Introduction
In the Odyssey, we find our titular hero lost in a literal and figurative way. The obstacles he encounters (goddesses, monsters, gods, etc.) can be understood as correlating with his internal struggle to reclaim those attributes for which he was famed so that he can return home successfully and resume his role as king of Ithaca. Discuss at least one encounter and explain how Odysseus's success or failure signifies his readiness or unpreparedness to return home.
Odyssey is one of the heroic poems accredited to early Greek poet Homer. The poem is normally contemplated as the second remaining Western literature work. Odyssey centers on Odysseus the Greek hero and his ten years of struggle and long return journey to his homeland Ithaca following the Trojan War. Odysseus’s ten years journey adventure saw him travel through the Peloponnese, the Ionian Islands and up to North Africa, Egypt, and Western Mediterranean. During Odysseus' return, he struggles and fights supernatural creatures and encounters the rage of different gods such as infuriated sea god Poseidon who constantly stopped him from arriving home.
Challenges and Internal Struggles
Odyssey’s journey was full of challenges and internal struggles. Due to numerous antagonists and his lazy, gluttonous crewmen, the journey took ten years from Troy to Ithaca during the return trip. An equal duration that the Trojan War lasted. From the poem, we find that Odysseus lost in different figurative and literal ways. Overcoming his diverse encounters with monsters, goddesses, gods, and other mystical creatures can be seen as his internal struggle and drive to get back his celebrated attributes so that he can successfully return home and reinstitute his obligations as a sovereign of Ithaca (Homerus et al., 2014).
Odyssey encounters diverse challenges during his return journey, from his sailors being held captives by the lotus-eaters, the battle with Polyphemus who is also referred to as Cyclops and to arrest by Sirens. Odysseus’s whole journey back to Ithaca is ridden with numerous problems. These difficulties reveal his zeal, internal struggle, and determination and to come back home. Firstly, Odysseus and his crewmen sail to Cicones’s territory at the ending of the Trojan War. During the Trojan War, the Greeks advance in taking over the central city, however, they dawdled and scattered by the reserve army. According to Homerus et al., Odysseus and his crewmen anticipated to sail to Ithaca directly, however, they were affected by a severe storm blowing them off the grid to the territory of the Lotus-eaters (2014).
Lotus-eaters are hospitable people, however, eating the lotus plant erases an individual’s ambitions and memory. Odysseus experienced the most difficult moment to pull his crewmen away and embark on the journey home. During this period, his curiosity compels him to tour the state of the Cyclops. The ethnicity of cannibalistic, uncivilized, mono eyed giants. Polyphemus also referred to as Cyclops, one of the single-eyed giants, confined Odysseus and his party into one of his craves. To break free, Odysseus had to blind the mono eyed giant, however, this led him to incur the wrath of Poseidon, the god of the sea and the farther of the one-eyed monster (Homerus et al., 2014). Poseidon becomes one of his seraphic antagonists.
Poseidon hated Odysseus and he constantly hindered Odysseus’s return journey because he blinded his son during the escape from the cave. Ultimately, the seafaring Phaeacians assisted Odysseus to get back to Ithaca despite patronized by Poseidon. Secondly, during their return journey, Aeolus the god of winds, collects varied winds and gives them to Odysseus, who uses them to drift insight in their homeland Ithaca. Unluckily, his men opened the bag that contained collected wind suspecting it held valuables while he is asleep. The irritated wind blows them back to god Aeolus who refuses to give further assistance thinking that the gods cursed them (Homerus et al., 2014).
Their next entertainer, the cannibalistic Laestrygones, organizes a surprise attack and sinks all ships except Odysseus'. They then went to Aeaea, a mythical island and residence of beautiful witch-goddess Circe, who transformed Odysseus's crew into pigs. Odysseus was devastated, however, with the help and advice from Hermes, he cleverly managed to resist and conquer the goddess and then become her lover (Homerus et al., 2014). Odysseus lived luxuriously at Circe’s side for a year.
Besides, during their stay together, witch-goddess uplifts the spell she cast on Odysseus’ men and assisted them in their ultimate departure directing them to go sailing to the state of the dead. Upon reaching the land of the dead, he encountered many Greek heroes and his mother and most significantly the prediction from Tiresias the seer. Odysseus subsequently embarks on his journey home. Thirdly, they narrowly escaped the enticements of the Sirens' songs and the raid of Scylla, the six-headed mythical creature and safely arriving at Sungod Helios Island. In spite of alarming warnings not to, in the absence of Odysseus, the crewmen feasted on the Sungod’s cattle (Homerus et al., 2014). Zeus, the King of men and gods become enraged and vandalized all the ships as they depart and eliminated all but Odysseus'. The sea washes Odysseus up to Calypso's Island where he stays put for seven years before release.
Strength and Bravery
Odysseus's most unforgettable quality during his entire return journey is not his strength and bravery, notwithstanding his bravery and strength, but rather his cleverness. With internal drive and desire to reach home, he battles monsters and encountered the wrath of different gods. During the entire period, Odysseus uses his canning nature to lure and disarm most of his antagonists which intern helps and guides him home. Meanwhile, his son Telemachus and wife Penelope kept off diverse suitors from Penelope’s hand in marriage and most importantly the Ithaca’s throne. They did this long enough waiting for Odysseus to come back home. The Odyssey concludes as Odysseus triumphs in a competition to confirm his identity, he then kills all the admirers, and reclaim Ithaca’s throne (Homerus et al., 2014).
