What Motivates Odysseus To Tell A Lie To The Cyclops?

The Odyssey: Central Ideas and Character Motivation, Part 2 (Quiz) Flashcards Read the excerpt from The Odyssey.Then,his chores being all dispatched, he caught another brace of men to make his breakfast, and whisked away his great door slab to let his sheep go through—but he, behind,reset the stone as one would cap a quiver.The use of the epic simile in this excerpt helps readers understand that:the Cyclops has eaten another bunch of Odysseus’s men.Odysseus and his men are still trapped inside the cave.the enormous stone is easily and routinely moved by the giant Cyclops.

The Cyclops takes his sheep out to pasture with him in the mornings. Read the excerpt from The Odyssey.Then,his chores being all dispatched, he caught another brace of men to make his breakfast, and whisked away his great door slab to let his sheep go through—but he, behind,reset the stone as one would cap a quiver.What two things are being compared in this epic simile?the door slab to the Cyclops’ sheepthe stone to a quivera brace of men to breakfast the Cyclops’ chores to the men Read the excerpt from The Odyssey.In the next land we found were Cyclopes, giants, louts, without a law to bless them.In ignorance leaving the fruitage of the earth in mysteryto the immortal gods, they neither plownor sow by hand, nor till the ground, though grain— wild wheat and barley—grows untended, andwine-grapes, in clusters, ripen in heaven’s rain.Cyclopes have no muster and no meeting,no consultation or old tribal ways,but each one dwells in his own mountain cave dealing out rough justice to wife and child,indifferent to what the others do.What inference can be made about the Cyclopes?They are hospitable and welcoming to visitors of their homes.They are uncivilized creatures who are potentially dangerous.They will band together against common enemies, if needed.

They value education and sophistication above everything else. Read the excerpt from The Odyssey.Why nottake these cheeses, get them stowed, come back,throw open all the pens, and make a run for it?We’ll drive the kids and lambs aboard. We sayput out again on good salt water!’Ah,how sound that was! Yet I refused.

I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer—no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends.Odysseus ignores his men’s pleas to return to the ship. As a result, they face terrible consequences. How does Odysseus’s decision defy ancient Greek attitudes and values?A great leader makes decisions that are good for him, no matter how they affect his men.A great leader listens to his men and considers their thoughts and opinions.A great leader has great self-control and makes sound decisions.

A great leader takes risks in order to gain more treasure and learn about foreign lands. Read the excerpt from The Odyssey.’AyeHe’ll smash our timbers and our heads together!’I would not heed them in my glorying spirit, but let my anger flare and yelled:’Cyclops,if ever mortal man inquirehow you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!’What motivates Odysseus to reveal his name and put his men in more danger?anger and pridegratitude and reliefweakness and fear joy and excitement Read the excerpt from The Odyssey.’My ship?Poseidon Lord, who sets the earth a-tremble, broke it up on the rocks at your land’s end.

1. A wind from seaward served him, drove us there.
2. We are survivors, these good men and I.’What motivates Odysseus to tell a lie to the Cyclops?Odysseus knows that Poseidon is the Cyclops’ father.Odysseus is afraid the Cyclops will steal their ship.Odysseus does not want to reveal their only means of escape.

Odysseus does not know what has happened to his ship. Read the excerpt from The Odyssey.In a smithyone sees a white-hot axehead or an adze plunged and wrung in a cold tub, screeching steam- the way they make soft iron hale and hard—: just so that eyeball hissed around the spike.The use of the epic simile in this excerpt helps the reader understand:that the Cyclops only has one eye.how brutal Odysseus and his men are.the size of the wooden spear.

how hot the spear actually is. Read the excerpt from The Odyssey.’O Cyclops! 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 guestsunder your roof! Zeus and the gods have paid you!’According to this excerpt, Odysseus:is fearful of the Cyclops.is prideful and overly confident.has been weakened by the Cyclops.

has regrets about staying on the island. : The Odyssey: Central Ideas and Character Motivation, Part 2 (Quiz) Flashcards

What motivates Odysseus to tell a lie to the Cyclops quizlet?

What motivates Odysseus to tell a lie to the Cyclops? Odysseus does not want to reveal their only means of escape.

What motivates Odysseus to reveal his true name to the Cyclops quizlet?

Odysseus is curious about what the Cyclops is like. Odysseus wants to see if the Cyclops will give him anything.

What is Odysseus motivation in The Odyssey?

The Odyssey tells the story of a heroic but far from perfect protagonist who battles many antagonists, including his own inability to heed the gods’ warnings, on his arduous journey home from war. Along the way the poem explores ideas about fate, retribution, and the forces of civilization versus savagery.

While The Odyssey is not told chronologically or from a single perspective, the poem is organized around a single goal: Odysseus’s return to his homeland of Ithaca, where he will defeat the rude suitors camped in his palace and reunite with his loyal wife, Penelope. Odysseus is motivated chiefly by his nostos, or desire for homecoming, a notion in heroic culture that encouraged bravery in war by reminding warriors of the people and institutions they were fighting for back home.

Odysseus’s return represents the transition from life as a warrior on the battlefield back to life as a husband, father, and head of a household. Therefore, Odysseus is ultimately motivated by a desire to reclaim these elements of his identity and once again become the person he was before he left for the Trojan War so many years earlier.

