The Flawed Hero: Odysseus and His Long Journey Home
In creating the character of Odysseus and more particularly in telling the story of the hero’s traveling to and fro, buffeted from destination to destination, in an attempt to return home after 10 years at Troy, Homer as master storyteller understands an important aspect of spinning an enthralling tale: perfection equals monotony. The ability to win the hearts of the audience requires a sophisticated mixture of wisdom and weakness, curiosity and the most successful literary heroes being human enough for the audience to become invested in their triumphs and failures. Homer adeptly accomplishes this all with the heroic character of Odysseus.
When Odysseus commences the recounting of his tale to the Phaiakans at the beginning of Book IX we know something of his character from his solo adventures thus far, which he confirms when announcing his identity to his hosts for the first time, “I am Laertes’ son, Odysseus. Men hold me formidable for guile in peace and war” (9.19-22). Homer has given us a picture of the man Odysseus after the trials of making his way back home are close to an end, but what kind of leader was he? How did his peers see him? How did it come to pass that 20 years had passed since Odysseus had seen his home? Our insight to all of these issues is obtained from the hero himself as he chronicles the events of his life following the end of the Trojan War. Up until this point in the story we have seen the man Odysseus use his cautious intelligence to maneuver his solo journey, it is when Odysseus weaves his tale constituting the wild events immediately after the Trojan War and prior to his 9 year captivity on Calypso’s island that the complexity of his character is drawn out.
One of the first flaws we see in the hero’s sturdy character is exemplified in the first incident after their departure from Troy (9.43-73). Hearts overflowing with the thrill of victory in battle after the close of the 10 year Trojan War, when they land on the island of Ismaros the “great tactician” as Homer so frequently refers to him quite recklessly leads his men in a brutal attack of the native Kikonians. Still taking pride in his might after all these years Odysseus explains, “I stormed that place and killed the men who fought. Plunder we took, and we enslaved all the women, to make division, equal shares to all-“(9.47-49). But he had not sent any scouts out to survey the land and assess the situation they were about to enter into. Then, when Odysseus attempts to get his men in check they continue in their gluttonous behavior killing and feeding on vast amounts of sheep and cattle as they imbibed endless amounts of wine. Meanwhile, the remaining Kikonians escaped and fled for reinforcements. Odysseus, as the leader of this group of men and experienced warrior should have maintained firmer control over the situation on Ismaros and certainly should have secured an accurate understanding of the inhabitants of the island. This rush to glory in battle and the chaos that follows it left Odysseus and his men open to what happens next: a surprise attack by the well trained army and decimation of the Akhaians. Odysseus’s passion for the glory of battle in this instance led to devastating results. With a massive loss of life Odysseus and his remaining men spend 11 days grieving and being buffeted about by the weather and stormy seas, until they come to shore at the land of the Lotus Eaters.
After the disaster on Ismaros, Odysseus proceeds more cautiously and sends select men out to scout the island and its people. When he realizes the dangers of losing any desire to leave the island and even forgetting their love of their native country when partaking of the Lotos flower he drives “them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest: ‘All hands aboard…clear the beach and no one taste the Lotos, or you lose your hope of home” (IX. lines 98-102). As a strong leader he wants to get his men safely home and seeing the imminent danger quickly leads a retreat.
