Characteristics Of Odysseus: Not A Good Man
Odysseus, King of Ithaca leaves his son, wife, and friends to travel to the Trojan war. After 10 long years at war, it comes time to travel back home to Penelope. Ten long years of being sent places by force, and going places by choice. Being disloyal to the ones he loves, he finally makes it home to run his kingdom again: Twenty years later. Odysseus may seem like a great loyal leader, but in reality he is not. Although Odysseus is a good man by trying hard to get home to Penelope, he is also a not a good man because he stays certain places for unnecessary amounts of times and sleeps with other women.
My first reason why Odysseus is not a good man is because he doesn’t show loyalty towards Penelope. While on his way home to Ithaca and Penelope, Odysseus sleeps with Circe: …show more content…
“Straightaway / she began to swear the oath that I required-never, / she'd never do me harm-and when she'd finished, / then, at last, I mounted Circe’s gorgeous bed… (Homer 10. 383-386). Odysseus not only sleeps with Circe several times but after leaving her, he later returns (Homer 10. 515-520). Circe is not the only one Odysseus sleeps with on his journey home from the Trojan War. He sleeps with Calypso on her island and stays at her place for 7 years (Homer 5. 248-251). While at the Phaeacians, Odysseus gets great hospitality from the princess Nausicaa (Homer 6. 303-312). Odysseus is very flirtatious with her that people suspect that he will be her new husband. Although Odysseus is not a good man for cheating on Penelope several times, he is also not because he tries hard to get home to Penelope. Everyone believes Odysseus is not coming home, “Telemachus answered shrewdly, clearly my father’s journey home is lost forever. / I no longer trust in rumors-rumors from the blue- / nor bother with any prophecy, when mother calls / some wizard into the house to ask him questions” (Homer 1. 470-474). Odysseus is loyal towards Penelope otherwise we would never come home, like stated in this quote. Even though Odysseus is not loyal towards Penelope throughout the book, he also misses her very much and can’t wait to come home and see her (Homer 5. 152-158).
To support my claim again, Odysseus is not a good man because he stays certain places for an unnecessary amount of time. In all he went to twelve places in which were both necessary and unnecessary. The first example is when Odysseus was at Circe's. He could have forced Circe to let him and his crew go, but instead he stayed by choice. In fact, Odysseus comes back to Circe's again after leaving (Homer 12. 1-60). The first time Odysseus was with Circe, He stayed for a whole year, “ and there we sat at ease, / day in, day out, till a year had run its course, / feasting on sides of meat and drafts of heavy wine… / (Homer 10. 514-516). Likewise to Circe, Odysseus stays at Calypso for 7 years (Homer 5. 223-232). The last example is the time spent with the Phaeacians, telling them his whole journey (Homer 13.1-16). Even though Odysseus stays many places for a large amount of time, he is also a good leader of his crew. Odysseus is a smart and strong leader that his crew look up too. For example when he told the cyclops that his name was nobody so that he could save his crew “I will tell you. But you must give me a guest-gift / as you've promised. Nobody-that's my name-nobody- / so my mother and father call me, all my friends” (Homer 9. 409-411).
Odysseus is the King of Ithaca who is not a good leader since he’s been gone for 20 years in all.
Because he’s been away from his family and kingdom for so long everyone thinks he is never coming home “In suffering for that man; / for me in relentless, heartbreaking grief for him, / lost and gone so long now-dead or alive, who knows?(Homer 4. 121-126). This is showing that Odysseus is not a good leader because he left a kingdom who needs a king, without one. Odysseus has been gone at the Trojan War for 10 years (Homer 9. 259-253). Therefore it takes 10 years just to travel home. Odysseus travels many places in which are necessary and unnecessary to go to. If Odysseus didn’t choose to go to many of the places that he did, then his journey may have turned out much different. For example, if he hadn’t bumped into Charybdis and Scylla, he wouldn’t have lost his ships and all of his men (Homer 12. 460-484). Although Odysseus comes home with none of his crew, he still is a king who returns to his kingdom “ I am son of Laertes,known to the world / for every kind of craft-my fame has reached the skies. / Sunny Ithaca is my home” (Homer 9. 21-23). Because he is a king everyone looks up to
him.
