Odysseus' ego is what keeps the story going. His cockiness and extreme self-praise make some of his easier situations much, much worse. Why Odysseus is so sure of himself is a different question, but how his feeling effect different situations twist and turn the plot in many life-threatening ways. An example of this is when Odysseus and his crew are escaping the hands of Polyphemus, the Cyclops. Odysseus' planned has worked to perfection, and him and his crew are in the clear, when Odysseus' ego takes over and he taunts back at the "lawless brute", "so, Cyclops, no weak coward it was whose crew you bent to devour there in your vaulted cave- you with your brute force! Your filthy crimes came down on your head, you shameless cannibal, daring to eat your guests in your own house- so Zeus and the other Gods' have paid you back" (226). Odysseus lack on conscious thinking made Polyphemus flare-up with anger. The Cyclops was so enraged, he took a humongous slab of mountain, and hurled at Odysseus' ship; sending him and his crew backwards toward their death, but every man on the ship (except Odysseus who was giving orders) rowed as hard as they could against the shattering waves, back towards safety. If it wasn't for his crew's efforts, Odysseus, his crew, and his ship, would all have been lunch meat. Odysseus' ego annoys comrades, and pushes his enemies to the max. On many occasions, his life is threatened, but somehow, he escapes it; but Odysseus' self-admiration is what makes the Odyssey.
I agree with everything that you are saying, but what you missed is that his ego in this situation forbids him to return home to his native land. When he is clearly safe from the cyclops, he says, "Cyclops-if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so-say Odysseus, raider of the cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca” (227). Prior to Odysseus saying this, the cyclops does not know anything of his identity and he could easily escape the without any harm or damage. It is his hubris which bans him from returning to Ithaca. After he taunts Polyphemus multiple times, the cyclops shouted out to his father, Poseidon, “Hear me-Poseidon, god of the sea blue mane who rocks the earth! If I really am your son and you claim to be my father-come grant that Odysseus, raider of the cities, Laertes’ son who makes his home Ithaca, never reaches him” (228). Not only is his return to Ithaca suspended, all of his crew die due to his arrogance and selfishness. He is stuck on the Island of Calypso and only is able to leave when the gods grant him permission (without Poseidon’s consent). As Justin said, at numerous occasions he lets his ego get the best of him, which leads to the demise of his crew and the delay of his return to Ithaca.
I agree with the statement that Odysseus’s ego keeps the story going. His ego puts him in the favor of the gods because it gives him his courage, confidence, and intellect. It gives him courage because he believes that he is all powerful for surviving the Trojan War and for surviving his journey home. His ego gives him confidence because really whose ego does not give a person their own strange confidence? His intellect is created through his ego because by him being so courageous, confidant, and powerful he realized that his decisions were the right ones which added intellect because he thought for himself. These three characteristics but especially his intellect is what Athena loves about him. A large negative effect of his ego is that he becomes suspicious of everything which also adds to his intellect. A way that his ego has a positive impact on the story is when he with Circe and says “Mount your bed? Not for all the world. Not until you consent to swear, goddess, a binding oath you’ll never plot some new intrigue against me.” (pg 241) In this situation the over confidant part of his ego shines through and there is a positive affect because he uses his over confidence to bargain for what he needs and for what his men needs to a woman who could very likely kill him.
