Both heroes, Odysseus and Ulysses’ main goal is to return back to their wife and children. Their loyalty to their family is what inspires and drives the men to continue on in their journey and not give up despite all the hardships they experience. The difference between these heroes however is that Odysseus loyalty falters at points in his quest, as he is seen numerous times cheating on his wife with other women and even, at times, accepting his doomed fate and staying with them as seen when he was trapped on the island with Calypso. Ulysses on the other hand does not falter in his loyalty to his family, even when he is tricked and drugged by the laundry women, he does not sleep with them and immediately continues his journey when regaining consciousness. These heros show different amounts of loyalty to their family but in the end it is what guides them to their ultimate…
After Odysseus’ crew opened the bag of wind Odysseus received from Aiolos, they were sent back to Aiolos’ island. Odysseus then told Aiolos to give him another bag of wind because Aiolos has the capacity to. However, Aiolos refuses to help Odysseus any further and tells him to leave as he has no reason to help Odysseus, who must have been cursed by the gods. Although the Greeks are bound by the laws of Zeus, which requires them to provide hospitality to their friends, they had no obligation to repeatedly help those that experienced misfortune, as the host could not fix the guest’s problems, and the guest could not help the host. After Odysseus explains why he has returned, Aiolos replies, “Take yourself out of this island, creeping thing– no…
Loyalty and Change in The Odyssey The Odyssey, by Homer, is an epic tale of a Greek kings return home. Odysseus yearns to return home to his wife Penelope, his son Telemachus, and the kingdom in which he ruled. Over the course of this journey each character must endure many challenges that shape their personality. Although Penelope remains strong in her personal beliefs, Telemachus and Odysseus change greatly throughout the story.…
You ever felt like someone was holding you back or maybe someone never wanted to see you succeed. Well in the odyssey the crew, his hubris, and the god of the sea all delayed his return home. In every episode oddysseus crew delay h is journey home his crew men never does listen to him. The men was not supposed to open the bag of wind.…
In The Odyssey, Homer writes of Odysseus, a good leader. Odysseus does make mistakes, for example when he leaves Ismarus he says, “I sacked the city, killed the men” and then he takes the riches and wives as plunder (9. 46-47). In this situation Odysseus acts similar to a pirate and goes against the Greek value of order. Also, when Eurylochus and the crew asks to land on the island of the Sun God’s cattle Odysseus says, “I’m one against all, the upper hand is yours” even though this island is where Odysseus was told he will have their greatest disaster (12. 322-323). Odysseus giving in leads to the death of his entire crew and ship.…
When we look at the character of Eumaeus from The Odyssey we see a simple man who shows great loyalty and has a servant's heart. Without Eumaeus, Odysseus would have had much trouble trying gain back his old ways of life. Eumaeus shows great loyalty in two main ways. He takes care of Odysseus possessions, and he fights with Odysseus even though it could mean his death. When we look at how Eumaeus was a servant, there are two things that stand out.…
The Odyssey Loyalty is the devotion towards a person that can bring both prosperity and shortcomings, depending on the actions a person takes to remain loyal or disloyal. Loyalty is like a double-edged sword that can be used to protect loved ones; however, it can also be used to betray close companions. Life offers many challenges and temptations; however, loyalty can be used to fight against these appeals or to fight towards these desires. In epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, loyalty is expressed as an important quality in Greek culture that brings happiness and praise, while disloyalty brings betrayal and criticism.…
In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is not an example of an effective leader as he does not make the best decisions and does not communicate well with his companions. One of the many characteristics of a good leader is the ability to make good decisions and Odysseus does not perform this ability well. When Odysseus and his crew arrive at the Cyclops Island, his men decide to steal some food and run back to the ship but Odysseus, however, demands to see the cyclops Polyphemus, who lives on the island. “Ah, how sound that was!…
Odysseus says, “’I wanted to see [the Cyclops] and claim the stranger’s gift… So we lit a fire and made our thank-offering, and helped ourselves to as many cheeses as we wanted to eat; then we sat inside till he should come back with his flocks’” (111). Odysseus is impulsive and does not think before he acts. He is very selfish and only wants to see what glory the Cyclops gives him. He expects everyone to bow down to him, let alone know who he is, contrasting Odysseus when he fights the suitors at the end of the story and receives glory from his city. When Polyphemus, the Cyclops who happens to be Poseidon’s son, returns home, he traps Odysseus and his crew in his cave.…
The famous epic poem by Homer, The Odyssey, tells of Odysseus’ tumultuous journey back to his home on the island of Ithaka. Odysseus, the main character in the epic poem, appears to be the hero slaying the monsters, but as his journey continues it becomes more difficult to distinguish who the monster really is. Upon closer inspection, the true monster is not one of the various mythical creates Odysseus faces, but is instead Odysseus himself. Passages from book nine and book 22 of The Odyssey, demonstrate how the true monster is actually Odysseus. Odysseus and his men arrive on an island, in book nine, and enter a cave seeking to steal any valuable loot they can find.…
Trust is something so valuable in a relationship, platonic or romantic, that it can later show who someone is as a person, and their reputation. During the epic, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus builds as a character and the reader can see the leader’s courageous a side, but also the selfish side of him. Along the way to Ithaca, Odysseus acquires a bag of winds as a gift from Aeolus, God of the winds. This bag creates a debacle during their trip home. Odysseus’s crew opens the bag of winds without knowing the truth about what was really inside it.…
As Mario Puzo once said, “the strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other”. This is a significant message that applies to everyday life and in literature. In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, loyalty and trust from others are necessary in order to succeed as shown through the Ithacans, the gods, and Odysseus’ crew. The loyalty of Ithacans to is vital to Odysseus when defeating the suitors and restoring his home.…
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.…
Throughout the story of The Odyssey written by Homer and the novel To Kill a Mockingbird the theme of loyalty can be seen throughout both story lines. In ancient Greek Loyalty could be seen as establishing or having a lifetime friendship. Based on these story lines it can be argued that loyalty is epic, and a loyal person should be considered the hero. Loyalty is a strong feeling of support or allegiance. In the odyssey book 4 Prince Telemachus showed loyalty to his father even at the hands of danger, while in To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus showed loyalty to Tom Robinson even though all odds were against him.…
In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through a twenty year struggle to return back home to Ithaca. Poseidon delayed Odysseus’ homeward return from the Trojan War. Through his long journey to return to his home, his people, and Penelope and Telemachus. Odysseus reveals many virtues and vices, that he struggles with. His men also struggle with vices, which at the end costs them their lives.…