A Character Analysis Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

Analysis of Odysseus
At the heart of every good story is a character that engages the reader. In the case of the Odyssey by Homer, this character is Odysseus. Throughout the epic Odysseus makes several fatal decisions which results in the death of his crew and the length of his journey being extended by several years. However, is all this excusable? Do the aspects of Greek society make his actions forgivable? While the answer is left up to the reader, it is important to scrutinize the character before making any strong judgements.
Odysseus’s biggest crime occurs in Book 10, when he refuses to leave the cave of Poseidon’s cyclops son, Polyphemus. Odysseus later blinds the cyclops after having four of his men eaten and this leads to Odysseus
becoming cursed when he reveals his name to Cyclops. One might ask: Why tell a monster and child of a God your name? Well, the important thing to remember is that in Greek times, there was no easy way to spread one’s name. Odysseus doesn’t simply yell his name to the cyclops, he gives a full epithet and tells Polyphemus to tell everyone who blinded him. “Cyclops — if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so — say Odysseus, raider of cities, gouged out your eye, Laertes' son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (227.558-562) This shows one of Odysseus’s fatal flaws: pride. Over the course of the book Odysseus learns to control his pride, and by the end of the story he shows very powerful self-restraint. “Odysseus was torn ... should he wheel with his staff and beat the scoundrel senseless? — or hoist him by the midriff, split his skull on the rocks? He steeled himself instead, his mind in full control.” (362.257-260) By not attacking the suitor, Odysseus could continue with his plan and prove to the reader that he is capable of learning from his mistakes. If this event were to occur earlier in the book, the story would be much shorter.
Many people are greatly offended by the fact that Odysseus sleeps with other women while his wife has been without a husband for nearly twenty years.
An important fact to remember is that the Odyssey was written at a time where having affairs was often ignored and seen as normal. For example, evidence of such behavior (known as polyamory) can be found in many myths where gods, such as Zeus, sleep with mortals or other gods while married. This is how demigods like Hercules, Helen, and even Odysseus himself were conceived. What’s more, the term polyamory comes from ancient Greek. Moreover, the relationships that Odysseus had were in some ways, understandable. Odysseus was trapped on an island with Calypso for seven years and in that time, he slept with her many times. However, he didn’t enjoy it: “In the nights, true, he'd sleep with her in the arching cave — he had no choice — unwilling lover alongside lover all too willing ... But all his days he'd sit on the rocks and beaches, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish, gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears.” (157.170-175) Obviously, Odysseus doesn’t enjoy being with Calypso and he yearns for home in Ithaca. Prior to being trapped with Calypso, Odysseus spent a year with Circe, a beautiful goddess who turns Odysseus’s men into pigs and later instructs the group on how to get past a set of future obstacles. The fact that Odysseus and his crew stayed a whole year with Circe may seem ______ but it’s
important to remember that they had been fighting in the Trojan war for years prior and had little to no luxuries during the time.
The entire goal of the Odysseus’s journey home was so he could take back his home and reunite with his family.
In the process, he kills the men that took over his home and tried to court Penelope. Many feels that killing the Suitors was unjustified, after all, Odysseus had been gone for nearly twenty years and their crimes weren’t that horrendous. Although Odysseus was gone for ages, the crimes the Suitor had committed did certainly entail their death, especially when considering other mass deaths in the book. For instance, in Book 12, Odysseus’s crew was stuck on Thrinacia, the island of the sun and starving. Their last resort was eating one of Helios’s cattle which later results in the entire crews’ death. “Father Zeus! the rest of you blissful gods who never die — punish them all, that crew of Laertes' son Odysseus — what an outrage! They, they killed my cattle.” (282.406-408) Keep in mind, the entirety of Odysseus’s crew was killed for killing a few cows over a day. For comparison, the suitors were like a disease: “See to your feasting elsewhere, devour your own possessions, house to house by turns. But if you decide he fare is better, richer here, destroying one man's goods and going scot-free, all right then, carve away!” (89.430-434) The suitors spent years devouring Odysseus’s food, wasting his riches, and making his family’s life a living hell. What’s more, the Suitors planned to kill Telemachus; and just like how Odysseus harmed Poseidon’s son, both the Suitors and
Odysseus got what they deserved.
On the surface, the actions of Odysseus seem to be selfish, poorly thought-out, and in some cases, just plain cruel. Upon closer analysis, however, it can be clearly seen that his decisions were justified by either the culture at the time. Whether it be relationships outside marriage, pride, or even murder,