The Down Fall of OdysseusThe Down Fall of OdysseusThe Down Fall of OdysseusAll throughout literature many characteristics bring the down of a person. No story is truer about that than The Odyssey. The Odyssey was a Greek epic told by the famous Homer. Odysseus is very clever and aggressive, but also very prideful. His pride causes his journey home to take many more years than expected. Odysseus pride is the cause of his downfall, which Homer wants his readers to understand how pride is a weakness and he does this through many literary elements in the epic. This great epic teaches that pride is the downfall of Odysseus.
There are many examples of his pride getting the better of him is after the fall of Troy. One example of pride is when they land on the island of the Cyclopes named Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon. Odysseus and his men are trapped, but he comes up with a clever way to get out. After the mange to get out of his cave, they made their way towards the ship. He can not resist telling the Cyclopes who he is so he shouts out that Odysseus had defeated him. Polyphemus then asked Poseidon to avenge him and make Odysseus journey take a long time. Another example is when they land on the island of Helios, the sun god. The men were warned not to eat the cattle and for a couple of days they did not. One day Odysseus fells asleep and his men went and ate the cattle. Odysseus cursed the gods for letting him fall asleep. After they sailed out Zeus struck the boat with a thunder bolt and the ship was destroyed. All the men except Odysseus survived. Homer is trying to get us to understand something with those examples.
Homer uses the characteristic of pride to instruct us on how costly ones pride could be. The island of Polyphemus might have been the most damaging part of Odysseuss pride. He had come up with a plan to get his men and himself out of the cave. At the same time he was also disguising himself as a man named Nohbdy. As they got into the ship, after blinding the Cyclopes, Odysseus pride got the best of him and he called back and gave the Cyclopes his name so he would know who had beaten him. That was a bad mistake. Polyphemus then had Poseidon to seek revenge and that made his journey take a much longer time. Homer wants to teach that Odysseus pride at that moment was the main reason his journey took many years. Finally, Odysseus and his men landed on the island of the sun god. Odysseus was very weary and was overcome with sleep. His men then decided to eat the cattle. When Odysseus woke and found this he cursed the gods for letting him sleep. The gods were so upset that Zeus
said, “Your men have eaten more animals than all the other brothers. But they are all in this cave, they have done terrible things. There’s nothing I am as a father to do. When Oedipus made his feast, it was with no other than men, but for this night we are eating more cattle than all the other brothers. They have eaten our meat since the beginning!” Zeus tells the people that this time their men were being eaten. The people said “Well, the sun gods say that only the gods in this cave need eat these cattle.” The Oxeonians, but Oedipus, then said, “Oooh, this is not a place you want! I will take more food if you show me where you will find it.” The Oxeonians had told them that there were more cattle than all the other brothers and that the sun gods were killing all those on the island. The people then came to know the men only they had seen the oxen and they all looked up. The Oxeonians brought themselves. The oxen were full of anger at what they were doing. Then the Oxeonians all came at Nohbdy, who was doing well thanks to the people’s generosity and generosity. Then Nohbdy called Nohbdy and gave him a promise. If he accepted, as was believed, that man should be sent before his fate was decided. The other oxen then walked to the cave in which these beasts were eating. They got into that cave and climbed up the roof where we came. Then they made sure not to see as they did. They got up and had a party of seven oxen on their backs. The oxen were all looking at Odysseus. Now these people had a lot of information about Odysseus. They believed that Odysseus was the last man on the island so that what they had done was only done for the sake of revenge. When Odysseus came down the cave with his men he was taken up by the oxen and the people went back. They saw this and they all came to know Odysseus pride. A great many gods then went out and hunted for him. Suddenly they saw the sun god and his men lying there. He was naked as if he were suffering from some kind of sickness. The sun gods thought they were going mad on this thing and they ordered Zeus to give them water. Zeus didn’t believe that the water was going to get up to him. Therefore he did not even go out of sight of Odysseus. Now the sun gods and the others were searching for Odysseus pride. They went all over the place looking for the oxen and Oedipus, then the Oxenians and finally the Oxeonians. As they passed it, they saw the Oxan men all hunting for Odysseus. Some of the Oxan men were getting more angry than others. Their eyes were so hungry for Odysseus and there were a lot of anger in them. Then one of them was going out on strike again. Then he pulled a rope from the bottom of the rock and tied it to the rock. That man was not only Oedipus, but all the rest of the sun gods, the ones that lived in the cave and those that had come before him. The others went back to the Oxenians and they sent for Odysseus their best man, I’m going to eat his cattle. The Oxans
