Stories of the Sea

Odysseus is like the sun, sometimes illuminating the sky with streaks of color and light, and sometimes going to sleep, removing the glow from the heavens. Odysseus brings a lot to the table. His consistent loyalty to his men and creative thinking show his virtuous side, a side similar to the way the sun shines bright, giving life and love to all who are lucky enough to witness and encounter its glory. But just when the sun seems as if it will never set, allowing for beautiful light to be a constant guide, it leaves, bringing darkness to the night. Odysseus is the same; one minute he is saving his men from their own stupidity and the next he is acting just as foolish. This realization of Odysseus’ complex traits makes the judgement of his character a little more complicated. Due to this, Homer elegantly crafted and portrayed Odysseus as a round character in a successful manner; however, Odysseus is more virtuous than he is weak or shortsighted.
A key aspect of Odysseus’ character is his clever and cunning mind that makes him so well known and respected. Although one could argue that Odysseus’ deceiving conscious can be perceived as a negative quality, as he has used deception and lies in order to get what he desires, there are times when his guile and trickery are used only for the good of him and his men. For instance, in the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer writes in the perspective of Odysseus, “We felt a pressure in our hearts, in dread/ of that deep rumble and that mighty man./ But all the same I spoke in reply:… ‘We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care/ for the gods’ courtesy; Zeus will avenge/ the unoffending guest’” (Homer 9.278 - 293). This represents the part of the epic poem when Odysseus and his men ventured to the land of the Cyclopes. Odysseus tried first to request firmly of a Cyclopes, named Polyphemus, to treat them as welcome guests and give them proper hospitality, a value of the gods. Polyphemus and Odysseus are considered foils here because Odysseus respects the gods and their laws, and Polyphemus does not. The Cyclopes and the suitors could also be seen as parallels, since they both show no respect for the god’s authority and power. The Cyclops practically laughed in his face at this request, giving them nothing and eating several of the men, which was shown by Homer through imagery and great detail. Since Odysseus had no other choice to get him and his men out of the trapped cave safely, he used his inventive mind to devise a plan of deception and trickery that allowed Odysseus and his crew to escape with few casualties. Although some perceive Odysseus’ lies and deception as something to be considered purely negative, it is clearly not so simple. In this case, Odysseus used his cleverness for good, and without this quality of his, there would be no way for him and his men to exit Polyphemus’ cave, and they would all end up dying.
Guile and craftiness are defining characteristics of Odysseus. There are many incidents where this is a virtuous and good attribute, such as Odysseus’ famous plan to escape the wrath of the Cyclops. However, there is a catch. There is no doubt that Odysseus did what was necessary for survival in concocting his plan, but he ended up taking the victory too far. When sailing away from the land of the Cyclops, Odysseus, caught up with anger, showed arrogance and foolishness by shouting back at Polyphemus, “‘O Kyklops! Would you feast on my companions?/ Puny, am I, in a Caveman’s hands?/ How do you like the beating that we gave you,/ you damned cannibal? Eater of guests/ under your roof! Zeus and the gods have paid you!’” (9.519 - 523). In response, the newly blind Polyphemus throws a rock at Odysseus’ ship, nearly beaching them. As if that were not enough, Odysseus smugly shouts at the Cyclops his real name, where he lives, and what he is known for. He basically gives the Cyclops a step-by-step handbook on how to ruin his life. Odysseus only has himself to blame for his long ordeal of getting home at fault of this act of rash behavior and stupidity. What is interesting about this part of the poem is that Odysseus and his men seem to have switched roles, Odysseus being the reckless one, and the men warning him of the consequences. Again, they are foils for this reason.
Another act of impulsive foolishness that Odysseus creates is not grabbing the Cyclops’ cheeses and stowing them immediately on the ship when Polyphemus briefly left the cave. The men urged Odysseus to do so, especially after learning their lesson that it is best to get out of risky territory as soon as possible. Despite this, Odysseus insisted on staying, even though he knows the risks of negotiating with such an uncivilized being. It did fit with Odysseus’ archetype of bravery and a value of being good guests, yet it was not the smartest move, as it ended up having some of the men killed and forcing him to devise an escape plan. If anything, these characteristics of foolishness, arrogance, and stubbornness remind readers that Odysseus is still human, and therefore bound to make mistakes. He is surely not perfect, and some of his decisions are ill-advised, but he never meant true harm and always stays loyal to his men, as an overall strong and capable leader.