1. The chief conflict in the poem is between Odysseus’s desire to reach home and the forces that keep him from his goal, a conflict that the narrator of the Odyssey spells out in the opening lines.
2. This introductory section, called a proem, appeals to the Muse to inspire the story to follow.
3. Here, the narrator names the subject of the poem—Odysseus—and his objective throughout the poem: “to save his life and bring his comrades home.” The narrator identifies the causes of Odysseus’s struggle to return home, naming both the sun god, Helios, and Odysseus’s fellow sailors themselves as responsible: “The recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the sun and the sun god blotted out the day of their return.” The narrator next identifies Poseidon as one of Odysseus’s main antagonists, as all the gods took pity on Odysseus except Poseidon, who “raged on, seething against the great Odysseus until he reached his native land.” Finally, the proem tells us that the Odyssey will be the story of Odysseus’s successful journey home: “the exile must return!” The inciting action of the story begins with the arrival of Athena in Ithaca, where Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, and wife, Penelope, are frantic about the suitors eating all their food and drinking all their wine.

Athena, disguised as a sailor, tells Telemachus that his father is still alive, and he should set out on a journey to find out what happened him to after the Trojan Wars. Doubtful that Athena is telling the truth, Telemachus nevertheless sets sail, after warning the suitors to leave his mother in peace.

We see Telemachus as doubtful of himself as a leader, but emboldened to take on responsibility and follow in his father’s footsteps as king. The next several books detail Telemachus learning that his father is being held captive on Calypso’s island, and hearing about his father’s bravery during the war as well as the incredible losses he suffered in battle.

As Telemachus was just a baby when his father left, this is the first time he learns anything about his father. He also experiences Greek hospitality as his hosts bathe him in oil, prepare feasts in his honor, and pile him with gifts when it’s time for him to depart.

The rising action of the poem concerns Odysseus, who, after being freed from Calypso’s island by Athena, sets out for home, but is shipwrecked by Poseidon, still angry that Odysseus blinded his son the Cyclops. Odysseus washes up in Phaeacia, where he tells his hosts the story of his long and arduous journey after leaving Troy.

In this speech we see Odysseus’s character as bold, curious, and confident. Everywhere he goes he is eager to find out what the locals are like, wanting to know whether they are “men like us who eat bread,” who will offer Odysseus and his crew the hospitality they prize.

He lingers in the Cyclops’ cave out of curiosity, and makes his men tie him to his mast, rather than plug his ears, because he wants to hear the song of the sirens. He repeatedly ignores Athena’s warnings and angers the gods, and they vow retribution but stop short of killing him, instead promising that they will make his journey home as difficult as possible.

The climax of the poem happens after Odysseus has left Phaeacia and at last returns to Ithaca, where his story merges with Telemachus’s and father and son are reunited to face one final obstacle. They go to the castle with Odysseus disguised as a beggar, echoing his actions during the Trojan Wars and enabling them to test the loyalty and values of their countrymen.

• The suitors abuse Odysseus rather than extending hospitality, essentially sealing their doom and reinforcing the importance of the host-guest relationship in the poem.
• After several suitors fail Penelope’s challenge to shoot an arrow through twelve axe handles, Odysseus strings his bow and accomplishes the feat with ease, proving not only that he is the rightful husband of Penelope, but that he still has his warrior-like strength and agility.

Odysseus and Telemachus kill the suitors and the servants, reconciling Odysseus’s former warrior persona with his current role as husband, father, and king, and confirming Telemachus’s evolution into a brave and decisive leader. In the poem’s falling action Odysseus is reunited with his wife and father, and the poem concludes with Athena erasing the suitors’ parents’ memory of the battle, restoring peace to Ithaca.

How does Odysseus try to convince the Cyclops to spare them?

Why does Telemachus go to Pylos and Sparta? The goddess Athena, disguised as Mentes, advises Telemachus to visit Pylos and Sparta. Athena tells Telemachus that he might hear news of his father, Odysseus. If he doesn’t hear that Odysseus is still alive, Telemachus will know it is time to hold a funeral and assert his status as master of Odysseus’s house and property.

The journey is potentially dangerous. By undertaking the journey, Telemachus shows that he has inherited his father’s courage, and he begins to forge a reputation in his society as a brave and adventurous man. His visits to Nestor and Menelaus require him to tactfully observe the social rules that bind travelers and guests.

This introduces one of The Odyssey ‘s central themes: hospitality and the rules that govern it. Nestor and Menelaus tell Telemachus stories about Odysseus’s achievements in the Trojan War. Menelaus affirms that Telemachus is a worthy son of his famous father: “Good blood runs in you, dear boy.” Menelaus also tells him that his father is alive.

• This encouragement inspires Telemachus, and his experiences as a traveler help him to mature.
• When he returns to Ithaca, he is ready to help Odysseus defeat the suitors.
• How does Odysseus escape Polyphemus? The cyclops Polyphemus traps Odysseus and his men in a cave, behind an enormous rock.
• Only the cyclops is strong enough to move the rock, so Odysseus can’t escape.

Instead, Odysseus hatches a plan. While the cyclops is out with his sheep, Odysseus sharpens a piece of wood into a stake and hardens it in the fire. Next, he gives the cyclops wine to get him drunk, and he tells the cyclops his name is “Nobody.” When the cyclops falls asleep, Odysseus blinds him with the hardened stake.

