Odysseus Character Analysis

When we first glance at Odysseus we just see a man who's trying to get home. But if we take a closer look at him we see that he is a respected, wise, and sometimes stubborn man. Why these things you ask? Let's take a closer look at the reasons behind this choice of words.

Many have said in 'The Odyssey' that they respected Odysseus. He is respected by men, for his journeys and telltale battles. Take, for example, what Alcinous said after Odysseus had beautifully told his tale and many woes; "but you have a grace of words and a noble mind within, and you told your tale as skillfully as if you were a bard". Then, right before Alcinous spoke, Homer shows us Odysseus is respected by the following sentence; "And this he ended and all were hushed to silence, held by the spell throughout the dusty hall". More evidence is found throughout the story (said by many), but the most common phrase that implies respect is "high-born Odysseus".

Along with being respected, Odysseus is recognized by the reader as being wise. The supporting evidence for this is showed through Odysseus' acts and plans. For example, when his crew came upon an island with no harbor and no good place to land Odysseus lashed the ship cables to the steep rocky shore. He also devised a clever plan to get back at the Cyclops for eating his men. Odysseus is sometimes titled "wise Odysseus", because of the tales people have heard about his plans.

Despite Odysseus' wisdom and respected nature, he can be somewhat stubborn. For example, when Odysseus is yelling and tormenting the Cyclops his crew and men try to get him to stop but he resists even though the Cyclops could easily kill them if he hit the ship with a huge rock. Some of the respect may've gone to his head thus making him less heedful and more stubborn.

Now that we've taken a closer look we can see Odysseus for the honorable, knowledgeable and at times bull-headed man he is. He is a unique and deep character with feeling behind his rational looking plans. He is a very likable character despite his downfalls and bad luck with the sea god, Poseidon.