Brains Over Brawns
Generally, when people seem to think about heros we think of strong, fearless, and valiant characters that have an unbeatable amount of strength. Odysseus on the other hand is out powered multiple times, but uses his quick-witted intelligence to win his battles. In The Odyssey, written by Homer, and translated by Robert Fagles, Odysseus overcomes some of his conflicts with his determined and cunning intellect to trick his enemies while Penelope uses her wits to deceit the suitors, but on the other hand Antinous shows traits like arrogance that hinders success.
Traits like clever, sharp, and shrewd can all relate to success, and are reasons that add to Odysseus’ and Penelope success in The Odyssey. They illustrate why brains …show more content…
An instance of this is when Odysseus was getting prepared to leave Circe’s home, and began his voyage home again; he was warned “whoever draws too close, off guard, and catches the Sirens’ voices in the air- no sailing home for him, no wife rising to meet him, no happy children beaming... ” (272). The repetition of the word “no” expresses the negativity of what the Sirens can do, and it also creates a sense of opposition. Despite being informed, he decided not to use the beeswax unlike all his men. He believed that he was powerful enough to handle it; which can tie in with his flaw of hubris. He desired to hear the Sirens’ song, so he told his men to “bind me with tight chafing ropes so I cannot move a muscle” (276). The phrase “move a muscle” reveals how enticing the song is. He needs to be tightly held down to ensure he will not swim to the Sirens. Odysseus chose to make a decision that could have put his men in great danger due to his own arrogance. A character that embodies arrogance as a whole in The Odyssey is suitor Antinous. He is displayed as an antagonist, and revealed his arrogance many times. When Odysseus was disguised as a beggar and asked for bread, Antinous yelled “God! What evil wind blew in this pest” (379). The word “pest” depicts Antinous’ derogatory tone towards Odysseus. He clearly believes he’s superior to him at the moment due to Odysseus’ disguise. Antinous’ impertinent behavior causes him to be unsuccessful in the end; as he ends up being the first to be slaughtered by Odysseus. Odysseus’ and Antinous’ arrogance affected their success, and made their journeys more difficult
Generally, when people seem to think about heros we think of strong, fearless, and valiant characters that have an unbeatable amount of strength. Odysseus on the other hand is out powered multiple times, but uses his quick-witted intelligence to win his battles. In The Odyssey, written by Homer, and translated by Robert Fagles, Odysseus overcomes some of his conflicts with his determined and cunning intellect to trick his enemies while Penelope uses her wits to deceit the suitors, but on the other hand Antinous shows traits like arrogance that hinders success.
Traits like clever, sharp, and shrewd can all relate to success, and are reasons that add to Odysseus’ and Penelope success in The Odyssey. They illustrate why brains …show more content…
An instance of this is when Odysseus was getting prepared to leave Circe’s home, and began his voyage home again; he was warned “whoever draws too close, off guard, and catches the Sirens’ voices in the air- no sailing home for him, no wife rising to meet him, no happy children beaming... ” (272). The repetition of the word “no” expresses the negativity of what the Sirens can do, and it also creates a sense of opposition. Despite being informed, he decided not to use the beeswax unlike all his men. He believed that he was powerful enough to handle it; which can tie in with his flaw of hubris. He desired to hear the Sirens’ song, so he told his men to “bind me with tight chafing ropes so I cannot move a muscle” (276). The phrase “move a muscle” reveals how enticing the song is. He needs to be tightly held down to ensure he will not swim to the Sirens. Odysseus chose to make a decision that could have put his men in great danger due to his own arrogance. A character that embodies arrogance as a whole in The Odyssey is suitor Antinous. He is displayed as an antagonist, and revealed his arrogance many times. When Odysseus was disguised as a beggar and asked for bread, Antinous yelled “God! What evil wind blew in this pest” (379). The word “pest” depicts Antinous’ derogatory tone towards Odysseus. He clearly believes he’s superior to him at the moment due to Odysseus’ disguise. Antinous’ impertinent behavior causes him to be unsuccessful in the end; as he ends up being the first to be slaughtered by Odysseus. Odysseus’ and Antinous’ arrogance affected their success, and made their journeys more difficult