Polyphemus’ screams summon the other cyclops, but when he shouts “Nobody’s killing me!” they go away again. In the morning, the cyclops must let his sheep out to graze. He feels the sheep as they leave, to make sure his prisoners aren’t escaping too, but Odysseus and his men are clinging to the sheep’s bellies.

Odysseus’s escape from Polyphemus demonstrates his main character trait: a gift for tactics and trickery. It’s significant that Odysseus’s stratagem requires him to conceal his reputation and identify himself as “Nobody.” The Odyssey explores the nature of identity and the tension between a person’s reputation in the world and who he is in his inner life.

1. Why doesn’t the goddess Athena get Odysseus home sooner? The goddess Athena is Odysseus’s patron.
2. She is the goddess of craft and wisdom, so she is fond of the cunning Odysseus: “among mortal men / you’re far the best at tactics, spinning yarns, / and I am famous among the gods for wisdom, / cunning wiles, too.” Athena uses her divine powers to protect Odysseus and to help him get home.

However, the god Poseidon is Odysseus’s sworn enemy, because Odysseus blinded his son, Polyphemus the cyclops. Poseidon is more powerful than Athena, and he has a higher rank amongst the gods. He does everything he can to prevent Odysseus from returning home.

The action of The Odyssey begins when Athena sees her chance to rescue Odysseus from the nymph Calypso while Poseidon’s back is turned. Odysseus’s fate ultimately depends on the status of his patron goddess, suggesting that hierarchy is inescapable in the universe of The Odyssey, Why does Odysseus kill the suitors? Odysseus wants revenge on the suitors.

They have wasted a lot of his wealth, by living at his expense during his absence. More importantly, by taking advantage of his absence, the suitors have insulted Odysseus and damaged his reputation. Odysseus lives by the heroic code of kleos, or fame, which values reputation above everything else.

1. Odysseus is proud of his reputation: “My fame has reached the skies.” He cannot allow the suitors’ insult to his reputation to go unpunished.
2. The suitors make things worse for themselves by mistreating Odysseus when he arrives at his palace disguised as a beggar.
3. In the world of The Odyssey, hosts have an obligation to treat their guests well.

Whenever he can, Odysseus punishes hosts who break this rule. How does Penelope test Odysseus? Penelope has not seen her husband for many years. When Odysseus returns, Penelope doesn’t recognize him and cannot be sure that Odysseus is really who he says he is.

She tests Odysseus by ordering her servant Eurycleia to move their marriage bed. Odysseus gets angry. He explains that he built their bedroom around an ancient olive tree, and used the top of the tree to make their bedpost. He is angry because he believes Penelope must have replaced this bed with a movable one.

His anger, and the fact that he knows the story of the bed, proves his identity. Only Odysseus, Penelope, and one loyal servant have ever seen the bed. Penelope’s determination to test Odysseus shows that she is intelligent and not easily tricked. In this way, she is very like Odysseus.

• Penelope’s test reminds us that the two characters are soulmates.
• Their marriage bed, literally rooted in the soil of Ithaca, is a powerful symbol of the permanence of home in a world where nothing else seems dependable.
• What is happening at the beginning of The Odyssey ? The Odyssey begins with the invocation of the muse, which is a distinct literary characteristic typical of epic poetry.

The first line of the text, “Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns,” invokes one of the nine muses, or goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The poet begins his recitation by calling upon the muse for inspiration in telling Odysseus’s story.

1. Why does Athena help Odysseus so much? Athena helps Odysseus for several reasons.
2. Odysseus is Poseidon’s enemy, having blinded Poseidon’s Cyclops son, Polyphemus, and Athena and Poseidon share a mutual grudge stemming from when they both vied to become the patron saint of Athens.
3. Further, Athena sided with the Greeks during the Trojan War, and Odysseus is a Greek hero.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, Athena has genuine respect and affection for Odysseus. For instance, in her first speech of the poem, she states that her “heart breaks for Odysseus,” and later Nestor recalls how much she “lavished care on brave Odysseus, years ago in the land of Troy.” Why does Nestor invite Telemachus to the feast before knowing his identity? By inviting Telemachus to the feast without knowing who he is, Nestor demonstrates the ancient Greek custom of hospitality known as xenia,

1. This custom dictates that hosts and guests must show mutual respect toward one another, which includes offering food, drink, gifts, and shelter even before the host knows a person’s identity.
2. Only after Telemachus has been provided food and drink does Nestor question the young man: “Now’s the time, now they’ve enjoyed their meal, / to probe our guests and find out who they are.

/ Strangers—friends, who are you?” Homer emphasizes these rituals throughout the poem whenever proper hosts meet strangers. Why does Calypso allow Odysseus to leave her island? Calypso allows Odysseus to leave her island because she understands that, despite Odysseus sleeping with her, his heart longs for his wife and home.

At Athena’s request, Zeus orders Hermes to deliver orders to Calypso stating that “the exile must return.” Zeus even makes Calypso help Odysseus construct a raft to sail home. While Calypso is bitter, pointing out that the gods are “scandalized when goddesses sleep with mortals,” she has no choice but to obey Zeus’s commands.

Five days after Hermes’s visit, Odysseus leaves Calypso’s island. Why does Odysseus sleep with Circe? When Odysseus fails to transform into a pig after drinking Circe’s potion, Circe realizes he must be the famed “man of twists and turns” and invites him into her bed.

