The Odyssey

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