Epic heroes in many cases are guarded and aided by gods, but posses common qualities and admirable characteristics. Odysseus faces many obstacles and lifethreatening situations but he overcomes them all. Even gods like aeolus follow the laws of hospitality. He despairs to see, however, that waves and sharp rocks separate him from shore. One of odysseus negative characteristics is that he is stubbornly selfish. When odysseus left for troy, he had already established his reputation as a hero. The poet invokes the muse to help him tell the story of odysseus. Thomas english 10 2 october 20 odyssey book 9 lines 288630 c. Odysseus and his men stayed on circes island for a year but grew increasingly restless. The achaeans sail from the land of the cyclopes to the home of aeolus, ruler of the winds.
In book 10 of the odyssey, odysseus is an epic hero according to greek standards. Jul 18, 2017 the odyssey book summary in under five minutes. Odysseus is one of the first greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as his muscle. This is illustrated through multiple uses of literary elements that reveal odysseuss characteristics. Name on characteristic of the epic hero that odysseus play in book 5.
How does odysseus show characteristics of an epic hero. Popular odysseus books meet your next favorite book. Homers epic poem the odyssey tells the story of odysseus, greek hero of the trojan. He is favored by the gods and respected and admired by the mortals. As menelaus tells telemachus in book 4, it was odysseus legendary ruse of the trojan horse that led to the defeat of troy. The odyssey book 10 bookchat by eli maulfair on prezi. Homers epic poem the odyssey tells the story of odysseus, greek. Circe told odysseus to travel to the land of the dead to speak to the prophet tiresias. One quality odysseus demonstrates is determination. Name on characteristic of the epic hero that odysseus play in. Mar 01, 2018 odysseus is a great hero from the perspective of homer.
On the greek side, odysseus and diomedes go out to spy on the trojans. How does the character of eurylochus serve as a foil to odysseus in book 10. Even the wrath of poseidon does not keep him from his homecoming. During this time elpenor, one of the men, died in a drunken fall from circes roof. Holt literature textbook 9th grade unit 11 the odyssey. Some characteristics of an archetypal hero are supernatural help, leaving on a journey in which the hero proves himself, a fatal flaw, and they are sometimes honored after death. Odysseus as a hero in the odyssey michael b medium. Popular odysseus books showing 4 of 34 the odyssey paperback by. Even though he is married he sleeps with the goddess kalypso i know, such a sacrifice he leaves this beautiful island on a rickety raft only to be near drowned by a pissed off poseidon. In book 5, the plot jumps to calypso and odysseus on ogygia, calypsos island. Odysseus woke and watched in despair as the winds blew them back out to sea and then to aeoluss island. Having escaped the cyclops, odysseus and his men arrive at the home of aeolus.
It is a good plan, and odysseus is very cunning in his execution of it. Odysseus displays several characteristics when he becomes trapped in polyphemus home. Odysseus doest mention scylla the six headed monster that resembles the hydra because the crew would panic. Book 10 of the iliad follows the nighttime spying exploits of the greeks and the trojans. He even goes as far as to stab polyphemus in the eye to blind him. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the odyssey, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Upon leaving the aeolian island, odysseus was given an ox hide sack by aeolus, the god of the winds. Odysseus is the epic hero in book 5 because he never forgets his goal, to get home. The setting is grand in scope, covering nations, the world, or. He is also a convincing, articulate speaker and can win over or manipulate his audience with ease.
In the definetion of an epic hero, super natural powers are mentioned. Odysseus is characterized for a great many things, the most well known of which was his interlect and wisdom. Laney hutchings 10 1815 dottarar period 5 characteristics of odysseus nowadays, most people think of a hero as a mentallyphysically strong person with superpowers and the ability to save people. These qualities contribute to the popular image of odysseus as a leader of men and a homeric hero. Another example of how the crew delayed odysseus journey to ithaca is given in book 10. The odyssey and the heros journey by gregory smith on prezi. They landed next at the island of aeolus the godmade king of the winds. There was a little confusion for me in the beginning around 320 330. I will categorize what i know, starting with his physical charicteristi. He kept odysseus a month to hear the entire story of his journey. The odyssey begins near the end of odysseus journey, which began with his ships flight from the shores of troy. The mens next stop was the aeolian island, home to the god of the winds.
