A study of the characters Odysseus and Poseidon as depicted in Homers Odyssey

A field of study of the characters Odysseus and Poseidon as represent in Homers Odyssey afterward the events of the Trojan War, Odysseus and his hands headed back theatre to Ithaca. En r step to the foree, they inadvertently stopped at the island of the Cyclopes to forgather supplies for their long trip home. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the island were non truly friendly specially un touch onled cyclops named Polyphemus. In an drive to hide from the other larges, Odysseus and his custody hid in Polyphemuss cave. Polyphemus thence trapped the work force inside with a massive boulder blocking the that way in and out. One by bingle, Polyphemus ate Odysseuss combination.Odysseus, keeping a level head, came up with a stick out to escape. Odysseus had some full-strength booze on his per give-and-take, and cleverly offered it to Polyphemus without telling him how strong the wine was. Polyphemus eagerly took the wine, became drunk, and now fell asleep. Odysse us and his stay workforce heated a wooden stake in a fire, and proceeded to blur Polyphemuss one eye. After call in pain, the custody hid under the giants sheep, where they could non be mat and eaten. The next morning, when Polyphemus allow his sheep out to graze, Odysseus and his workforce snuck out underneath the sheeps at sea bellies, and flee to their channelise. Polyphemus effected that the men had escaped after Odysseus was already at sea. Polyphemus threw a (poorly-aimed) boulder at the ship, and called out to his baffle Poseidon for vengeance. Poseidon, in his rage, destroy Odysseuss ship, as well as his holy work party, oer a ten-year voyage back to Ithaca. Odysseus exactly survived because he had genus Athenes regard and valueion.Odysseuss stockOdysseus was acting out of self-defense. As chieftain and king, he had a duty to protect himself and his men at all costs. He used his wits to escape a life-threatening situation. He too did non know that P olyphemus was give-and-take of Poseidon. Regardless of who Polyphemus was, Odysseus did not kill him, patronage the threat against Odysseus and his crew it would feed been full as informal to kill him term drunk or asleep. Poseidon, being a god, acts out of peak emotion, and decides that the injury of his son warrants mass-murder. Odysseus thought rationally and spared the man-eating Polyphemus Poseidon acted irrationally, and eradicated Odysseuss crew. Poseidon could have been more pitying and wiped out Odysseus and his crew quickly. Instead Poseidon panoptic Odysseuss penalization and caused him to suffer as he watched his broad(a) crew burst over the play of ten years. Furthermore, this broad journey caused commotion in Odysseuss Kingdom of Ithaca.When Odysseus odd for Troy, his son, Telemachus, was too young person to take the throne. This left(a) genus genus Penelope caterpillar track the entire country. duration Odysseus was gone, suitors came to court Pene lope, bust his palace small-arm they were at that place. Since there was no proof that Odysseus survived the Trojan War, the suitors constantly pressured Penelope to remarry. She did not need to, instead cubicle the suitors until Odysseus re glum because she believed that he was thus far a vital. Poseidons purpose Before Poseidon did anything to Odysseus, he had to get his judgment approved by genus Zeus, king of the gods. Furthermore, Odysseus was in Poseidons domain, the ocean, for closely of his journey, which puts Odysseus in a precarious scene already. Poseidons think target was Odysseus the remain of the crew was confirming damage, wholly if also emotionally harm Odysseus. Odysseus knew he was in the domain of a deity that could bust up him on every(prenominal) level he had plenty of opportunities to bitstock himself in slip things went wrong.Poseidon, as a deity, demands more think of than a classifiable human. In Poseidons mind, this special interferen ce extends to his son. Injuring his son Polyphemus was considered a personal insult. abstruse to Odysseus, he had cleric protection from genus Athene a rival deity to Poseidon. Therefore, Poseidon already did not care Odysseus stabbing Polyphemus in the eye respectable added to Poseidons hatred. Poseidon did not harm Odysseus, but made him suffer, fitting like his son, by killing his men slowly. Let the penalization fit the crime.Moreover, there are time when Odysseus was not only selfish, but real irreverent. While Penelope was upholding her marriage vows, Odysseus had an contest with Circe, a sorceress who had turned his men into pigs eon he had his fling. He also by design went past the island of the Sirens, merely because he cherished to hear their call option for himself. Finally, he allowed his men to eat inviolate cattle of the god Helios for a week. This one act condemned his entire fleet, ship and men, to destruction. Zeus struck the ship with lightning, for cing Odysseus to swim to an island and live with a Calypso, a sea nymph, for 7 years. The rest of his men drowned. This shows that Odysseus did not of all time respect the gods, and acted egotistically whenever it suited him.