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How irrational it is of Odysseus to say to the Cyclops after several men have been eaten, " You ought to be ashamed of yourself; how can you expect people to come see you any more if you treat them in this way?' (Book IX) the Cyclops obviously does not want people to visit him!
Another fault that makes Odysseus an anti-hero and therefore a bad king is how stubbornly prideful he is. An example of this behavior is when he is escaping the island of the Cyclops and decides to jeer at him from the sea and boast by telling him his true name. Odysseus tells that even his men "begged and prayed of me to hold my tongue." (Book IX) Had Odysseus not further taunted the Cyclops, the monster would not have learned Odysseus's real name (and his father's name, and his birthplace!) and therefore called down the wrath of gods upon the ships. Another stubborn behavior of Odysseus is that he refuses to let anyone else steer the ship because he is the captain. Because of this, when they are approaching land, they wind up off course again because he falls asleep at the wheel. "We got so close in that we could see the stubble fires burning, and I, being...
"So stubborn! Scylla's no mortal, no fighting her, no defense" (275)
Odysseus is also far too selfish to be heroic. When his companions were brutally smashed to death by the Cyclops, his thought was not one of mourning but of scheming " some way of taking my revenge and covering myself with glory." (Book IX) He is also selfish because he was keeping all of the riches of the travels for himself, and not sharing them with his crew, even though they had traveled as far and worked as hard, if not harder, than Odysseus himself. In Book X, this comes back to haunt Odysseus when his men realize how unfair that is and accidentally open the sack of Poseidon's wind, causing the ships to go far off course. "What fine prizes he is taking home from Troy, while we, who have traveled just as far as he has, come back with hands as empty as we set out with," think his
In fact, among the strongest arguments in favor of Odysseus being high on the list of heroes in Greece is that when he encountered Hercules in the Underworld, Hercules told him that the two of them are "very similar" (www1.union.edu). If one of the most revered and respected Greek heroes says to Odysseus that they have similarities, that speaks volumes as to Odysseus' position as a hero. Why would Odysseus's
In the traditions of Greek epics, he has not only been a hero in his lifetime, but strengthens his legacy by passing the ability to his son. In addition to accomplishing works of great military valor, Odysseus's character also lends to his heroism. Neither he nor Telemachus exercise their physical abilities for their own sake, or to get praise, but both do it for a very valuable reason. During the
His very defiance of the immortals at almost every turn in the story is evidence of the extreme degree of certainty and even of righteousness that Odysseus carried with him throughout his journey, and this certainty is a strong sign of his heroism. One of Odysseus' most obvious character traits, and one of the primary indicators of the Western ideal of heroism, is his militancy and physical prowess. This is
3. The Hero Telemachus There are numerous features possessed by the Greek heroes. One of these features is their annexation or even relationships with the gods of the time. The characters in the Greek poems are generally simple men with exquisite qualities, but who are just as weak and mortal as all humans. This is also characteristic of Telemachus. He is a courageous man, descended from gods (he is the descendent
Odysseus: The Greek conception of heroism vs. our own The ancient Greek poet Homer's Iliad and Odyssey were considered to be two of the most important works of literature for ancient Greeks to study, particularly during the classical era of Greek civilization. However, for many modern readers, the values embodied by Odysseus are surprisingly self-interested. In modern culture, the conventional conception of a hero is someone like Superman or Luke Skywalker:
Revenge, too, is prominent in all of these works: Beowulf must destroy the monster our of revenge for the havoc on the Kingdom; the Greeks must avenge the kidnapping of Helen and the slights against their lands; the Knight, the Miller and the Wife of Bath all must seek revenge for perceived wrongs. Poems like Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, and the Iliad and Odyssey, especially as oral tradition, frame the journey