Role Of Leadership In The Odyssey

Throughout The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is shown to be an effective leader. When he and his crew landed on the island of the Cyclopes and encountered Polyphemus in his cave, he showed great leadership skills. He saved his crew and put himself at risk to save the lives of his crew. He also took the situation and crafted a plan to save the lives of as many of his men as he could. They departed the island, but the journey soon came to a halt as they encountered the island of Circe. Here, Odysseus takes action to go find his crew and save them from a fate of living as animals, risking his life in the process. In the process of saving them, he becomes trapped under Circe’s spell for 7 years but has to make the choice to leave the blissful paradise
to save his crew and get them all back to Ithaca. After many more trials, Odysseus loses his crew and end up on Ithaca alone. Even without his crew, he shows great leadership skills when he is able to help his son control his emotions, telling him to be patient and wait for the right moment to be angry. This moment came when Odysseus took back his kingdom and slain the suitors who had disgraced his land while he was gone. Throughout this Epic, Odysseus proves that he is an effective leader by putting his crew first and doing what is best for them.