The Odyssey is about a long journey home by the Greek hero Odysseus; hence the name the Odyssey. It has been ten years since the fall of Troy and Odysseus’ wife Penelope has a large amount of suitors attempting to court her and win her affections, she remains faithful to her husband. Which is saying more than Odysseus, who takes on several lovers throughout the epic tale. This is just a brief taste of the story line behind the Odyssey. The characters in Homer’s Odyssey are complex and realistic, which are characteristic to Homer’s previous writings. However, in the Odyssey these characters develop and grow along the way. Something that is not evident in any of Homer’s characters before.
The character of Odysseus has several outstanding characteristics: strength, courage, nobility, a thirst for glory, and utter confidence in his authority as a leader and king. But what stands out to the reader and listener of this tale is Odysseus’ sharp intellect. This is what gets him and his men out of several life threatening situations. For example, in book nine when Odysseus and his men are captured by Cyclops, Odysseus uses his quick thinking and wit to rescue him and his men from an almost certain death. He is a gifted speaker and has a way with the ladies that immediately wins their trust almost as soon as he opens his mouth.
In previous works done by Homer the male characters all seem to have the same character traits and are complex and realistic to their time. They do not change in the course of the tale or story, but this is not true of the Odyssey. Early in the Odyssey Odysseus is seen revealing his identity to Cyclops, prompted by his love for glory. Like all Greek heroes, a thirst for adventure and a need to satisfy his craving for glory are close to his heart. However, by the end of the tale, he is willing to be patient and instead of giving into this need for glory. This goes back to his sharp intellect. Odysseus has been gone from home for a long time and needs to reestablish his loyalties before he can act. Therefore he endures the abuse and negativity he receives when he is disguised as a beggar. He waits for the moment when he can strike back, take his revenge, and come home officially. Homer created a complex character in Odysseus and showed continuous development and depth throughout the epic tale of the Odyssey.
Another major character development is within Odysseus’ son, Telemachus. At the beginning of the Odyssey he is still maturing, however with the help of the goddess Athena he changes and improves his stature and bearing as the prince of the land. He becomes more assertive and devoted to his mother and protecting her from the suitors. No matter how much Homer develops the character of Telemachus though, he never quite matches his father’s talents or strengths through out the whole tale. He certainly has come a long way from being just a prince who did not know how to protect or assert himself but he still has a way to go; although he is slowly catching up. The scene towards the end of the tale, where all the suitors must string a bow, this puts his characters development into full light. Telemachus almost strings it and shows the readers and listeners that although he is not his father, he is his father’s son and is developing into a strong Greek prince.
Odysseus posses pride that is common among Homer’s characters. Although in the Odyssey, Odysseus’ is seen both revealing who he was to achieve glory and waiting and enduring silently in an act of patience and humility. Telemachus, although a Greek prince and son of Odysseus does not inherent his father’s strong sense of pride. Although he is proud it is not quite like his father’s pride. In Homer’s Iliad the character development is little and does not develop significantly. The heroes in both tales share the same traits common in Greek heroes but with two different outcomes. While Odysseus is finally home with his family and at peace. Achilles is an angry and bitter hero who savagely mauls the Trojans and is consumed with blood thirst, wrath, and pride. He begrudgingly reconciles with his general Agamemnon but instead of letting go of his anger and wrath, he shifts it from Agamemnon to Hector. By the end of the tale Achilles is worse than ever and his character does not develop or change like the characters in the Odyssey. Homer wrote an epic tale with the Iliad but with the Odyssey he went even further and not only wrote an epic tale that would be read centuries later but also developed and created greater depth in the characters within the tale.
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