When was odysseus honest

Worried about plagiarism? Read this. Help Login Sign Up. Honesty is the structural beam for a good reputation and for trust. To be trusted you need honesty, and it all comes together in the great circle of our pitiful meaningless lives. Odysseus did not look at that phrase that way; in fact he realizes life as completely the opposite. Although he is self-disciplined refusing to eat the lotus , his curiosity is sometimes the root of his trouble as with the Cyclops.

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. 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. He wants to return home and live well in Ithaca; as a result, every step along the way is another test, sometimes, another battle.

His concern with victory is also cultural, as well as practical. In Homer's world, where there are no police or justice systems, might usually makes right. 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. Appropriately, Odysseus' development as a character is complicated. He is, in every way, "the man of twists and turns" 1. 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.

The Odyssey is not a lesson plan for growth; the episodes are not didactic examples of the importance of prudence or anything else. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. Honesty in a hero assures people that the hero is reliable.

This applies to Odysseus when he chooses not to reveal to his crewmates that none of them will make it back home alive. No matter how hard it is to announce someone something as serious as their fate, a hero must complete the task.

After facing the Laestrygonians, a group of cannibals who eat men, Odysseus returns to Circe, a witch, asking for a prophecy. When Odysseus relays what she said back to the crew, he leaves out the main part of the prophecy; that he will be the sole survivor.

Although this may be true, Odysseus shows just how misleading he can be time and time again. Aeolus kindly gives Odysseus a pouch of winds to help him and his crew to get home. Furthermore, if Odysseus had warned his men and had been truthful, they would not have taken an extra three years just to get home. He also could have avoided losing numerous of his men to Circe, who turned them into pigs, and Scylla and Charybdis, who brought down the few men that were still living.

His dishonesty makes him less of a hero and causes a great deal of harm. Get Access. Satisfactory Essays. The Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar. Read More. Individual Versus Community in Lord of the Flies. Good Essays. Character Analysis Of Odysseus. Better Essays. Odysseus Character Analysis Words 2 Pages. Odysseus Character Analysis.