What makes a good person good? A good person is someone who stops to question his or her deeds and feels bad for small things such as hurting someone's feelings. Odysseus does not show any traits of questioning or feeling bad for anything he does. Although Odysseus is a good man by trying hard to get home to Penelope, he is also a not a good man because he stays certain places for unnecessary amounts of times and sleeps with other women.
My first reason why Odysseus is not a good man is because he doesn’t show loyalty towards Penelope. While on his way home to Ithaca and Penelope, Odysseus sleeps with Circe: …show more content…
“Straightaway / she began to swear the oath that I required-never, / she'd never do me harm-and when she'd finished, / then, at last, I mounted Circe’s gorgeous bed… (Homer 10. 383-386). Odysseus not only sleeps with Circe several times but after leaving her, he later returns (Homer 10. 515-520). Circe is not the only one Odysseus sleeps with on his journey home from the Trojan War. He sleeps with Calypso on her island and stays at her place for 7 years (Homer 5. 248-251). While at the Phaeacians, Odysseus gets great hospitality from the princess Nausicaa (Homer 6. 303-312). Odysseus is very flirtatious with her that people suspect that he will be her new husband. Although Odysseus is not a good man for cheating on Penelope several times, he is also not because he tries hard to get home to Penelope. Everyone believes Odysseus is not coming home, “Telemachus answered shrewdly, clearly my father’s journey home is lost forever. / I no longer trust in rumors-rumors from the blue- / nor bother with any prophecy, when mother calls / some wizard into the house to ask him questions” (Homer 1. 470-474). Odysseus is loyal towards Penelope otherwise we would never come home, like stated in this quote. Even though Odysseus is not loyal towards Penelope throughout the book, he also misses her very much and can’t wait to come home and see her (Homer 5. 152-158).
To support my claim again, Odysseus is not a good man because he stays certain places for an unnecessary amount of time. In all he went to twelve places in which were both necessary and unnecessary. The first example is when Odysseus was at Circe's. He could have forced Circe to let him and his crew go, but instead he stayed by choice. In fact, Odysseus comes back to Circe's again after leaving (Homer 12. 1-60). The first time Odysseus was with Circe, He stayed for a whole year, “ and there we sat at ease, / day in, day out, till a year had run its course, / feasting on sides of meat and drafts of heavy wine… / (Homer 10. 514-516). Likewise to Circe, Odysseus stays at Calypso for 7 years (Homer 5. 223-232). The last example is the time spent with the Phaeacians, telling them his whole journey (Homer 13.1-16). Even though Odysseus stays many places for a large amount of time, he is also a good leader of his crew. Odysseus is a smart and strong leader that his crew look up too. For example when he told the cyclops that his name was nobody so that he could save his crew “I will tell you. But you must give me a guest-gift / as you've promised. Nobody-that's my name-nobody- / so my mother and father call me, all my friends” (Homer 9. 409-411).
Odysseus is the King of Ithaca who is not a good leader since he’s been gone for 20 years in all.
Because he’s been away from his family and kingdom for so long everyone thinks he is never coming home “In suffering for that man; / for me in relentless, heartbreaking grief for him, / lost and gone so long now-dead or alive, who knows?(Homer 4. 121-126). This is showing that Odysseus is not a good leader because he left a kingdom who needs a king, without one. Odysseus has been gone at the Trojan War for 10 years (Homer 9. 259-253). Therefore it takes 10 years just to travel home. Odysseus travels many places in which are necessary and unnecessary to go to. If Odysseus didn’t choose to go to many of the places that he did, then his journey may have turned out much different. For example, if he hadn’t bumped into Charybdis and Scylla, he wouldn’t have lost his ships and all of his men (Homer 12. 460-484). Although Odysseus comes home with none of his crew, he still is a king who returns to his kingdom “ I am son of Laertes,known to the world / for every kind of craft-my fame has reached the skies. / Sunny Ithaca is my home” (Homer 9. 21-23). Because he is a king everyone looks up to
him.
What makes a good person good? A good person is someone who stops to question his or her deeds and feels bad for small things such as hurting someone's feelings. Odysseus does not show any traits of questioning or feeling bad for anything he does. Although Odysseus is a good man by trying hard to get home to Penelope, he is also a not a good man because he stays certain places for unnecessary amounts of times and sleeps with other women.