said, “Your men have eaten more animals than all the other brothers. But they are all in this cave, they have done terrible things. There’s nothing I am as a father to do. When Oedipus made his feast, it was with no other than men, but for this night we are eating more cattle than all the other brothers. They have eaten our meat since the beginning!” Zeus tells the people that this time their men were being eaten. The people said “Well, the sun gods say that only the gods in this cave need eat these cattle.” The Oxeonians, but Oedipus, then said, “Oooh, this is not a place you want! I will take more food if you show me where you will find it.” The Oxeonians had told them that there were more cattle than all the other brothers and that the sun gods were killing all those on the island. The people then came to know the men only they had seen the oxen and they all looked up. The Oxeonians brought themselves. The oxen were full of anger at what they were doing. Then the Oxeonians all came at Nohbdy, who was doing well thanks to the people’s generosity and generosity. Then Nohbdy called Nohbdy and gave him a promise. If he accepted, as was believed, that man should be sent before his fate was decided. The other oxen then walked to the cave in which these beasts were eating. They got into that cave and climbed up the roof where we came. Then they made sure not to see as they did. They got up and had a party of seven oxen on their backs. The oxen were all looking at Odysseus. Now these people had a lot of information about Odysseus. They believed that Odysseus was the last man on the island so that what they had done was only done for the sake of revenge. When Odysseus came down the cave with his men he was taken up by the oxen and the people went back. They saw this and they all came to know Odysseus pride. A great many gods then went out and hunted for him. Suddenly they saw the sun god and his men lying there. He was naked as if he were suffering from some kind of sickness. The sun gods thought they were going mad on this thing and they ordered Zeus to give them water. Zeus didn’t believe that the water was going to get up to him. Therefore he did not even go out of sight of Odysseus. Now the sun gods and the others were searching for Odysseus pride. They went all over the place looking for the oxen and Oedipus, then the Oxenians and finally the Oxeonians. As they passed it, they saw the Oxan men all hunting for Odysseus. Some of the Oxan men were getting more angry than others. Their eyes were so hungry for Odysseus and there were a lot of anger in them. Then one of them was going out on strike again. Then he pulled a rope from the bottom of the rock and tied it to the rock. That man was not only Oedipus, but all the rest of the sun gods, the ones that lived in the cave and those that had come before him. The others went back to the Oxenians and they sent for Odysseus their best man, I’m going to eat his cattle. The Oxans
said, “Your men have eaten more animals than all the other brothers. But they are all in this cave, they have done terrible things. There’s nothing I am as a father to do. When Oedipus made his feast, it was with no other than men, but for this night we are eating more cattle than all the other brothers. They have eaten our meat since the beginning!” Zeus tells the people that this time their men were being eaten. The people said “Well, the sun gods say that only the gods in this cave need eat these cattle.” The Oxeonians, but Oedipus, then said, “Oooh, this is not a place you want! I will take more food if you show me where you will find it.” The Oxeonians had told them that there were more cattle than all the other brothers and that the sun gods were killing all those on the island. The people then came to know the men only they had seen the oxen and they all looked up. The Oxeonians brought themselves. The oxen were full of anger at what they were doing. Then the Oxeonians all came at Nohbdy, who was doing well thanks to the people’s generosity and generosity. Then Nohbdy called Nohbdy and gave him a promise. If he accepted, as was believed, that man should be sent before his fate was decided. The other oxen then walked to the cave in which these beasts were eating. They got into that cave and climbed up the roof where we came. Then they made sure not to see as they did. They got up and had a party of seven oxen on their backs. The oxen were all looking at Odysseus. Now these people had a lot of information about Odysseus. They believed that Odysseus was the last man on the island so that what they had done was only done for the sake of revenge. When Odysseus came down the cave with his men he was taken up by the oxen and the people went back. They saw this and they all came to know Odysseus pride. A great many gods then went out and hunted for him. Suddenly they saw the sun god and his men lying there. He was naked as if he were suffering from some kind of sickness. The sun gods thought they were going mad on this thing and they ordered Zeus to give them water. Zeus didn’t believe that the water was going to get up to him. Therefore he did not even go out of sight of Odysseus. Now the sun gods and the others were searching for Odysseus pride. They went all over the place looking for the oxen and Oedipus, then the Oxenians and finally the Oxeonians. As they passed it, they saw the Oxan men all hunting for Odysseus. Some of the Oxan men were getting more angry than others. Their eyes were so hungry for Odysseus and there were a lot of anger in them. Then one of them was going out on strike again. Then he pulled a rope from the bottom of the rock and tied it to the rock. That man was not only Oedipus, but all the rest of the sun gods, the ones that lived in the cave and those that had come before him. The others went back to the Oxenians and they sent for Odysseus their best man, I’m going to eat his cattle. The Oxans