Personal Essay: The Hero And Hero Of Odysseus

Odysseus is seen as a hero and leader by all his comrades who returned from the Trojan War. According to his fellow commanders, like Menelaus, he has strength, courage and restraint. In Ithaca, preceding the war, Odysseus was viewed as a kind merciful king, adored by his people. Though when voyaging home, Odysseus displays his stubbornness in making decisions, overcome by the need to gain glory and prestige above all else.
Following a daring escape from the cyclops’ lair, Odysseus and his men flee the island. As a trick, he originally told the cyclops that his name was Nobody to avoid being caught by other cyclopes. However, Odysseus, overly proud of blinding Polyphemus, cannot help but take credit for his actions. Sailing away, he begins …show more content…
Wild with arrogance and a desire for recognition, Odysseus becomes uncontrollable. Exclamation points, following each of Odysseus’ jeers, illustrate the great extent of his unruliness. “They begged,” recalls Odysseus, describing how his men implored him to stop provoking the cyclops. The use of the word begged reinforces the existence of Odysseus’ monomania. Not even his pleading men could stop Odysseus from seeking his own glory. Placing his quest for glory above the lives of his men, Odysseus causes Poseidon to curse them all. In these moments, Odysseus exhibits stubbornness that will arise repeatedly throughout his voyage. Even after Odysseus risks his men’s lives to satiate his own petty lust for glory, he reminds them that it was he who defeated the cyclops. Though Odysseus blinds the cyclops with the help of four other men, he fails to acknowledge them in his speech to his crew, stating that “my courage, my presence of mind and tactics saved us all.” The repetition of the word my represents Odysseus again staking claim to the conquering of Polyphemus. Continuing his speech, Odysseus