Introduces Odysseus
The Odyssey, one of the most well known epic stories Introduces Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. This story demonstrates Odysseus’s physical and intellectual strength. Striving to return home after 20 years of his treacherous journey, he uses strength, skill, and superior ability to overcome his troubles. Although he faced numerous obstacles and fought many battles, he made it appoint to get home to his kingdom through his physical ability, intellectual insight, and overcoming his epic flaw. In the beginning of The Odyssey, Odysseus describes his homeland Ithaca and states “A rocky island, good for a boys training”.
By saying this he makes it clear that he is proud of where he had grown up and that he had trained there. This introduces the physical prowess. He had been trained as a young boy to fight and carried that on with him as he grew up. Early on in the story he immediately shows his physical strength. The first story, Sailing from Troy, demonstrates this clearly when Odysseus states, “I stormed in that place and killed the men who fought. Plunder we took, and we enslaved the women to make a division, equal shares to all-…” (Homer, Lines 43-45). In the battle of Troy he and his army had won, obviously giving him experience and strength in killing.
When he killed the men of Ismarus, it was evident that he had no problem doing so. Odysseus felt like he could take on anything that would come his way, feeling invincible. After they had won, Odysseus shouted to the Gods that nothing they throw at him could bring him down. One of Odysseus’s first encounters with trouble after he shouted to the Gods was the Cyclops. After the Cyclops killed several of Odysseus’s men, he finally came up with a plan of how to kill him. After the Cyclops is passed out, Odysseus plans to take a sharpened pike to its eye.
As Odysseus describes, “ I drew it from the coals and my four fellows gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops as more than natural force nerved them; straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye, and I leaned on it turning it as a shipwright turns a drill in planking…” (Homer, Lines 329-335). Not only is Odysseus showing physical strength, but so are his men. It clearly took a lot of strength, physically and mentally, to kill the Cyclops. Odysseus’s physical strength continues in the story The Land of the Dead. It takes several people and a lot of strength to get their giant ship going.
In the story it describes the process, “We bore down on the ship at the sea’s edge and launched her on the salt immortal sea, stepping our mast and spar in the black ship…” (Homer, Lines 523-529). In order to get the masts and sails up you had to be very strong, and each time they left a place, they had to do so. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus and his men all display physical prowess in order to return back to Ithaca, but Intellectual prowess also aids them in their return. Odysseus, using his intellectual prowess, is able to outsmart the obstacles he faces and also to make better choices for himself and his crew.
In The Lotus-Eaters Odysseus land on an unknown Island and decides to send some men out and see what the land holds; “Then I sent out two picked men and a runner to learn what race of men that island sustained. ” Instead of Odysseus risking his own life, he sends out others instead. This is a smart decision because he has no clue what is on the island and he wants to keep himself safe. In The Cyclops Odysseus had come prepared for anything that could happen, “A wineskin full I brought along, and victuals in a bag, for in my bones I knew some towering brute would be upon us soon-“ (Homer, Lines 153-155).
He knew that they were going to need food and supplies when they arrived on the island, so by using his intellectual prowess, he was prepared. Also in the Cyclops, he says, “We beached there, and I told the crew to stand by and keep watch over the ship; as for myself I took twelve best fighters and went ahead. ” (Homer, Lines 134-137). Wanting to stay safe, Odysseus took his best fighters with him and had the others stay back and watch the ship to be sure nothing happened to it. One of the most difficult obstacles Odysseus faced was overcoming if epic flaw.
Odysseus had excessive pride, or Hubris, which sometimes got him in more trouble than he was already in. For example, in the Cyclops, as Odysseus and his men are leaving after stabbing the Cyclops’ eye, he shouts “Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca. ” Before this, Odysseus had told the Cyclops that his name was “Nohbdy” and could have gotten away without the Cyclops knowing who it really was, but Odysseus had to boast and brag that if anyone were to ask, it was him who blinded the Cyclops.
Also in the beginning of The Odyssey after they had one the Battle of Troy, Odysseus shouted to the Gods that nothing could stop him. By provoking the Gods, he brought his 20 year journey onto himself. But by overcoming this flaw in the end, Odysseus finally returned home. Although he faced all of these battles, Odysseus combined all of his skill to defeat them and got back to Ithaca to reclaim his title as King. He couldn’t have done it on his own, but with the help of his men, using his physical and intellectual prowess, and overcoming his epic flaw, he achieved his goal after 20 years of difficulties.
