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 to taunt the blind cyclops and instructs Polyphemus to tell everyone that, “Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” By including raider of cities in his self-description, Odysseus reflects how he wants to be remembered for his strength and his power that is needed to raid cities. Odysseus also includes his homeland of Ithaca and his father’s name, so the cyclops knows exactly who shamed him and the credit is not given to another. The cyclops, a son of Poseidon, believes his father will heal his eye. The cyclops’ naivete causes Odysseus to insult the cyclops once more by shouting, “no one will ever heal your eye, not even your earthquake god himself!” The god being referred to by Odysseus is Poseidon, one of the more powerful deities. Hubris saturates this phrase; Odysseus implies that his blinding of the cyclops was so clever and damaging that it cannot be undone, even by a god. …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 declares that the men will “remember this someday.” By the emphasized this, Odysseus means the men will recall the fact that he defeated the cyclops and saved the men’s lives, not the entire encounter with the cyclops, a tactic to gain more glory. If the men return to Ithaca and retell the story of how Odysseus slayed the cyclops and protected them, Odysseus will surely be looked upon as a hero, securing more glory for himself. Odysseus often goes to extremes to protect and enhance his reputation. On the island of Aeaea, Eurylochus, Odysseus’ second in command, questions Odysseus’ leadership, blaming him for the death of the men the cyclops ate. Furious at being publically challenged, Odysseus wishes to punish Eurylochus and has the urge to “slice his head off, tumbling down in the dust, close kin that he was.” The violent act of decapitation Odysseus quickly resorts to in response to his authority being questioned, reflects how highly Odysseus values his own reputation. Not only does he want to kill Eurylochus, Odysseus wants to disgrace him by leaving his head in the dust and dirt as well. Odysseus may not act on his grisly impulses, but the fact that Eurylochus being family does not cause even a brief moment of hesitation shows how fiercely Odysseus will protect his reputation. It is never dignified to lose men and it
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 to taunt the blind cyclops and instructs Polyphemus to tell everyone that, “Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” By including raider of cities in his self-description, Odysseus reflects how he wants to be remembered for his strength and his power that is needed to raid cities. Odysseus also includes his homeland of Ithaca and his father’s name, so the cyclops knows exactly who shamed him and the credit is not given to another. The cyclops, a son of Poseidon, believes his father will heal his eye. The cyclops’ naivete causes Odysseus to insult the cyclops once more by shouting, “no one will ever heal your eye, not even your earthquake god himself!” The god being referred to by Odysseus is Poseidon, one of the more powerful deities. Hubris saturates this phrase; Odysseus implies that his blinding of the cyclops was so clever and damaging that it cannot be undone, even by a god. …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 declares that the men will “remember this someday.” By the emphasized this, Odysseus means the men will recall the fact that he defeated the cyclops and saved the men’s lives, not the entire encounter with the cyclops, a tactic to gain more glory. If the men return to Ithaca and retell the story of how Odysseus slayed the cyclops and protected them, Odysseus will surely be looked upon as a hero, securing more glory for himself. Odysseus often goes to extremes to protect and enhance his reputation. On the island of Aeaea, Eurylochus, Odysseus’ second in command, questions Odysseus’ leadership, blaming him for the death of the men the cyclops ate. Furious at being publically challenged, Odysseus wishes to punish Eurylochus and has the urge to “slice his head off, tumbling down in the dust, close kin that he was.” The violent act of decapitation Odysseus quickly resorts to in response to his authority being questioned, reflects how highly Odysseus values his own reputation. Not only does he want to kill Eurylochus, Odysseus wants to disgrace him by leaving his head in the dust and dirt as well. Odysseus may not act on his grisly impulses, but the fact that Eurylochus being family does not cause even a brief moment of hesitation shows how fiercely Odysseus will protect his reputation. It is never dignified to lose men and it