1. Odysseus refuses unless she meets his conditions: Circe must turn his men whom she earlier transformed into pigs back into humans, and she must promise never to use her magic to harm him.
2. Once they strike a bargain, Odysseus sleeps with Circe.
3. Odysseus and his men stay on her island for a year, and Odysseus only asks to leave when his men demand it.

Such behavior implies that Odysseus has grown to care for Circe even though his “heart longs to be home.” Why does Odysseus travel to Hades? When Odysseus approaches Circe to ask for help returning home, she tells him that he must first travel to Hades to speak with the ghost of the blind prophet Tiresias.

1. She explains that Tiresias “will tell you the way to go, the stages of your voyage, / how you can cross the swarming sea and reach home at last.” Eager to return to his home and family in Ithaca, Odysseus follows Circe’s detailed instructions to reach Hades, where the souls of the dead dwell.
2. Tiresias provides Odysseus with important information, confirms that Odysseus will reach home to his loyal wife, and foretells of Odysseus’s slaughter of the suitors.

Why does Odysseus fail to reveal his identity to Penelope when they are first reunited? Having been away from home for twenty years, Odyssey doesn’t immediately reveal his identity to Penelope because he needs to ensure that he can trust her and that she remains loyal to him.

Suitors fill his palace, and though Penelope seems to care only for her husband, Odysseus has experienced enough treachery along his journey to know that she could be covering up deceit. While he doesn’t immediately tell her who he is, he does divulge to her, “I am a man who’s had his share of sorrows,” indicating that he wants to protect himself from pain.

Does Penelope really intend to marry one of her suitors? In Book 19, Penelope declares her intention to remarry. She tells Odysseus, when he is disguised as a beggar, that she can no longer avoid it: Her parents are pressuring her, and Telemachus is “galled as squander his estate.” To determine which man she will marry, she devises a contest: Whoever can string Odysseus’s old bow and shoot an arrow through the twelve axes will win her hand.

Eurymachus, the first suitor, can’t even string the bow, let alone shoot it. This fact hints that Penelope, despite her words, may know that shooting the bow cleanly is a near impossible task, a detail that would allow her to avoid choosing a new husband after all. How do Odysseus and Telemachus defeat the suitors? Odysseus and Telemachus face great odds when they take on the 108 suitors vying for Penelope’s hand at the palace.

While Odysseus and Telemachus only have Eumaeus and a servant on their side, they also have a hidden weapon in Athena, disguised as Mentor, who joins them after the fight breaks out. Athena uses words to inspire Odysseus to tap into his ultimate courage and strength, taunting, “Where’s it gone, Odysseus—your power, your fighting heart?,

How can you, bewail the loss of your combat strength in a war with suitors,” and she uses her powers to divert the suitors’ arrows from their mark. Athena only physically engages in the battle once Odysseus and Telemachus have proven their worthiness by fighting with determination. Once Athena enters the battle, armed with her “man-destroying shield of thunder,” the terrified suitors stop fighting and scatter, allowing Odysseus and his men to ruthlessly slaughter them.

Would Odysseus have survived without Athena’s help? While Odysseus may have survived without Athena’s help, the goddess does save him numerous times, and she aids him almost constantly. For example, she surrounds him with a mist that allows him to move through hostile crowds, she makes him look more attractive to appeal to people who can help him, and she actively protects him from the suitors’ arrows.

What lies does Odysseus tell the Cyclops?

Odysseus lies and tells Polyphemus that his boat was shipwrecked off the coast of the island. He does this because he knows that Polyphemus will destroy his boat if he thinks it is sitting out there. That way as soon as they can leave his cave they will board their ships with his ewes and cheese.

What did Odysseus lie about in the Odyssey?

In the proem of Book 1, Homer describes Odysseus as “the man of twists and turns,” an epithet that sets our expectations of the protagonist for the rest of the poem. As “the man of twists and turns,” Odysseus’s shape-shifting allows him to escape death multiple times, but it also defines his identity as a cunning trickster and a storyteller.

1. Most literally, we can understand “twists and turns” as a description of Odysseus’s physical movement across the sea.
2. His miserable experiences at sea are both a punishment devised by Poseidon and a trial that he willingly endures to return home.
3. When we first meet Odysseus in Book 5, we find him at his furthest remove from Ithaca and his former life as a husband, father, warrior.

In a literal “twist of fate,” he can no longer be any of these things, and must play the passive role of Calypso’s consort, separated from his true wife and his son. He longs to correct the turns of fate that landed him in this situation, so he willingly braves the open sea and the anger of Poseidon on a makeshift raft for the chance of rejoining society and regaining his identity as head of his household.

Odysseus can also be called “the man of twists and turns” because of the twists and turns of his mind, a trait that frequently gets him out of dangerous situations. For example, in Book 9 Odysseus tells of his encounter with the Cyclops, a one-eyed monster who transgresses all Greek social norms by murdering nearly all of Odysseus’s men.

To get out of this situation, Odysseus craftily lies to the Cyclops about his identity, saying his name is “Nobody,” and only revealing his true identity once he’s escaped the Cyclops’s cave. He also lies about who he is to Athena, the swineherd Eumaeus, Telemachus, and Penelope, claiming to be a shipwrecked man from Crete who fought in the Trojan War and spent years in Egypt.