Years after the end of the trojan war, the greek hero odysseus still hasnt come home to ithaka. His participation in the war was crucial to the greeks victory. Odysseus fought among the other greek heroes at troy and now struggles to return to his kingdom in ithaca. Odysseus, son of laertes, always came outranked everyone and could never be beaten.
We learn that poseidon, god of the sea, holds a grudge though we dont know exactly why against odysseus and is making the guys voyage home a pretty difficult one. The odyssey by homer book 10 summary and analysis youtube. Characteristics of odysseus from the book odyssey 123. At the beginning of the book, odysseus has already met calypso. Odysseus, the main character of the odyssey by homer, fits the mold of an epic hero because he is courageous, persistent, and odysseus courage exemplifies that characteristics of an epic hero.
In this lesson, you learned about all of the characteristics of an epic hero. In book 9, odysseus arrives at the land of the cyclopes. Even though odysseus has undesirable characteristics, readers can view him as a hero. Through his decisions in these specific events, he proves that he is a good, but not perfect, leader.
They stayed with aeolus for a month, and his parting gift to odysseus was a sack holding the winds. Although the power of persuasion was one of his strongest skills, he displayed additional leadership skills when he took the 10year journey back to his homeland. Odysseuss actions throughout the book demonstrate the traits that make him a good leader. However, his most important characteristic is his intelligence. His most distinguishing trait, however, is his sharp intellect. Odysseus cliffsnotes study guides book summaries, test.
Aeolus presents odysseus with a bag containing all of the winds, and he stirs up a westerly wind to guide odysseus and his crew home. Homer portrays odysseus as someone who is heroic but also relatable to readers. The events that set his wanderings in motion become clear as the story progresses. Powerful diction page 230 lines 35 a great floating island it was, and round it all huge ramparts rise of indestructible bronze and sheer rock cliffs shoot up from the sea to sky the quote adds to the overall passage by showing just how magnificent the aeolian island is.
Odysseus has the defining character traits of a homeric leader. Dec 04, 2011 50 thoughts on week of 124 the odyssey book 9 nick k 4 december 5, 2011 at 3. What are 3 examples of times when odysseus demonstrated epic. Odysseus has numerous admirable character traits, but the three that are often used to define him are his courage, intelligence and sensitivity. He has all the qualities that make up someone like herakles or agamemnon. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Laney hutchings 101815 dottarar period 5 characteristics of odysseus nowadays, most people think of a hero as a mentallyphysically strong person with superpowers and the ability to save people. Odysseus is described as a powerful warrior with steely muscles. Odysseus takes on a largerthanlife quality in the story. Circe, the grace of the witch eventually, odysseus and his men arrive keep track of the events. Book 1 book 2 book 3 book 4 book 5 book 6 book 7 book 8 book 9 book 10 book 11 book 12 book book 14 book 15 book 16 book 17 book 18 book 19 book 20 book 21 book 22 book 23 book 24 themes all themes fate, the gods, and free will piety, customs, and justice cunning, disguise, and selfrestraint memory and grief glory and honor.
You then were given information about odysseus strengths and weaknesses. Why should odysseus avoid stealing helios fine cattle. Although the power of persuasion was one of his strongest skills, he displayed additional leadership skills when he took the 10 year journey back to his homeland. He is a fascinating character with various dimensions. Odysseuss quick thinking helps him out of some very tough situations, as when he escapes from the cave of the cyclops in book 9, or when he hides his slaughter of the suitors by having his minstrel strike up a wedding tune in book 23. He is a legendary figure with more than the usual amount of brains and muscle. On the greek side, odysseus and diomedes go out to spy on the trojans, who are camped out nearby.
