Key characters: Odysseus

Created by: Smelsa
Created on: 13-04-15 15:46

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Key characters: Odysseus
- External translations
  - the first word in the odyssey is 'andra' meaning 'man.' emphasising the importance of od.
  - the first word used by homer to describe od in the invocation is 'polytropon' - this literally means 'of many turns'
  - Od's multi-faced nature is the first thing homer decides to emphasise. Therefore, od is, above all else, versatile.
- Bravery
  - Defining characteristic of any Homeric hero - including od. his bravery is evident throughout the epic.
  - example: od's reaction when he hears his men are under Circe's spell (10)
    - 'I shall go I have absolutely no choice'
  - he can be recklessly brave, describing circe's instruction not to try to fight Scylla as 'irksome' (12)
  - He is physically brave and strong in the way he kills the suitors (22)
- Eloquence
  - His masterful speech to Nausicaa (6) - he changes him self in her eyes from a naked wretch to a prospective husband.
    - evidence- Nau's response: 'your manners prove that you are no rascal and no fool'
  - By manipulating Calypso's feelings towards him (5) demonstrates his tact and intelligence.
  - lying to Athene for the first time (13) - winning her admiration and approval
- Intelligence, cunning & curiosity
  - The first quality he refers to when reveals his identity to the phaecians is his cleverness (9)
    - evident he regards it a his defining characteristic
    - 'the whole world talks of my stratagems and my fame has reached the heavens'
  - zeuse calls od the 'wisest man alive'
  - Trojan horse was Odysseus' idea (4) - shows his cunning and bravery
  - od's suspicious mind - shown by his response to calypso's good news (5) which comes from his own cunning and long experience
  - he is able to build his own raft (5)
  - He is also witty in his cleverness: when he tells the cyclops his name is 'nobody' the greek word is 'me tis' - which is a pun on the word 'metis' which means 'wisdom' or 'plan'
  - However, his curiosity lands him and his men in trouble. When he insists on finding out who lives in the cave (9)
  - he is proud of his cleverness
    - he says that the cyclops tried to trick him (9) and then says: 'but he could not outwit someone with my knowledge of the world'
  - refers to his own: 'courage, strategy and intelligence' (12) when talking to his men
  - listens to the sirens' song, shows his curiosity
  - Homer calls him: 'a man wise as the Gods are wise'
  - Athena's praise of him (13)
    - 'anyone who met you, even a god, would have to be a consummate trickster to surpass you in subterfuge'
- Endurance/ Self Control
  - he does not fall for Helens voice trick, unlike the other greek leaders in book 4
  - Od says to Calypso (5) 'I have a heart that is inured to suffering and i shall steel it toendure that too'
  - turns down Ino's offer in the storm (5)
    - 'i shall do what i myself think best'
  - doesnt give in to his first impulse
    - but thinks logically when addressing Nausicaa (6)
    - when blinding the cyclops (9)
    - postpones revenge when assulted by Melanthius (17)
    - postpones revenge when Antinous throws a stool at him (17)
  - after failing to reach Ithaca with Aeolu's bag of winds, od wonders weather or not to commit suicide
    - 'I stayed and endured' (10)
  - Od speakes to Tieresias before his mum in the underworld - has to get the job done first (11)
  - stops himself from weepin when, disguised as a beggar, he sees how much Pen. has missed him (19)
- Bad points
  - his curiosity has led him and his men in to danger
    - Polyphemus' cave: 'but though it would have been far better I was not to be perswaded' (9)
    - showing a flaw in his leadership: excessive self-reliance
  - can be impulsive. He shouts his name to the cyclops, who nearly destroys the ship. his men try to stop him (9)
    - 'but my temper was up; their words did not persuade me'
  - Od also lacks self-control in his youth (9): his taunt to Polyphemus that Posiden would not heal his eye, which is cruel and foolish and lands him in trouble.
    - NOTE HOWEVER HE NEVER MAKES THIS MISTAKE AGAIN
  - fails to tell the crew what was in Aeolu's bag. He insists on driving the ship himself (10) which shows his distant relationship with his men
  - guilty of cowardice- when he cuts and runs from the Laestrygonians (10)
    - 'my ship was safe. But that was the end of all the rest' - note how casual od is when describes the loss of 11/12 of his fleet at a stroke.
  - Eurylochus is fair to say: 'it was this mans reckless folly that cost them their lives' about the men who were eaten by the cyclpos (12)
  - od looses control of his men (12)
    - 'Eurlochus, I am one against many and you force my hand'

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Key characters: Odysseus

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