1. These deceitful stories allow Odysseus to work his way back into his household and test the suitors and servants’ hospitality.
2. Disguises also let Odysseus test his friends’ and family’s loyalty.
3. As the man from Crete he claims to have met Odysseus in his travels abroad, and by bringing Odysseus up with Eumaeus and Penelope he learns what these characters truly think about him.

Odysseus’s “twists and turns” reflect the motif of storytelling that reappears multiple times in the poem, most notably during Odysseus’s own retelling of his experiences at sea. In Books 9–12 Odysseus himself narrates his adventures to his hosts and audience, the Phaeacians, giving him the epithet “the great teller of tales.” Like the poem itself, the shape of Odysseus’s narrative is not straightforward, but has many twists and turns, starting in the middle and doubling back on itself.

This reinforces the idea that a “twisty” story is more interesting and entertaining than one told straight through, and also enables Odysseus to reference important events more than once. When he finishes his story, he says, “It goes against my grain to repeat a tale told once, and told so clearly.” As well as being a narrative device for Homer to fill in earlier details of the story, the act of storytelling is important for Odysseus to process his experiences before returning home.

For this reason, Scheria acts as a midway point between the fabulous world of the hero’s travels and the real world of his country with all its political and familial conflicts. Through storytelling, Odysseus both confirms and constructs his own identity as father and husband and as tactician and survivor.

Which of the following is a lie that Odysseus tells?

In book 9 of the Odyssey, Odysseus lies about his name. He tells Polyphemus that his name is ”Nobody” so that when Odysseus blinds Polyphemus and Polyphemus calls for help, he says ”Nobody is killing me!”

Why did Odysseus tell the Cyclops a fake name?

Updated: September 6, 2022 The reasons for revealing Odysseus’s name and putting his men in more danger were his anger and pride. As one of the Greek heroes, he paid much attention to the glory and desired to be remembered as a courageous, magnificent, and muscular man who managed to invent and realize a tricky plan.

Detailed answer: Having appeared in the cave, Odysseus did not reveal his real name in the conversation with Polyphemus. Instead of that, he said that his name was Nobody. Later, his wit trick became clear – he intended to prevent Polyphemus from the ability to call for help fruitfully when Odysseus was escaping.

His escaping plan was not less sneaky and tricky too. While trapped in the cave, he was afraid of whether cyclops would eat him and his men. Odysseus managed to prepare a sharp and long club and convinced Polyphemus to drink a great wine amount. Then, during a conversation, the main character betrayed Polyphemus by telling his name as Nobody.

Odysseus claimed: “Cyclops, you asked about my famous name. I’ll tell you. Then you can offer me a gift, as your guest. My name is Nobody. My father and mother, all my other friends— they call me Nobody.” Having got drunk, Polyphemus fell asleep, and Odysseus and his men seized the moment. They used their wooden clubs, which were prepared in advance, to blind Polyphemus.

At this moment, the idea occurred in the main character’s mind. Polyphemus started to cry for help, but the only response he received was: “Well, then, if nobody is hurting you and you’re alone, it must be sickness given by great Zeus, one you can’t escape.

1. So say your prayers to our father, lord Poseidon.” His friends were unable to help him.
2. They thought that Polyphemus was sick and needed some time to rest.
3. Such a reaction allowed Odysseus and his men to escape without any disturbances.
4. They clung to the bottom of the ship, which was on the exit of the cave.

This way, Odysseus’s tricky plan appeared to be successful, and nobody could prevent them from escaping. After the escapade, Odysseus revealed his name to Polyphemus and put his men in more danger. Being furious, Polyphemus desired revenge and caused the storm, which wrecked the ship.

1. This adventure illustrated the traits of Odysseus’s character, such as inventiveness and fearlessness.
2. As for the reasons for such an action, heroes of Greek mythology and epic literature were keen on doughtiness, honor, courage, and moral principles.
3. They never missed an opportunity to demonstrate these traits of character and achieve glory.

This way, the major motives for taking this reckless action were Odysseus’s anger and pride. He wanted Polyphemus to remember who he was defeated by. Looking for an inspiring idea for a paper on Odyssey? Take a look at our Odyssey Essay Topic Ideas & Examples to find the perfect one!

What fake name does Odysseus give the Cyclops?

Ancient Greek origin of the pseudonym – The Homeric hero Odysseus used the pseudonym “Outis” when he was fighting the Cyclops Polyphemus and the monster demanded his name. Odysseus replied instead that the pronoun was his name in order to trick the monster. After Odysseus had put out the monster’s eye, Polyphemus shouted in pain to the other Cyclopes of the island.

When they shouted back, inquiring whether Polyphemus was in danger, he replied that “Nobody” was trying to kill him, so presuming that he was not in any danger, none of them came to his rescue. The story of the Cyclops can be found in the Odyssey, book 9 (in the Cyclopeia ). Use of the name “Nobody” can be found in five different lines of Book 9.

First of all in line 366: “Cyclops, you asked my noble name, and I will tell it; but do you give the stranger’s gift, just as you promised. My name is Nobody. Nobody I am called by mother, father, and by all my comrades.” Then in line 369: So I spoke, and from a ruthless heart he straightway answered: “Nobody I eat up last, after his comrades; all the rest first; and that shall be the stranger’s gift for you.” Then in line 408: Then in his turn from out the cave big Polyphemus answered: “Friends, Nobody is murdering me by craft.