During the battle of troy, odysseus showcased his leadership skills when he convinced the others to give him achilles battle armor and move forward with the trojan horse idea. Stay connected to your students with prezi video, now in microsoft teams. Leadership qualities of odysseus throughout the book free. Odysseus is the husband of queen penelope and the father of prince telemachus. Aeolus freed the west wind to blow odysseuss ship toward home, the men sailed for nine days, and on the tenth they caught sight of ithacas shores. Name on characteristic of the epic hero that odysseus play. The first is during the adventure with the cyclops in book 9.
Odysseus is a good leader because he is clever, brave, and he cares about the men whom he leads. First, his decision to send men to scout out kirkes house was one of pleasure, not conquest. Eager to move on, odysseus receives an oxskin pouch from aeolus. Odysseus demonstrates heroic qualities in book eight when he attends the phaeacian assembly at alcinouss court.
Though most of circes fame derives from her short encounter with odysseus in book 10 of the odyssey, millers novel covers a longer and more complex life. Nov 11, 2010 epic heroes in many cases are guarded and aided by gods, but posses common qualities and admirable characteristics. Homer lets us know right away that odysseus is being held as a willing sex captive on the island of the goddess kalypso. Though a strong and courageous warrior, he is most renowned for his cunning. Odysseus is a combination of the selfmade, selfassured man and the embodiment of the standards and mores of his culture.
Odysseus is a great hero from the perspective of homer. It was he who disguised himself as an old beggar and infiltrated the enemy. He is confident that he represents virtue even when a modern audience might not be so sure. Odysseus defining character traits, such as nobility, courage, thirst for the glory and the appealing confidence in his authority dominated the storyline throughout. Characters are beings of national importance and historical or legendary significance. Summary and analysis book 10 the bewitching queen of aeaea. In return for the tale, he gave them a bag of storm winds with the promise that they would swiftly arrive at ithaca. How did odysseus display the characteristics of a hero in. Nov 30, 2009 66 thoughts on question wk of 1 the odyssey book 10 david spehar 4th hour december 9, 2009 at 10. How did odysseus display the characteristics of a hero in the. Odysseus floats for two nights and two days, and at the dawn of the third day he spots land. Odysseus reveals another flaw in book 10 that compounds his hubrispoor.
Having escaped the cyclops, odysseus and his men arrive at the home of aeolus, master of the winds, where they are greeted warmly and hosted for a month. He is a supremely selfconfident leader who is used to being in charge, and he has a strong sense of selfworth. A wave throws him against the rocks, but athena inspires him with the strength to cling hard to one of the reefs. Tricked by the gods in book 10, circe, the grace of the witch, epic blog is a characteristic of an. In book 10, circe, the grace of the witch, epic hero, vast traveler, characteristics are. In the odyssey by homer, odysseus shows many traits of an archetypal hero. In it are captured all the winds that might drive the ships off. Odysseuss quick thinking helps him out of some very tough situations, as when he escapes from the cave of the cyclops in book 9, or. Further, odysseus bravely goes to the underworld to find the prophet, teiresias, who can tell him and his crew how to get home.
In what ways has polyphemus prayer to poseidon remember book 9. Why doesnt odysseus inform his men about the dangers of scylla and charybdis. Odysseus from the book, odyssey, represents a hero through his intelligence, slightly foolishness, and bravery. What is a negative characteristic of odysseus, other than. Infer what characteristics odysseuss response to circes advice reveals about him. This resulted in the ciccones doing exactly as odysseus had predicted, causing a shameful defeat and death of many of odysseus crew members.
829 234 976 1570 1307 873 910 1079 756 1479 784 811 95 1346 1211 712 849 237 1146 1111 1664 160 795 1514 553 923 636 1472 181 1416 598