeing the “blinding tears” and “dry lips” of one of his crewmen, Eurylokhos, after returning for Circe’s hall, Odysseus decides to visit anyway and rescue his crewman from the unknown. When Eurylokhos arrives in a frantic state near the ship where Odysseus awaits the return of his men; Odysseus remains calm after he discovers his men are in danger, he “ [sees] nothing for it but to go” and rushes to the rescue (Homer 173, line 300-301). He “ [takes] the inland path alone” to arrive at Circe’s hall in the most effective amount of time where his men are held captive by…
- 190 Words
- 1 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Compare And Contrast Circe And Calypso In The Odyssey
- 528 Words
- 3 Pages
Compare And Contrast Circe And Calypso In The Odyssey

Odysseus was the leader of his men on the ship returning home. During their encounter with Polyphemus, he warned the crew to not steal and directed some to stay off shore. On the Isle of the Sun, he tried to stay awake after warning his crew members to not slaughter the cows, to keep an eye on them, and even prayed for their safety. He was not a perfect leader, however. Sometimes, he would keep secrets or misinform his crew, resulting in catastrophe.…
- 528 Words
- 3 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Decent Essays
Odysseus: An Example Of A Hero In Homer's Odyssey
- 160 Words
- 1 Pages
Odysseus: An Example Of A Hero In Homer's Odyssey

Heroes are people who are above average people who go out of their way to help other people like veterans, men and women who risked their lives so that we could be able to do the things we enjoy in life. Even veterans were around in Ancient Greece. Even Odysseus was a veteran he fought in the trojan war 3000 years ago, and in other times fighting to get back home to his family. A perfect example of a veteran is odysseus from the Odyssey. He travels all around greece on his way from the trojan war.…
- 160 Words
- 1 Pages
Decent Essays

Read More
Decent Essays
Odysseus: An Effective Leader
- 171 Words
- 1 Pages
Odysseus: An Effective Leader

Odysseus was an effective leader for many reasons. First of all, Odysseus was an effective leader because he was intelligent. An example of this is in the Cyclops cave. He figured a way out of the cave and that was to give the Cyclops a lot of wine and made him fall asleep so they could escape. Another way Odysseus was an effective leader because he was courageous.…
- 171 Words
- 1 Pages
Decent Essays

Read More
Decent Essays
Odysseus Leadership Traits
- 218 Words
- 1 Pages
Odysseus Leadership Traits

In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is an outstanding leader with many beneficial traits that he uses to his advantage. Having a very persuasive and smart mind helped Odysseus on his track home. For example, when he and his men were trapped in the cave with a cyclops. He used his mind skills and outsmarted the cyclops to escape from the cave. Also, he was able to persuade his crew to follow his orders, even though he may not make right choices.…
- 218 Words
- 1 Pages
Decent Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey
- 461 Words
- 2 Pages
Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

“Your grandfather, Odysseus arrived at the swineherd’s house and reunited with his old friend, Eumaeus Eumaeus did not recognize him and only saw him as a beggar. Nonetheless, he welcomed Odysseus into his dwelling and fed him food and wine - remember son, we must welcome everyone to our homes, for we cannot anger Zeus, the host god. Eumaeus truly honored your grandfather and he talked on and on about his riches and his heroic journey to Troy. Even though he thought your grandfather will never return home he told him that he was still protective of his riches, and he was furious with your grandmother’s suitors freeloading of all the wealth and food you grandfather had.…
- 461 Words
- 2 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Odysseus Heroic Qualities
- 899 Words
- 4 Pages
Odysseus Heroic Qualities

In The Odyssey, written by Homer in the late eighth century B.C., the main character is Odysseus. He is king of the island Ithaca and has been gone from his country for ten years at war and spends an additional ten years on his journey home. During his return, he leads his men across the ocean, facing many obstacles. He encounters The Cyclops, Poseidon, Sirens, and many other mystical creatures. All of his men perish during the journey; some by their own fault, others by Odysseus’s mistakes.…
- 899 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Odysseus As A Leader In The Odyssey By Homer
- 527 Words
- 3 Pages
Odysseus As A Leader In The Odyssey By Homer