• Force there is none.” But answering him in winged words they said: “If nobody harms you when you are left alone, illness which comes from mighty Zeus you cannot fly.
• But make your prayer to your father, lord Poseidon”.
• In line 455: “Are you sorry because that wicked Nobody brought your master down with drink and blinded him?”.

And in line 460: “I should thus have some revenge for the harm that no-good Nobody has done me”.

What motivates Odysseus the most?

Character Analysis Odysseus – Odysseus is a combination of the self-made, self-assured man and the embodiment of the standards and mores of his culture. He is favored by the gods and respected and admired by the mortals. Even the wrath of Poseidon does not keep him from his homecoming.

He is confident that he represents virtue even when a modern audience might not be so sure. He is also a living series of contradictions, a much more complicated character than we would expect to find in the stereotypical epic hero. We can contrast Odysseus, for example, with the great warrior Achilles in The Iliad,

Achilles himself is not a two-dimensional stereotype. He has a tragic flaw, which can best be identified as hubris (an overbearing arrogance or misguided pride) as one of several distinguishing traits. But Achilles is a simpler character. According to the myth the Homeric Greeks would have known, Achilles was given a choice by the gods to live a short, glorious life full of excitement and heroism or a long, tranquil life with little recognition or fame.

1. Achilles, of course, chose the glorious life; therefore, he achieves a kind of immortality through valor and intense, honest devotion to a cause.
2. Odysseus, in The Odyssey, is much more complicated.
3. He lives by his wiles as well as his courage.
4. He is an intellectual.
5. Often he openly evaluates a situation, demonstrating the logic he employs in making his choices.

When it proves effective, Odysseus lies (even to his own family), cheats, or steals in ways that we would not expect in an epic hero. Although he is self-disciplined (refusing to eat the lotus), his curiosity is sometimes the root of his trouble (as with the Cyclops).

1. He is willing to pay a price for knowledge; for example, he insists on hearing the Sirens’ call, even though to do so, he must have himself excruciatingly strapped to the mast of his ship so that he cannot give in to the temptation.
2. Odysseus can be merciful, as when he spares the bard Phemius, or brutal, as he seems when dealing with the dozen disloyal maidservants.

He creates his own code of conduct through his adventures. He is deeper than Achilles, more contemplative, but still capable of explosive violence; he is almost certainly more interesting. It is easy to see why some critics like to call him the first “modern man.” Victory motivates Odysseus.

1. He wants to return home and live well in Ithaca; as a result, every step along the way is another test, sometimes, another battle.
2. His concern with victory is also cultural, as well as practical.
3. In Homer’s world, where there are no police or justice systems, might usually makes right.
4. The strong prevail.

Odysseus often has only two choices: death or victory. Even when Athena intervenes on his behalf, she often leaves ultimate success or failure up to Odysseus. During the battle with the suitors, for example, she could easily and quickly prevail; but she makes Odysseus earn the victory.

1. Appropriately, Odysseus’ development as a character is complicated.
2. He is, in every way, “the man of twists and turns” (1.1).
3. While he does seem to grow throughout his wanderings, the reader should not look at each event as a one more learning experience for the hero.
4. The Odyssey is not a lesson plan for growth; the episodes are not didactic examples of the importance of prudence or anything else.

When Odysseus left for Troy, he had already established his reputation as a hero. His participation in the war was crucial to the Greeks’ victory. It was he who disguised himself as an old beggar and infiltrated the enemy. As Menelaus tells Telemachus in Book 4, it was Odysseus’ legendary ruse of the Trojan horse that led to the defeat of Troy.

1. Certainly Odysseus does grow in wisdom and judgment throughout his ventures.
2. His self-control while dealing with the suitors’ insults is exemplary and contrasts, for example, with his earlier irresistible urge to announce his name to the Cyclops in Book 9.
3. In other ways, however, he seems slow to learn.

The most notable example being his difficulty in controlling his men. After the victory over the Cicones, Odysseus wisely wants to take the plunder and depart quickly (9.50). His men prefer to stay, leading to a defeat at the hands of reinforcements. When Aeolus grants the Greeks fair winds to Ithaca, Odysseus falls asleep within sight of home, enabling his suspicious, undisciplined crew to open the bag of ill winds and let loose a tempest that blows them off course.

What is The Odyssey main message?

The three most important themes in the Odyssey are hospitality, loyalty, and vengeance. Each of these were important cultural standards held by the Ancient Greeks, oftentimes backed by divine law.

What motivates Odysseus to accept the call?

Why did humans fly to the moon? Why did the chicken really cross the street? Curiosity. Odysseus is a self-assured guy who lives by his wiles as well as his courage. He’s an intellectual; and although he is self-disciplined, his curiosity sometimes gets him into trouble.

Odysseus is also willing to pay a price for knowledge. It is this intellectual curiosity that drives him to hear the Sirens’ song despite the pain he must endure while being tied up to the mast of his ship. If it weren’t for those excruciating straps, he would have been lured to his death. So what was so enticing about the Sirens’ song? They promised gifts of wisdom and knowledge of the future.

Who could resist that?

