Hubris In Homer's Odyssey

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After defeating the Trojans at Troy, the Greek army began to set sail towards home and in search of their families and their home in which they had not seen in over 10 years. Odysseus and his men are lost and are unable to contact their other ships. This brings Odysseus through another 10-year adventure that brings him all across the world. These adventures teach Odysseus lessons of Hubris as well as respect for the gods. At the end of the book, Odysseus returns to Ithaca as a great wise man. Odysseus’ adventures take him all throughout the land and teach him lessons of hubris and patience.

The reason Odysseus and his men cannot return home starts at the land of the Cyclops’ and home of Poseidon’s son Polyphemus. After the land of the …show more content…
(“Odyssey 10” 4)Circe turns them all to pigs without the knowing of Odysseus. Odysseus goes off looking for the men and while attempting to get to the stone house he is met by Hermes who gives Odysseus the moly plant that allows him to be immune to the drugs that Circe will attempt to give to him. He is also told by Hermes to draw his sword as if he is going to kill her and she will ask him to “bring her to bed”. Circe is forced to turn Odysseus’ men back into human form and asks her if she knows a way home to Ithaca. She tells him that he must speak to the spirit of Tiresias the blind prophet who has died and lives in the land of the dead. They leave the island and lacking wind must row to the …show more content…
Odysseus’ adventures take him all throughout the land and teach him lessons of hubris and patience. First, Odysseus is taken to the land of the Cyclops’ and blinds the son of Poseidon, Polyphemus when they are leaving Odysseus shouts “Odysseus of Ithaca has blinded you” an act of hubris which started his whole journey to get home. After time drifting, he reaches the island of Circe and she turns his men to pigs. Eventually when she frees the men she tells Odysseus to ask Tiresias the Blind prophet who is in the underworld how to get home. While in the underworld they find Elpenor who tells them to leave to Land of the Dead and return to Circe’s island to give him a proper burial and Circe tells them how to get home. After following what Circe tells the men what to do, Odysseus finds himself stranded in the ocean alone for 9 days. After seeing him in the water, Calypso picks him up and brings him to her island. The book The Odyssey teaches us lessons of maturity, hubris and patience all portrayed in Odysseus’
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