   There is little doubt that Odysseus is a qualified leader, whether or not one perceives his character as virtuous or not. However, not only is he capable and effective, but strong and insightful as well, all characteristics of a good leader. One incident that shows an example of this virtuous leadership is revealed by Menelaos in a story recalling the famous Trojan Horse episode of the war. Odysseus saves everyone from giving themselves away in the Trojan Horse. At the time, Helen, in a trance, was walking around the horse, calling to each man in the voices of their wife. Everyone was urging to speak back, but Odysseus fought the men and ultimately prevented them from giving away their hiding place. This reveals that Odysseus is a strong and steady man who did not fall for the trick, showing restraint. His pure willpower and leadership qualities prevented him and his men from revealing themselves in the key Trojan Horse plan and therefore preventing the Greeks from being defeated and killed. If not for Odysseus and his focus on the mission, the fate of them and the rest of the Greeks would have been completely altered. Another incident that recognizes the wholesome leadership features that Odysseus possesses is when him and his men reach the land of the Lotus Eaters. Three of Odysseus’ men taste the Lotus flower, causing them to lose all hope of home and want to only live out their days eating the addictive flower. In response, Odysseus immediately grabs his men and warns the others of the price you pay for tasting the sweet plant, showed in the epic poem by, “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships,/ tied them down under the rowing benches,/ and called the rest: ‘All hands aboard;/ come, clear the beach and no one taste/ the Lotus, or you lose your hope of home’” (9.105 - 109). This incident shows that Odysseus has a focus on his quest to return home, as well as showing loyalty to his men by grabbing them when he could have easily left them to die on the island of the Lotus Eaters.
Odysseus once again shows himself to be an effective leader of men by comforting his crew when they were frightened of venturing to the monsters of Charybdis and Scylla by telling them that there was so much they have battled and won against already, so they have nothing to be afraid of. He also chose to go toward Scylla rather than Charybdis for the sake of the entire group as a whole, a wise decision of his two options. Odysseus chooses to sail toward Scylla rather than Charybdis so he could save the majority of the men. This is because Charybdis could create whirlpools at any given time, engulfing the entire ship and all of the men, and there was no way to tell at what time. Scylla, although dangerous as well, could only kill six of Odysseus’ men at once. Although their deaths were still terrifying and tragic, it was an executive decision and sacrifice that he has to make for the good of the majority and survival of most. This is a difficult decision that Odysseus is forced to make, and his ability to respond to what is best for the most people truly emphasizes the virtues and strengths that he retains as a leader.
As a leader, Odysseus shows excellent decision making skills and loyalty to his men. However, he is still human, and though his virtues outweigh his vices, he still has his moments of cheap leadership. For instance, Odysseus may have played with danger a little too much when he devises a plan to listen to the Siren’s song. He has his crew tie him up very tight along the mask. He orders them to only tie the rope tighter to silence him if he begs them to untie him while listening to the Siren’s song. He does this so he can listen to the song without being lured into destruction by the Sirens. Although his plan worked, is was a little too risky and could have easily backfired and possibly caused the destruction of the ship or death of Odysseus and his men, who had beeswax in their ears during the song at Odysseus’ request. In addition to this, Odysseus did technically cheat on his wife with Circe and Calypso, even if it may not have been completely his fault, as we are unaware if he was under a trance or not. Despite this, Odysseus definitely loves and misses his home and family, which he supported by saying, “But in my heart I never gave consent./ Where shall a man find sweetness to surpass/ his own home and his parents? In far lands/ he shall not, though he find a house of gold” (9.36-40). Overall, Odysseus wants nothing more than he wants to finally return home and see his family, no matter the riches foreign lands have to offer.
Odysseus is human. So why would one expect perfection from him? He has weaknesses surely and can be shortsighted, but he also contains so many virtues. One cannot call Odysseus all good or all bad, as that would make him a flat character. Odysseus is a round character, complete with flaws that only make him human, but also strong characteristics of leadership and loyalty, as well as intelligence and guile. Due to this roller coaster of qualities represented through the many incidents Odysseus has taken part in during his long journey, Homer has surely succeeded in portraying Odysseus as a round individual. Due to Odysseus’ general intention of doing the best he can in the situation and showing constant loyalty to those around him, his virtues outweigh the vices of his demeanor. All in all, The Odyssey seems to symbolize the journey within everyone, whether in large and significant ways, like that of Odysseus, or in small ways. The sea is a symbol of life and the waves within a sea are the bumps in the road you need to get past in order to return home safely. Sometimes virtues shine through and assist in making good decisions, and other times negative qualities take over and cause mistakes to happen. But because of this, every life has a good story to tell, just as the vast sea has many stories of its own.

Works Cited
Homer, and Robert Fitzgerald. The Odyssey. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1998. Print.