The Odyssey Odysseus Journey Essays

The Odyssey Odysseus Journey Essays The Odyssey Odysseus Journey Paper The Odyssey Odysseus Journey Paper Essay Topic: The Odyssey The Odyssey In Homer’s The Odyssey, Great Odysseus, King of Ithaca, struggles to get home to his wife and kingship for over 20 years. During his absence, suitors try taking the throne of King Odysseus and stealing his wife, Penelope. Throughout his journey, Great Odysseus encounters Circe’s island, the island of Calypso, the island of Polyphemus, and Poseidon’s torture at sea, that slow down his journey getting home; but these moments show his heroism. The first island he encounters is home of the goddess, Circe. Odysseus and his men stop at this island in hope for direction to Ithaca. At this island Odysseus’s men are drugged and turn into pigs. Odysseus does not turn into a pig, because of a drug he obtained from Hermes. Circe sees that Odysseus does not turn into a pig and is shocked. Her excitement shows in (10. 362-366); â€Å"I’m wonderstruck- you drank my drugs, you’re not bewitched! Never has any other man withstood my potion, never, once it’s past his lips and he has drunk it down. † Circe respects Odysseus and invites him to sleep with her. Great Odysseus, being the suave man he is, accepts the invitation under the condition of his crewmembers to be turned back into humans. A year passes by and Odysseus’ men decide that it is time to leave Circe and continue on home. Odysseus has been Circe’s lover for that whole year. (10. 517-522), â€Å"But then, when the year was gone and the seasons wheeled by and the months waned the long days came round again, my loyal comrades took me aside and prodded, ‘Captain, this is madness! High time you thought of your own home at last, if it really is your fate to make it back alive and reach your well-built house and native land. † The son of Laertes can be the one to be blamed. He and his crew stayed on this island, because of Odysseus sleeping with the goddess. He does not think about going home right away. He does not use right judgment. Odysseus’ next moment is at Calypso’s island. Calypso is a lustrous goddess and like Circe, she is in love with Odysseus. Great Odysseus once again becomes the lover of this goddess as well. Hermes is sent to Calypso and demands her to let Odysseus leave this island. However, Calypso gets mad at Hermes, because Hermes tells her she can’t lie with a mortal like Odysseus, but the mortals can. Odysseus spends seven years with Calypso on her island. In Book 5, when Odysseus tells Calypso he is leaving soon, one can see that Calypso and Odysseus were lovers, (5. 248-251), â€Å" Even as he spoke the sun set and the darkness swept the earth. And now, withdrawing into cavern’s deep recesses, long in each other’s arms they lost themselves in love. â€Å" Great Odysseus, again is the person to blame for this moment. Sleeping with another goddess extends the journey once more. The last moment is a mixture. Odysseus takes longer to get home by stopping at multiple islands. He stays at different islands, but not for a long time. One of the important islands he stays at, is the island of Polyphemus, the one-eyed monster. The man of twists and turns escapes the island by stabbing Polyphemus in the eye. (9. 559-662) If any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so-say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca! † After leaving the island of Polyphemus, the crew battles Poseidon, who always tries to get rid of Odysseus or make him shipwreck most of the time. Poseidon plays a big part in Odysseus’ long journey. Because of Poseidon, Odysseus and his men had to stop at numerous places. The last place Odysseus visits is Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians. Odysseus is not to be seen as the blame of this event. He shows his hubris by stabbing the Cyclops in the eye in order to escape. The blame in this event is Polyphemus and Poseidon. Polyphemus keeps Odysseus and his crew captive. Poseidon slows Odysseus’ journey by torturing him at sea, by shipwrecking them and making them stop at an island. These examples of Odysseus’ journey show Odysseus’ heroism. Beginning with the battle at Troy, it takes Odysseus a total of 20 years of traveling to finally get home. Odysseus faces an army, gods, and goddesses, and still returns home. He stays alive in a war that has been lasting for 10 years. Great Odysseus is a hero from that war. After the war, Odysseus lives while dealing with the punishments of Poseidon and goddesses, such as Circe and Calypso. His heroism is clearly seen throw his brave actions such as: stabbing Calypso in the eye. The most important event of his heroism being shown is when he does return to Ithaca. This shows that he has overcame his ourney and took back what is his, like a real hero should do. The war Odysseus faces, the gods he’s overcome and the islands he’s gotten away from, is an act of heroism. At the island of Circe, Odysseus struggled to leave under the influence of a goddess. Lustrous Calypso is a goddess who is temptatious and deceiving to the eye, Odysseus shows his strength by getting away fr om the goddess and remembering whom he is completing this journey for. The Odyssey is a legendary story that displays a man completing a journey that readers admire as heroic and extraordinary.