Question

the development of odysseus' character is an important theme in the odyssey. already we have seen odysseus change from the helpless victim on calypso's island to a man who uses his charm to attain his goals upon meeting Nausicaa. discuss this transformation and importance to the poem

Answer 1

Odysseus's journey reflects on his dynamic character. Starting with Polyphemus, Odysseus's hubris reflects how pride destroyed him no matter how intelligent the plan. After this encounter, Odysseus begins to evolve into the man we see throughout the hardships he faces throughout the book. On calypso's island he was trapped by the gods, and felt no underlying hope that could drive him home to Telemachus and Penelope. However, after escaping, he has hope and willpower where he finds strength in cunning intelligence which brought back his pride and ambition. In the Illiad, Odysseus is the most intelligent and thoughtful of the kings, and so Homer uses this as his the driving characteristic in his personality as he finds his way home to Ithaca. No pride, no intelligence, no ambition? No Odysseus.