What reason does Odysseus give for not killing the Cyclops?

Odysseus chooses not to kill the Cyclops at this time because he realizes if he kills the creature, they will still be trapped in the cave. The rock is too big and heavy for the men to move on their own. The Cyclops continues his ritual by eating two more of the men.

What stops Odysseus from killing the Cyclops?

Updated 8 November, 2023 Answer: Odysseus decided not to kill the Cyclops as he was aware that the huge rock blocking the cave’s exit was beyond their capabilities to shift by themselves. Detailed answer: The story of Odysseus begins in Homer’s The Iliad, but his second poem, The Odyssey, recounts the tale of Odysseus’ ten-year journey across the seas in search of the home after the Trojan War.

For strategy and guile, Odysseus was favored by Athena. After their long journey, the main character and his crewmates discovered an island where they decided to relax. They soon discovered a vast cave – the home of the enormous Cyclops – son of Poseidon – which was inhabited by a single family. The crew had no idea who lived in the cave, nor would they have waited outside for him if he did not appear immediately.

Odysseus and his fellow soldiers became the prisoners of the cyclops, he kept them in his cave day and night by rolling a massive boulder in front of the entrance. Every morning the cyclops would roll the boulder away for his sheep to exit the cave and then roll the boulder back.

1. So if Odysseus killed the cyclops in his sleep then they would forever be stuck in the cave, because they didn’t have the strength to roll the boulder away themselves.
2. What Odysseus did instead was blind the cyclops and when the cyclops went to open the boulder for his sheep to go out, he listened for the footsteps of men among the sheep, when he heard non he was satisfied that the prisoners had stayed inside the cave.

However, they held onto the bottom of the sheep and the sheep carried them out of the cave and so they escaped. Did you like this answer?

How does Odysseus trick the Cyclops quizlet?

How does Odysseus trick Polyphemus in order to escape with his men. He tricks Polyphemus by him and his men by hiding under the rams stomachs – three side by side and they’re under their stomachs-. When Polyphemus let’s the rams out, they escape under the rams stomachs.

What was Odysseus biggest mistake in the Cyclops?

Last time on Blogging The Odyssey, Odysseus went to the underworld and a bunch of dead people complained in his general direction. Odysseus has made some mistakes. No one’s saying otherwise. He blinded a Cyclops, he invoked the wrath of Poseidon, and remember that time he got distracted by a sexy sea-witch for an entire year? (Full disclosure, he also stole some cheese.) But by far his biggest mistake was hiring his crew. NBC But now I’m thinking the crew is just as much to blame as Odysseus. Take Eurylochus, for example. At one point in the chapter, this guy says: All ways of dying are hateful to us poor mortals, true, but to die of hunger, starve to death— that’s the worst of all.

Had you asked me to list off all the worst ways to die in ancient Greece, “starvation” would not even have cracked my top fifty. Scylla was pecked to death by an eagle! Medea set Creusa’s dress on fire! And did Eurylochus forget about that little field trip we all took to Cannibal Island? There are upwards of a billion worse ways to die, and a bunch of them happen right here in Book 12: The Cattle of the Sun,

For instance 1. Lured to your death by the song of the Sirens. Odysseus continues on with his story. He tells us that, having returned from the underworld, he and his crew then sailed back to Circe. She promised to tell him how to get home to Ithaca, which was nice of her—the problem is that she gave him way too many instructions.

Sail past the Sirens; hang a left at Charybdis, the giant whirlpool, but watch out for Scylla, the violent sea monster; if you hit the River Styx, you’ve gone too far. I’m the kind of person who needs Google Maps to drive two blocks in any direction, lest I take a wrong turn and wind up in another dimension.

First up: the Sirens. The Sirens are fearsome because they seduce men with their song, falsely promising to give them whatever they want most. Thankfully, nobody in Odysseus’s crew was killed, but if I’m being honest it wasn’t for lack of trying. What Circe said: Well, Odysseus, if you want to hear the Sirens’ song, just have your men stuff their ears full of beeswax and shackle you to the mast of the ship.

• You’ll get to hear the song; they’ll keep rowing no matter what.
• Still a bit of a risk, though, to tell you the truth.
• What Odysseus heard: YOU MUST HEAR THE SONG OF THE SIRENS.
• IT’S A FATE THING, BECAUSE YOU, ODYSSEUS, ARE SPECIAL. Anyway.
• Onto the next.2.
• Crushed to death by self-aware boulders.
• Once they made it past the Sirens, the crew was faced with a choice.

Here’s what Circe had to say on the subject: CIRCE: After the Sirens, you’ll hit a fork in the road, and each option is equally terrible. ODYSSEUS: Okay. CIRCE: So first we’ve got the Clashing Rocks, which are like two big cliffs that smash together whenever anybody tries passing through.

No one’s ever escaped them, actually. It’s a literal death sentence. ODYSSEUS: Wow. Yikes. What’s the second option? CIRCE: You’ll have to navigate the passage between two sea monsters; one is a giant whirlpool and the other has six heads. That one will eat six of your men, but you’ll probably make it through just fine.

ODYSSEUS: So you’re saying we have a choice between everyone dying and only six of us dying. CIRCE: I cannot advise you any further. I cannot tell you which path is better. ODYSSEUS: I can tell you which path is better. Mathematically, one of those is definitely better.

