Temptation In The Odyssey

Homer’s The Odyssey follows the tale of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his journey home ten years after the fall of Troy. This epic poem has many themes like hospitality, perseverance, loyalty and piety, but one topic or theme that comes up almost as often as piety is temptation. The main character Odysseus faces many temptations in his quest to return to his home of Ithaca: Calypso, Circe, the Sirens, and the princess Nausicaa. Given his portrayal in the epic, the temptation that Odysseus finds most difficult to resist- a temptation that continues to stack against him many times throughout the work- is the act of giving up on his yearning for his homeland of Ithaca, his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. The longest example of such temptation …show more content…
Circe warns Odysseus of the many obstacles he and his men are going to face such as the Wandering Rocks, or the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, but before his ship would reach them he has to make it passed the Sirens. Circe describes to Odysseus as she lies down beside him away from his men, “ To the Sirens, who bewitch all men/ Who come near. Anyone who approaches/ Unaware and hears their voice will never again/ Be welcomed home by their wife and children/ Not after the Sirens bewitch him with song” (12.41-46). These creatures lure men to their deaths with song, and Circe advises that Odysseus and his men smear wax into their ears so they wouldn't hear their singing and be tempted to jump into the sea. Instead of following the witch’s directions, Odysseus decides that he would smear wax into his men’s ears, and tie himself to the mast of the ship and listen to the Sirens song. While Calypso is the temptation with the longest duration, the Sirens are the shortest and most powerful temptation against his yearning to return home. The Sirens sing to him as their ship approaches a plea for him to stop and listen to their song, and Odysseus heart yearns to listen and go to them. He pleads and even commands at one point to his men to untie him, but before the journey Odysseus plans ahead and instructed his men to tie him up tighter if he considered giving into the Sirens song. His bindings are tightened despite his pleas and once the …show more content…
Some of the propositions made to Odysseus could be seen as difficult for the reader to resist, like Calypsos offer of immortality or the beauty and hypnotizing song of the Sirens. It’s difficult in this sense to relate to Odysseus sense of piety, because what he yearns for in Ithaca isn’t as glamorous or rewarding as these temptations. If Odysseus gave up on his dedication to his wife and child, to some readers he would be better than he was before. Regardless, Odysseus sense of identity and yearning pushed to overcome these difficult obstacles and can be seen by some as the ultimate victory. Odysseus, King of Ithaca, husband and father is finally