The Role Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey '

Decent Essays
In books 3 and 4, Telemachus sets out on a journey to meet the wise Nestor in Pylos and the fearsome Menelaus in Sparta. The young scion of Laertes's bloodline sought out the kings in order to find his father. Who has been missing for nearly ten years after the ten year war in Troy. Nestor knew not the whereabouts of Odysseus; however, he knew what stories he needed to tell Telemachus. The king of Pylos recalled and narrated the story of Agamemnon's demise and the vengeance of his son, Orestes. This epic digression describes that, upon returning home, Agamemnon was killed by Aegisthus. Aegisthus had an affair with Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra. Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, avenged his father. The entire purpose of the narration can be summarized

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In the aftermath of Odysseus’ departure for the Trojan war and his misfortune at sea, Telemakhus has grown into a young man and Penelope has fallen into depression. Both mother and son have lamented Odysseus’ absence and apparent death for years; to make matters worse, all of Ithaka’s eligible men have flocked to Odysseus’ home to eat his livestock and court his wife. However, the anguish in Telemakhus’ heart is soon addressed by the goddess Athena, who comes in the form of a weary traveler to assure Telemakhus that Oddyseus is not dead. As Athena guides Telemakhus in his confrontations and travels, it becomes apparent that Telemakhus is a brave and intelligent (albeit young and inexperienced) boy.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the epic poem ,the Odyssey, by Homer relates Odysseus’ heroic journey to his home in Ithaca after the defeat of Troy. His prideful boasting about the victory has the god, Poseidon, pitted against his voyage home, and in Odysseus’ absence, suitors take over his home and threaten his wife, Penélopê, and his son, Telémakhos. In her attempts to bring Odysseus home, Athena urges Telémakhos to begin his own travels in search of his father. During Odysseus’ trial to return to Ithika appearance reveals itself in diffrent ways to aid Odysseus and Telemachus.…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "The Odyssey" is an epic poem by Homer, in which the story is focused mainly on the trails the main character Odysseus goes through on his voyage home throughout a ten year span of time. In "The Odyssey", the readers come across six different characteristics, which supports the statement that confirms it is an epic poem. Odysseus has man traits defining him as a Homeric leader, those characteristics are: courage, strength, a thirst for glory, the self-assurance in his authority, and nobility. The most distinguished trait that he holds, however, is his sharp intellect Odysseus’s fast thinking assist him in many difficult situations, some examples are when he is in the Cyclops’ lair, or when he conceals the bodies of the suitors he had previously…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “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
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus has protected his family and the people who stand with him in the ways he knows best, so I believe that in the Odyssey by Homer that the main character Odysseus is a hero even though he had lost his men to the gods and monsters he came in contact with and had lied to his family he had to protect the people he loved from others that want to hurt him thought his loved ones. Odysseus is a hero in my view from the way that he tricks the Cyclops in to believing that his name is Nohbdy instead if Odysseus so when he and his men escape the Cyclops cannot tell who had been there. The reason Odysseus told the Cyclops that his name was Nohbdy was that he knew that if someone would have asked the cyclops who had tricked him and they could be one that would not know that he was alive and might be one of his enemy’s. When he was planning a way to escape eight of his men were eaten by the cyclops from the long wait from the making of the plain but it was one of the sacrifices he had to make for a better out come from them…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anyone who is successful in completing a gallant and courageous act, can be considered a hero. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is an admirable hero because he uses strategy instead of strength to overcome several obstacles. Homer presents this in Odysseus’s use of deception, the route he chooses to get home, his choice of words and his use of disguises. To overcome a hurdle one may wish for a great deal of strength. Yet when Odysseus came in contact with a giant Cyclops, he never questioned nor focused on his lack of vitality.…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is both completely effortless and extremely challenging to return home. This is due to the true meaning of home itself; it is both a physical building and a place where one flourishes. For Odysseus, this was his endpoint as well as his goal, both of which would not happen simultaneously. As Odysseus reached his endpoint, his goal wasn't exactly achieved. He still had an adventure left in and of itself; he had arrived, but he still wasn't quite home yet.…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” What makes a hero? To be known as a hero is one thing, but what is a true hero? Well, it depends on whom you ask. To some, a hero might just be a person who is courageous and brave.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus gives his men inspirational pep talks to keep them focused on their task ahead; returning home to Ithaca. “I know you would follow me now, you have always followed me. You are my warriors. We have suffered the loss of many men, and together, we’ve survived. -Odysseus. Odysseus gives this inspirational speech to his men right before he goes to see the blind prophet, Telemachus, in the underworld.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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
  • Improved Essays

    The world isn’t black and white. No one is only good or evil. People are not only one thing and nothing else. They change through their experiences in life that they go through and have multiple conflicting and diverse personality traits. In Homer’s…

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What if the person one looks up to or longs to return is not the person they expect that person to be? In the Odyssey, by Homer, this is the case for Odysseus. He is not the man everyone thinks he is. To begin with, the epic the Odyssey is about the return of the “great” king of Ithaka, Odysseus, from the Trojan War. He spends ten years fighting the war and is now on his way home where he is creating tension that is prolonging his return to Ithaka.…

    • 1948 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus was saved because he asked Athena to disguise him as a beggar, but most importantly he was saved by his son’s loyalty to him. Even though Telemachus hasn’t seen Odysseus since he was an infant, he remained loyal to his father throughout the twenty years that he was missing. With the help of his son’s trust and devotion Odysseus was able to save Telemachus and himself from a tragic ending. Although Agamemnon’s fate was different from Odysseus’, there was a similarity in their lives and that was their sons’ loyalty to them. Although Clytemnestra turned on her husband and ended up ending his life with the help of her suitor, not all of his family had turned on him.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Odysseus has been on a long journey trying to find his way home. On his journey Odysseus has changed into a man of loyalty, a man of hope, a man of honesty. Over the journey he experiences many battles that has made him the man he is today. In the Odyssey, Homer uses odysseus’s journey to show how one’s journey can change them as a person. Odysseus has gained loyalty when he and his men arrived in the land of the Lotus-Eaters, three of Odysseus' men ate the intoxicating lotus plant.…

    • 125 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the Odyssey I think that Odysseus is a hero, I think this because many times in the Odyssey, Odysseus shows his bravery and his showmanship, those are just some of the qualities he has to be a leader and a hero. Odysseus is the major hero in the story with the Cyclops being the villain or the antagonist. There are many times in the story when Odysseus shows his courage and strength by killing the cyclops. Odysseus is the hero in this story because the entire time he was being the leader. Odysseus also shows that he is a true man and he waits for the Cyclops when visiting other reasons instead of not waiting and stealing from him.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays