Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

The Companions Are the Source of Much Grief for Odysseus. How Far Do You Agree with This Statement?

Good Essays
940 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Companions Are the Source of Much Grief for Odysseus. How Far Do You Agree with This Statement?
The companions are the source of much grief for Odysseus. How far do you agree with this statement?

Odysseus, the strong, courageous, dedicated hero, travelled for miles on end to return to his home land of Ithica and to bring with him the twelve fleet ships carrying his loyal companions. However throughout this epic poem Odysseus’ companions have been the bearers of much grief for Odysseus, in many ways from questioning his leadership to simply dying in battle. And slowly during this epic poem each of his twelve fleet ships has been struck down.

The stories of Odysseus’ companions begin from the very opening of book nine, on the coast of Ismarus home to the Cicones. Odysseus and his men “sacked the place and destroyed its men folk” after taking their women and their vast spoils, Odysseus warned his men to dispatch with haste. But they were not quick minded enough, and a tremendous battle broke out between Odysseus and his men and the Cicones. Seventy two of Odysseus’ men were brutally killed. We can see here that this would cause much grief for Odysseus and his remaining companions, for his men had made it through the battle of Troy and where rejoicing to be returning home to Ithica, now he would have to return to grieving families awaiting their heroes return and for some, now their hero’s would never return. This is a classic example of the kind of grief Odysseus feels throughout the epic poem, because this is how many of his companions have presented Odysseus with grief, through death. Whether it was falling in battle or devoured by a monstrous creature. For instance when, Odysseus and his remaining companions sailed to the island of the Cyclopes, where with twelve companions, he entered the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus. This giant devoured, one after another, six of the companions of Odysseus, and kept Odysseus and his other men as prisoners in his cave. Witnessing their loyal companion’s cannibalistic murders right in front of them Odysseus and his men “wept and raised their hands to Zeus in horror.” This again must have made Odysseus overridden with grief for not only did he watch his men be killed but he was the one that led them to this ferocious one eyed monster. Again he has lost more of his men which means more grieving families; at home in Ithica questioning the Gods for the death of their loved ones.

However, death is not the only way that Odysseus is exposed to grief some of the monsters that Odysseus and his followers encountered would not kill his men but simply make them forget all longing for home, and the nostros that they were feeling. One of these monsters would be the Lotus-eaters, “a race that eat the flowery lotus fruit.” Some of his companions were so much delighted with the taste of this flower that they wanted to remain with the Lotus-eaters and think no more of Ithica. This must have caused much anguish for Odysseus as he did not know how to help his compelled comrades. But being the intelligent and strong hero he is he “used force to bring them back to the hollow ships, and they wept on the way” but once on board he tied them up and continued with his voyage. The sirens also allow men to forget their home for with their beautiful voices would sing bewitching songs to drive these men to their death. Luckily with the help of Circe the sorceress who told Odysseus that if he wanted to hear the sirens song and live that he should allow his men to tie him to the mast of his ship while they covered their ears with softened bees wax and steer the boat onward while Odysseus listened.

Odysseus, in the epic poem has also encountered Companions that have questioned and mistrusted his leadership; this is that of Odysseus’ second in command of Odysseus’ ship during the voyage back to Ithica after the Trojan War his name was Eurylochus. In the Odyssey he is portrayed as an unpleasant, cowardly individual who undermines Odysseus and stirs up trouble. When Odysseus and his men arrive on the island of Aeaea home to Circe Eurylochus is chosen to lead a group of twenty-two men to explore the island. While touring the island they see Circe’s house and all but Eurylochus enters, he himself suspects Circe’s trap and when the men are turned into pigs he runs back to warn Odysseus. Odysseus prepares himself to confront this witch and save his crew however Eurylochus refuses to guide him to Circe’s palace and urges Odysseus to escape and leave the men to their fate. This must have caused an uncountable amount of grief and pain for Odysseus for Eurylochus was his second in command, Odysseus therefore must have trusted this man with his life and thought rather highly of him. Then for him to tell him to abandon his loyal companions who have been there for him since Troy and save himself must have hurt Odysseus a great deal. After Odysseus returns from Circe’s palace having rescued his companions, Eurylochus insults Odysseus and threatens to kill him. Here we see Odysseus being befriended and almost killed by his second in command obviously causing much grief for our brave hero.

Overall I feel that the companions are the source of much grief for our fearless hero. However most of them did not wish to bring grief upon their leader. For most it was simply an unfortunate death leading to Odysseus grieving for the loss of them.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    One characteristic that Odysseus presents is being insensible towards his crew members. An example of this is when Odysseus and his men are trapped in the Cyclopes cave, Odysseus says “Now came the time to toss for it: who ventured along with me? Whose hand could bear to thrust and grind that spike in Cyclops eye” (279). This shows that Odysseus fails to symbolize what his members are feeling. For this reason because Odysseus want to decide who to help him brawl Cyclops with a toss of a coin, he does not show a heroic decision. Each time when Odysseus does something wrong the Gods, particularly Zeus, would give his men troubles on Odysseus’s actions. For example, just after wanting to depart the island, Zeus “disdained the offering: destruction for my ships he had in shore and death for those who sailed them, my companions” (512). This shows Odysseus has disobeyed Zeus; leading him to destruct Odysseus’s ships and men. Proving that Odysseus is endangering his crew members by his absent of feeling towards others. Not only does Odysseus lack feeling, but is untrustworthy to his peers.…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A hero would not be thought of today as thinking of people as less than them. This shows the hubris of Odysseus, another detrimental feature of the King of Ithaca. His ego and pride are a huge flaw in his character which often can also lead to the death of his friends. On the island of the cyclops he would not leave the cave of Polyphemus even though it looked dangerous until he “saw him, saw what gifts he’d give” (Book 9, line 260) and even though it appropriate to arrogantly “set our hands on the cheeses” and “eat the bulk ourselves and [settle] down inside” (Book 9, line 260). This excessive entitlement leads to many of Odysseus’ men being slaughtered by the giant when even a soldier of Odysseus’ had suggested they take the food and leave rather than risking being killed, which Odysseus ignores. Another flaw of Odysseus is his infidelity to Penelope. While she waits loyally for Odysseus to come back he sleeps around with both Circe and Calypso. He makes it sound like he was forced to sleep with Calypso “since the nymph no longer pleased” (Book 5, line 170) but it is in fact shown that he at some time wanted to based on…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus is the one who always went through the struggles of getting his men home, when someone did something they shouldn’t have Odysseus had to pay for it also but he didn’t give up, not even on a few of his men when they did him wrong. An example of what I am trying to say is they were almost back to Ithaca and Odysseus took a nap, well before he went to sleep he told everyone NOT to open the bag, well once he was asleep that’s exactly what they did they opened it and they flew all the way back to the other side.…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel, it is clearly shown how Odysseus got his men into many life threatening situations, for example “Humbly those wolves and lions with mighty paws fawned on our men- who met their yellow eyes and feared them.” (lines 547-549). It really is quite fascinating how Odysseus managed to get all of his men killed from multiple occasions. It seems like he could not learn after numerous failures to save the lives of his men. It it almost sickening to know Odysseus talked about these vicious attacks with no remorse for the event. It is almost as if he could use it to tell another story in his basking of glory at the hands of King Alnicus and the Phaeacians. It most certainly is displeasing to see how Odysseus is celebrated after having all his men killed solely under his responsibility.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a man polytropos, Odysseus undergoes many trials and tribulations on his circuitous return to his homeland of Ithaka. Though physically of stalwart build, Odysseus is known among the Homeric heroes for his mental craftiness and emotional fortitude. It is these prized attributes that enables Odysseus to adapt, coping with impediments to his survival with self-possession and cunning. However, it is also Odysseus’ limitations that cause the exacerbation of his grievous situation. Throughout Odysseus’s time at Troy and his long voyage home, he grows as an individual, learning through these experiences and encounters about human nature and survival, the importance of home and family, and about character and the true meaning of Arete.…

    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Homer’s The Odyssey, the deaths of Odysseus’ men should not be blamed on Odysseus. He made one fatal mistake which costs six lives among his men, but that is all. The men are really at fault for their deaths.…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Odysseus and his men set back out on the sea they came to the coastline of the lotus eaters. Odysseus picked out two men and a runner to go see what the land had sustained. Once Odysseus heard about the lotus flower, whoever eats the flower will want to stay on the island and forget about their home, they offer he drove his three men back to the ship tieing them to a bench on the ship. “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches.”(The Odyssey line 48). Another heroic thing Odysseus did was when they went to the land of the cyclopes. For the first two days odysseus and his men feasted on wine, wild goats, and observed the mainland. On the third day odysseus and his crew go to find out if the cyclopes were friends or foes. Odysseus oarsmen rowed them nearer to the mainland for them to go greet the cyclopes. Odysseus took his 12 best fighting men with him to the cave while the rest guarded the ship. Odysseus brought a goatskin filled with that sweet liquor that Euathens’ son Maron gave him. Odysseus and his men climbed to the cave, but the cyclopes had went afield with his fat…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    So as you can see Odysseus let down a lot of people. For example he let his own mother die. Odysseus even killed innocent people that did no harm to…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    odysseus was a warrior that fought for his land. he built it with his own strength and sweet. every thing he did was for his village and for the future of his family. he didn't like the idea of men coming to his home and disrespecting it.all those men were going crazy while he couldn't come home because poseidon was punishing him. they eat and drank all there food and treated bad the people of the village and the servants.also he didn't like that they didn't listen to what his wife was telling them, she wasn't going to marry no one because she knew he was going to come back.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    calypso questions 1-7

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages

    On pages 157-159, Fagles describes Odysseus to be a more cowardly, pathetic man, than what the Greeks considered him to be. Instead of accepting his fate, and being valiant, he pathetically mourns for himself. “All his days he’s sit on the rocks and beaches, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish”. He is also very rude to Calypso, and is always questioning her as if she may fool him once again.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus is the epitome of honor and virtue for his Ithacan subjects. Odysseus' kind and stalwart leadership is revealed by Eumaios, his faithful swineherd, and Philoitios, his loyal cowherd, who have both remained loyal to him for twenty years. Eumaios praises Odysseus as "A rare fine master." "Indeed I do not mourn so much for them as for him [Odysseus], though I long to see 'em again and my native land, but I do miss Odysseus since he went away. I don't like to speak his name, man, although he is absent, but I call him 'his honour,' even when he is far…

    • 693 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus was called to fight in the Trojan War. Little did he know the gods and fate would make him take the long way home. He almost losses his title as King, his wife Penelope, Telemachus his son and his land. Odysseus is justified in severely killing every last treacherous and decent suitor to get Penelope back, save his son’s life, rid his land of these wooers and return to his throne. Love motivate him to push through all the challenges he faced and do whatever was necessary to protect his…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homer´s Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus, a war hero, and his 10-year voyage back home. After the war ended and Troy was burned down, Odysseus, having offended Poseidon and blinded his son, is set upon his way to Ithaca, his kingdom. For reasons that have not yet been explained, Odysseus ends up at Ogygia, where he is being held prisoner by Calypso, the nymph goddess. In Ithaca, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus wait for his return.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This is why many of my peers find Odysseus’ killing of the suitors and maids to be cruel and unwarranted. Modern readers want a level of pity in their heroes and a value for life. Their reaction can help us see how culture evolved from the time of ancient Greece to a more modern culture using the Romans as a stepping stone between the two. In a way this relates to the subjectivity of Homer. No one ever asks why the suitors or maids are killed in the Odyssey. There is no deep internal struggle within Odysseus over whether or not he should destroy them all or even if his killing was unnecessary. In contrast there was a great struggle within Aeneas as he decided to leave Dido. This level of emotional thought is never touched by Homer. The Odyssey is based on logic not feeling. Logic tells Odysseus that since the suitors and maids have wronged him, they deserve his vengeance. There is no need for explanation of these actions in this time period. The goddess guide in this epic is Athena, the goddess of both wisdom and battle. It is expected that Odysseus will kill the suitors. The entire Odyssey is based around the idea of the “homecoming” (Feeney…

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    What would it take to make Odysseus, the renowned warrior and the pride of all Greece, cry uncontrollably? Surely, he must be put through some sort of extreme physical pain that no other mortal could survive or perhaps he is even forced to watch the horrendous slaughtering of his comrades. But more often than not, it is only mere words and memories, driven on by self-pity, not atrocities committed against his crew, that make Odysseus cry. Instead of acting as a compassionate leader who grieves for his lost friends, Odysseus cries to indulge his own sense of sorrow at his problems, and uses this to gain attention from others. By examining Odysseus' outbreaks of grief, it becomes obvious that his selfishness and pride are at the very heart of the obstacles he has faced on his journey home.…

    • 1475 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays