Odysseus Pride

Words: 642
Pages: 3

Why do we like relatable superheroes so much? While it's nice to view the courageous side of a superhero who is constantly fighting villains and doing justice. A hero that we can relate to makes it more real to us and connects us more; that is exactly what we find in the book of the Odyssey. In the Iliad, we see the “warrior” side of Odysseus and how he slayed his enemies, however in the Odyssey, we learn the personal struggles Odysseus goes through, especially his ego and pride. Lets learn a bit about how Odysseus takes on that hubris and becomes a better hero.

In book 9 he tells the Phoenicians how he poked the Cyclops in his eye. However, just as he was getting away, his pride in revealing himself resulted in all of his crew dying and him getting stuck in Ogygia for seven years. “That's what they said. But my warrior spirit did not listen. So, anger in my heart, I yelled again:‘Cyclops, if any mortal human being asks about the injury that blinded you, say your eye was burned out by Odysseus, sacker of cities, Laertes’s son, a man from Ithaca”. This resulted in Polyphemus saying a prayer to Poseidon, requesting he never come back home. And what does this result in? All of Odysseus Troops die and he gets stuck in Ogygia for 7 years. Another example of this is when Aiolis gave him a bag of winds as gratitude, he didn't tell his men on his ship
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For example, he takes on the adventure Athena gave him to find his father and to prove himself. Going from Ithaca to Pylos and then Sparta to go talk to kings and noblemen, all while having to deal with dozens of suitors who mistreated him every day. Telemachus surely demonstrates strength and courage. In contrast to Odysseus, whose confidence is well developed, Telemachus learns throughout the book to develop that confidence and speak up to the