I agree that there are some benefits of his ego, but I still believe they are strongly outweighed by the negatives. As I previously mentioned in a blog, his crew loses his life as a consequence of his ego. To take it a step further, his ego negatively impacts his native land. His ego forbids him to return to his native land. Odysseus not ruling over Ithaca hurts the city and its economy. The suitors are taking over the palace and there is no to take charge of his situation. Had he not taunted Polyphemus he would not have upset Poseidon and could have easily made it make to his homeland. I do agree that his ego brings him confidence and help him in some aspects of life. It is true that the Gods take favorites and that Athena and him have a great bond. While this is true, it is his ego that makes Poseidon holds a grudge against Odysseus. His ego also puts him in situations that are not needed. When he is in the land of the Cyclops, Odysseus feels compelled to meet the natives. He is too confident in himself and believes that nothing can hurt him. When he is in the cave of Polyphemus, he insists that the crew wait to meet him. It is not necessary to wait and meet Polyphemus. Odysseus does not know how he will be greeted by the Cyclops, and assumes that there is no danger. When Polyphemus sees him, the Cyclops shouts, “Stranger, you must be a fool, stranger, or come from nowhere, telling me to fear the gods, or avoid the wrath! We Cyclops never blink at Zeus and Zeus’s shield of storm and thunder, or any other blessed god- we’ve got more force by far” (220). His ego leads him to believe that he is never in any danger and that he will be treated hospitably by Polyphemus (He has no reason to believe so). Like Alicia said, in some situations his ego can be useful, but in this situation it leads to the death of four of his crewmen. Once he escapes the Cyclops, he still does not fear the one eyed creature and chooses to taunt it. Odysseus taunting the Cyclops leads to a chain of consequences, ultimately suspending his return to Ithaca.
There is another way his ego has impacted this epic. Odysseus' ego has made him believe that every person even if they lived outside of Ithaca should be completely hospitable. While for the most part this is true this also gives him to much confidence which then creates a horrible ending for some of his crew. As it has been said when Odysseus went to the land of the Cyclops he expected them to be completely hospitable and that turns out to not be true. Although there are times when his over confidence in hospitality takes a turn for the better. For example when Odysseus ended up in the hall of King Alcinous and Queen Arete they waited until he had finished eating before Queen Arete said "Stranger, I'll be the first to question you-myself. Who are you? Where are you from? Who gave you the clothes you're wearing now? Didn't you say you reached us roving on the sea?" (pg 187)This is the way of the people in hospitality. This example shows Odysseus' ego because he believed that the Phaeacians would greet him hospitably and this came true.
Odysseus' ego is what keeps the story going. His cockiness and extreme self-praise make some of his easier situations much, much worse. Why Odysseus is so sure of himself is a different question, but how his feeling effect different situations twist and turn the plot in many life-threatening ways. An example of this is when Odysseus and his crew are escaping the hands of Polyphemus, the Cyclops. Odysseus' planned has worked to perfection, and him and his crew are in the clear, when Odysseus' ego takes over and he taunts back at the "lawless brute", "so, Cyclops, no weak coward it was whose crew you bent to devour there in your vaulted cave- you with your brute force! Your filthy crimes came down on your head, you shameless cannibal, daring to eat your guests in your own house- so Zeus and the other Gods' have paid you back" (226). Odysseus lack on conscious thinking made Polyphemus flare-up with anger. The Cyclops was so enraged, he took a humongous slab of mountain, and hurled at Odysseus' ship; sending him and his crew backwards toward their death, but every man on the ship (except Odysseus who was giving orders) rowed as hard as they could against the shattering waves, back towards safety. If it wasn't for his crew's efforts, Odysseus, his crew, and his ship, would all have been lunch meat. Odysseus' ego annoys comrades, and pushes his enemies to the max. On many occasions, his life is threatened, but somehow, he escapes it; but Odysseus' self-admiration is what makes the Odyssey.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that you are saying, but what you missed is that his ego in this situation forbids him to return home to his native land. When he is clearly safe from the cyclops, he says, "Cyclops-if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so-say Odysseus, raider of the cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca” (227). Prior to Odysseus saying this, the cyclops does not know anything of his identity and he could easily escape the without any harm or damage. It is his hubris which bans him from returning to Ithaca. After he taunts Polyphemus multiple times, the cyclops shouted out to his father, Poseidon, “Hear me-Poseidon, god of the sea blue mane who rocks the earth! If I really am your son and you claim to be my father-come grant that Odysseus, raider of the cities, Laertes’ son who makes his home Ithaca, never reaches him” (228). Not only is his return to Ithaca suspended, all of his crew die due to his arrogance and selfishness. He is stuck on the Island of Calypso and only is able to leave when the gods grant him permission (without Poseidon’s consent). As Justin said, at numerous occasions he lets his ego get the best of him, which leads to the demise of his crew and the delay of his return to Ithaca.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement that Odysseus’s ego keeps the story going. His ego puts him in the favor of the gods because it gives him his courage, confidence, and intellect. It gives him courage because he believes that he is all powerful for surviving the Trojan War and for surviving his journey home. His ego gives him confidence because really whose ego does not give a person their own strange confidence? His intellect is created through his ego because by him being so courageous, confidant, and powerful he realized that his decisions were the right ones which added intellect because he thought for himself. These three characteristics but especially his intellect is what Athena loves about him. A large negative effect of his ego is that he becomes suspicious of everything which also adds to his intellect. A way that his ego has a positive impact on the story is when he with Circe and says “Mount your bed? Not for all the world. Not until you consent to swear, goddess, a binding oath you’ll never plot some new intrigue against me.” (pg 241) In this situation the over confidant part of his ego shines through and there is a positive affect because he uses his over confidence to bargain for what he needs and for what his men needs to a woman who could very likely kill him.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are some benefits of his ego, but I still believe they are strongly outweighed by the negatives. As I previously mentioned in a blog, his crew loses his life as a consequence of his ego. To take it a step further, his ego negatively impacts his native land. His ego forbids him to return to his native land. Odysseus not ruling over Ithaca hurts the city and its economy. The suitors are taking over the palace and there is no to take charge of his situation. Had he not taunted Polyphemus he would not have upset Poseidon and could have easily made it make to his homeland. I do agree that his ego brings him confidence and help him in some aspects of life. It is true that the Gods take favorites and that Athena and him have a great bond. While this is true, it is his ego that makes Poseidon holds a grudge against Odysseus. His ego also puts him in situations that are not needed. When he is in the land of the Cyclops, Odysseus feels compelled to meet the natives. He is too confident in himself and believes that nothing can hurt him. When he is in the cave of Polyphemus, he insists that the crew wait to meet him. It is not necessary to wait and meet Polyphemus. Odysseus does not know how he will be greeted by the Cyclops, and assumes that there is no danger. When Polyphemus sees him, the Cyclops shouts, “Stranger, you must be a fool, stranger, or come from nowhere, telling me to fear the gods, or avoid the wrath! We Cyclops never blink at Zeus and Zeus’s shield of storm and thunder, or any other blessed god- we’ve got more force by far” (220). His ego leads him to believe that he is never in any danger and that he will be treated hospitably by Polyphemus (He has no reason to believe so). Like Alicia said, in some situations his ego can be useful, but in this situation it leads to the death of four of his crewmen. Once he escapes the Cyclops, he still does not fear the one eyed creature and chooses to taunt it. Odysseus taunting the Cyclops leads to a chain of consequences, ultimately suspending his return to Ithaca.
ReplyDeleteThere is another way his ego has impacted this epic. Odysseus' ego has made him believe that every person even if they lived outside of Ithaca should be completely hospitable. While for the most part this is true this also gives him to much confidence which then creates a horrible ending for some of his crew. As it has been said when Odysseus went to the land of the Cyclops he expected them to be completely hospitable and that turns out to not be true. Although there are times when his over confidence in hospitality takes a turn for the better. For example when Odysseus ended up in the hall of King Alcinous and Queen Arete they waited until he had finished eating before Queen Arete said "Stranger, I'll be the first to question you-myself. Who are you? Where are you from? Who gave you the clothes you're wearing now? Didn't you say you reached us roving on the sea?" (pg 187)This is the way of the people in hospitality. This example shows Odysseus' ego because he believed that the Phaeacians would greet him hospitably and this came true.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus is a non hero. His ego is a poison, that slowly kills all of crew. I can't believe that he was allowed to get home
ReplyDeleteManav Patel Is Awesome
thx just gonna use that for my essay
ReplyDeletesame this is so helpful
Deletesame haha
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