Rise And Fall Of Odysseus In The Odyssey

The Odyssey is considered one of the oldest pieces of literature that we as mankind know; even if it was passed down orally for hundreds of years and we have little to no information about who Homer was or if he even existed. Even with its stylistic writing as well as what in today’s society would be considered as hard to follow structure, the Greeks knew and understood this story by heart, no matter the social or economic status of any one person. This piece tells the story of Odysseus and his ten year struggle to return home to Ithaca, even though most believe him to be dead. While gone, his wife Penelope is courted by suitors in hopes of the riches and title that is held by Odysseus as we watch the rise and fall of and fall of Odysseus’
An example of one of these points is shown when after Odysseus gauges out Polyphemus’s eye and makes it back on the boat, he calls back telling of his name, which ultimately gets him into more problems . Although Odysseus does not want this person “Noman” to get credit for his cunningness, if he had just remained humble silent on who the alias officially was, the journey would have been much easier in the long run instead of what he had roped himself into (9.360). As the story progresses, Odysseus makes choices on a whim and faces consequences of them. This in turn forces him to reflect of his decisions instead of acting on instinct. This is also shown when Odysseus faces the monsters, Scylla and Charybdis, in one of the many obstacles in the trek back to Ithaca. He battles the monsters and ends up losing six of his crew members because he does not think in the interest of others but only in the interest of himself. Without Odysseus being this smug character, he may have made it home within a reasonable time with all men instead of trying to be a hero for no reason at all. This whole battle that Odysseus faces shows the Greeks fascination between being humble yet wanting a character of heroic proportions to match an epic style of writing. The journey, to Greeks, is supposed to teach a protagonist life lessons and reveal where they might falter or strive by seeing the circumstances alone. Without this journey, Odysseus would never have been able to grow and become someone greater than before, and this is accomplished by not only surviving the journey but by showing Penelope the man that he is. By Odysseus learning through the trials and tribulations of the journey home, a growth is seen within him, which more importantly is where the birth of a