1. CIRCE: Yeah, I guess we’ll never know.3.
2. Swallowed up by a whirlpool.
3. Surprise: Odysseus went with the second option.
4. Charybdis, the whirlpool, was largely a nonissue.
5. They were able to steer clear of her completely.4.
6. Just straight-up EATEN by a sea monster.
7. HOWEVER, they only managed to avoid Charybdis because they were sailing so close to the six-headed Scylla—thus the idiom “between Scylla and Charybdis,” which is a lot like “between a rock and a hard place,” which in this case reads more like “between a rock and a hard place and a place that’s objectively not as hard.” Odysseus attempted to put up a fight, but six of his men were devoured regardless, which is, you know, a shame.5.

Drowning at sea, because you were an IDIOT and you COMPLETELY DESERVED IT. Much as it pains me to say so, Odysseus did all he could to prevent this from happening. Remember that time the prophet Tiresias told Odysseus not to eat the cows of the Sun God, or else everyone would die horribly? Well, Odysseus remembered.

• He explained this to his whole idiot crew.
• In fact, he warned them multiple times.
• Unfortunately, they wound up stranded on the Sun God’s island, and at first things were fine; they made do with their own provisions.
• After a month, however, Eurylochus decided to make this whole “give me sirloin steak or give me death” speech to the rest of the crew, and they slaughtered the cows while Odysseus was sleeping.

Helios, the Sun God, heard what happened and whined about it to Zeus. Zeus was like, “Fine, I’ll take care of it,” and as soon as they set sail, he “hit their racing ship with a white-hot bolt,” and tore it “into splinters.” Everyone drowned, except for Odysseus, who just barely survived. Fox Odysseus has finished telling the tale of what happened to him. Time to get back to our regularly scheduled programming of Man vs. A Bunch of a Lazy Suitors Who Are Eating All of His Food and Lusting After His Wife, Stay tuned! Discussion questions:

What would the song of the Sirens sound like to you? (Mine would be the Lizzie McGuire Movie soundtrack on an eternal loop, but that’s just me.) What is the worst way to die in Greek mythology? I’m partial to “getting the Sphinx’s riddle wrong,” but there’s something to be said for the iron bed of Procrustes. Let’s talk about why both sea monsters are personified as women. This was ancient times, sure, but it kind of makes me think of how hurricanes were namely exclusively after women until 1978.

Looking for the rest of our Blogging the Classics series? Check it out here! For all of Blogging The Odyssey, click here !

What is Odysseus motivation in Book 9?

Unfaithful disloyal Motivated by a desire for an opulent life safe on land rather than a tumultuous existence on the sea, Odysseus decides to live with Circe. His men have to beg him to leave her.

What is Odysseus ambition?

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Cite This Essay Download This essay sample was donated by a student to help the academic community. Papers provided by EduBirdie writers usually outdo students’ samples. Every weakness contains within itself a strength. Odysseus is known for his long journey, attempting to return home after the Trojan War events.

1. He had some challenges to seek vengeance and let his pride get the best out of him.
2. Odysseus has struggled with excessive pride, exaggeration, throughout this narrative.
3. So how do the unique strengths and weaknesses of Odysseus magnify his voyage on the sea? There have been several times in which Odysseus has displayed bravery.

He is always prepared to take action to defend himself and his men. Odysseus states, “Much have I suffered, labored long and hard by now in the waves and wars. Add this to the total—bring the trial on!” Odysseus says these lines when Calypso tells him he’s going to die if he leaves the island.

1. Odysseus is willing to suffer great hardships.
2. Odysseus has also shown intelligence as one of his strengths various times.
3. Another example, Odysseus and his men escaped the sirens by putting beeswax in their ears.
4. He constructed a clever plan to save himself and his crew.
5. One final strength Odysseus demonstrated was ambition.

He intended to return home to his wife, but later discovered that many suitors were surrounding Penelope in his years of being gone. His strength has helped him throughout his voyage by benefiting him when it comes to taking important steps and risks during his journey.

Proper editing and formatting Free revision, title page, and bibliography Flexible prices and money-back guarantee

Place Order However, Odysseus had struggles with weaknesses throughout his journey. Starting with Odysseus’s arrogance, he was given the warning that he should not take the cattle with him on his Helios trip, but he still goes through with it. “Old shipmates, our stores are in the ship’s hold, food and drink; the cattle here are not for our provision, or we pay dearly for it.” Next, Odysseus and his son got revenge on the suitors by killing all of them for disrespecting his household.

• Odysseus and his gallant son charged straight at the front lines, slashing away with swords, with two-edged spears and now, they would have killed them all.” Final weakness Odysseus struggled with is curiosity.
• When Odysseus and his men got on the island of the Cyclops, he wanted to know if the Cyclops were friendly, so he decided to visit them.

This is very similar to the saying “curiosity killed the cat.” Throughout the reading of Odysseus’ acts, we can see how his weaknesses were magnified in his search for home. In conclusion, there have been several times in which Odysseus has displayed strength.

What was Odysseus only desire?

‘Odysseus is only motivated by his desire to return home ‘.

What was Odysseus purpose in life?

As a wayfarer in life, The Odyssey focuses on life’s greater purpose through the fulfillment of destiny, perseverance, and loyalty. These three themes recur continuously throughout Odysseus’ journey, molding life’s greater vision.