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Character Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

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Character Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey
Once upon a time there was a not so smart but clever man. In Homer’s The Odyssey, this man was Odysseus. He does not make the brightest decisions. Although, once he gets himself into a problem he can get out of it. This is all thanks to how clever he is. Odysseus’ most important quality is his cleverness. In a small situation, like on Lotus Eater Island, Odysseus’ cleverness still comes in handy. Odysseus and his men had first landed on the island not knowing what was to come.
Some of the men had eaten the Lotus flower which drugged them into not wanting to leave the island. Odysseus would not leave his men. As clever as he is, he tied them up and brought them aboard. “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing
benches,...”
…show more content…
When the the men encountered the Cyclops he started eating the men. They were then trapped and needed to think fast. Odysseus came up with a plan to blind the creature, but then what? Odysseus told the Cyclops that his name was Nohbdy. When the Cyclops called for help nobody came. “‘Cyclops, you ask my honorable name?... /… / My name is
Nohbdy../ everyone calls me Nohbdy’” (358-361). Odysseus’ cleverness saved lives. When the hero made it home he still had to solve some problems. There were suitors infesting his home. After some time Odysseus showed himself to the suitors and killed them off.
They could not fight back because Odysseus had all of the weapons taken off of the walls.
“Wildly they turned and scanned the walls in the long room for arms; but not a shield, not a good ashen spear was there for a man to take and throw” (1243-1245). Odysseus had gotten rid of the problem for good. Odysseus’ shining feature is his intelligence. If there is a tough situation, he can get out of it. The trait helped him get where he needed to be. It stands out the best among his

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