In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is not an example of an effective leader as he does not make the best decisions and does not communicate well with his companions. One of the many characteristics of a good leader is the ability to make good decisions and Odysseus does not perform this ability well. When Odysseus and his crew arrive at the Cyclops Island, his men decide to steal some food and run back to the ship but Odysseus, however, demands to see the cyclops Polyphemus, who lives on the island. “Ah, how sound that was!…
- 527 Words
- 3 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Decent Essays
Odysseus Is A Good Leader Essay
- 405 Words
- 2 Pages
Odysseus Is A Good Leader Essay

This was not an easy decision for Odysseus to make, but he knew the risk of losing everything was just not worth it. He took comfort in knowing that there would be some survivors if he sailed through Scylla. He was a good leader here because he was looking out for his men and doing what he truly believed was the right thing. He couldn’t sail through Charybdis knowing that he could potentially lose everyone, Finally, Odysseus is a strong leader because he gives valuable advice. Odysseus warns his men to not eat the cattle, no matter what the circumstances.…
- 405 Words
- 2 Pages
Decent Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Character Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey
- 1053 Words
- 5 Pages
Character Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

In the epic poem, the Odyssey, written by Homer, it tells of the amazing feats performed by Odysseus. He goes on impossible adventures for the average man; He successfully leads his crew through the sea, or does he? Even though Odysseus may show that he is clever, he also shows that he does not listen, is very temperamental, and is untrustworthy; Because of these character traits, he cannot be an effective leader. To begin, Odysseus shows multiple times that he does not listen to his crew. His crew tries to warn him of the multiple dangers that were to come from his actions, yet he refuses to listen, putting several of his crew’s lives in danger, and even killing a few of them.…
- 1053 Words
- 5 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
The Character Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey
- 1948 Words
- 8 Pages
The Character Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

One would think that good leaders would not try to demoralize their crew, even if the circumstances are not going in their favor. Likewise, Odysseus is showing the lack of his leadership by not making the logical decision by not listening to the song of the Seirenes. He again is lacking in Homer’s expectation of Arete by not showing excellence or being a good leader, which should be the goal in one’s life. On the outside, Odysseus is perceived as a good leader and person, but once one starts peeling the layers back of his personality his true colors start to show. He also puts an unnecessary burden on the shoulders of his men and himself that would have been avoided if not for Odysseus’s narcissistic morals.…
- 1948 Words
- 8 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Odysseus 'Exceptional Leadership In The Epic Poem' The Odyssey
- 251 Words
- 2 Pages
Odysseus 'Exceptional Leadership In The Epic Poem' The Odyssey

In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus demonstrates bravery as a trait of exceptional leadership when he fearlessly rescues his crew from permanently being transformed by Circe’s magical potion. After Eurylokhos, one of Odysseus’s crewmen, leads a search group onto the island of Circe, he returns from Circe’s hall so horrified he is unable to speak, with “blinding tears” pooling in his eyes (Homer 172, 272). By questioning Eurylokhos about the events that took place at Circe’s house, Odysseus learns his men are in some sort of danger, and therefore is determined to retrieve them at once. Odysseus commands Eurylokhos to lead him back to the house from which he came, but Eurylokhos begs Odysseus to let him stay behind, and Odysseus,…
- 251 Words
- 2 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
The Virtues Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey
- 788 Words
- 4 Pages
The Virtues Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through a twenty year struggle to return back home to Ithaca. Poseidon delayed Odysseus’ homeward return from the Trojan War. Through his long journey to return to his home, his people, and Penelope and Telemachus. Odysseus reveals many virtues and vices, that he struggles with. His men also struggle with vices, which at the end costs them their lives.…
- 788 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More
Improved Essays
Odysseus Character Traits
- 1047 Words
- 4 Pages
Odysseus Character Traits

The adventures of Odysseus are a major part of Odyssey. Some people think that the adventures have simply transformed a man primarily concerned about his family into a mass murderer. But I think his adventures have decimated his excessive pride and intensified his patience, and intensified his love for his family. Moreover, he also has a constructive influence on his son.…
- 1047 Words
- 4 Pages
Improved Essays

Read More

Related Topics