The wisdom with which Odysseus acts becomes questionable when his natural curiosity and sense of adventure are challenged. When they make port on a deserted island across from the land of the Cyclops they sleep well and “feast on meat galore and wine” (Line 169-178) while they stare across the cove at the island of the Cyclops. But instead of recuperating and continuing the long journey home, Odysseus’s intellectual curiosity is peaked and he announces that he will take a crew and row to the land across the water to discover what kind of men inhabit it, “for they may be wild savages, and lawless,/ or hospitable and god fearing men.” (Lines 184-189) Despite having been gone from home for more than 10 years and the hardships they had already endured, Odysseus is driven by his sense of adventure to explore the island. This could have been a surprising yet harmless excursion if they had but returned once they had discovered the nature of the island’s inhabitants. Odysseus describes his first sight of the Cyclops, Polyphemos, as “A prodigious man…remote from all companions,/ knowing none but savage ways, a brute/so huge, he seemed no man at all…but he seemed rather a shaggy mountain reared in solitude.”(Lines 201-206) . Instead of turning back and continuing the voyage home, Odysseus leads his strongest warriors onward equipped with food and wine, “…for in my bones I knew some towering brute/ would be upon us soon…”(Lines 226-231). Despite the pleas of his men to take what they should from the Cyclops’ cave and flee Odysseus “…wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer-/ no pretty sight, it turned out for my friends.” (Lines 248-250) Odysseus thrives on the challenge and drives the action, even in retelling the story there is a sense of satisfaction, despite the loss of life and years added to Odysseus’s journey home. Then when Odysseus and the men who were not eaten by the Cyclops escape, having blinded their merciless captor the warrior cannot resist taunting Polyphemos as they flee. His “glorying spirit” causes him to brag and torment the Cyclops telling him even “the god of earthquake could not heal you” bringing down the wrath of Poseidon and then Zeus.(Lines 571-573). In retrospect Odysseus sees that his arrogance is what added another 9 years to his journey home.
His next adventure seems to confirm this fate. When Odysseus returns to Aeolus’s island because of the imprudent actions of his crew while he slept, Aeolus refuses his help a second time,”…no law, no wisdom, lays it on me now/ to help a man the blessed gods detest out! Your voyage here was cursed by heaven!”(Book X lines 83-85) Odysseus attempts to learn from these incidents and avoid his previous mistakes though loss of life and struggle seems inevitable. He is wise enough to quickly retreat when realizing the bloodthirsty Laestrygonians would devour them all if they didn’t retreat. Then they land on Circe’s island, Aiaia. Here Odysseus proves himself a leader headstrong and determined, desiring to charge to the rescue of his men that Circe had turned into pigs. But he has no plan and no real understanding of what he is up against until Hermes intervene warning him about rushing in by himself to battle a witch of Circe’s power and advises the warrior on how to get what he wants from her (Lines 309-340). Odysseus follows Hermes counsel and proves himself wise in doing so for in the end Circe though he wishes him to stay tells him what he must do to get home, travel to the Underworld and speak with the oracle of Thebes. When Odysseus seems overwhelmed by the prospect of this, Circe reminds him of his noble heritage and calls him the” master of land ways and sea ways…”(Lines 559-561).
It is in the Underworld that it becomes clear how others view him, though it is obvious some on his crew have tired of losing their shipmates due to his natural instinct to rush into danger, “they died for his foolishness!”( Book X Lines 478-484) In his interactions with those he comes across we see the manner of man Odysseus is despite his flaws. First, he comes across Elpenor, one of his men who recently lost his life on Aiais and Odysseus vows to give him a proper warrior’s burial before they sail for home. In meeting with the spirit of his mother, Antiklera, she tells Odysseus that it wasn’t any illness which killed her but, “only my loneliness for you…for your kind heart and counsel…” (Lines 220- 227). With all of his flaws, Odysseus is a man admired for his wise counsel. Moving is his reunion with Agamemnon who instinctually reaches out to embrace him but realizing he cannot begins to weep and while they talk he tells Odysseus affectionately that he will see his son eventually and when that happens,”…he’ll embrace his father/ with old fashioned respect, and rightly.”(Lines 525-527). Yet his interactions with the souls of Achilleus and Aias are a reminder that Odysseus had not been highly favored by of all of his comrades. Achilles’ opinion is quite clear when he says, ”Let me hear no smooth talk/ of death from you, Odysseus, light of councils./ Better…to break sod as a farm hand/ for some poor country man, on iron rations, than lord it over all the exhausted dead.”(Lines 577-581). Yet Odysseus offers Achilles a great gift when he gives the shade news of his valiant son and the tale of the Trojan Horse. When he calls to the shade of Aias with the same impassioned language, Aias simply walks away
Through this entire tale telling by Odysseus the Phaikians have become enraptured by his adventures. He is not a man who has led a life of quiet solitude, but has grabbed every adventure he could. Alkinoos himself admits, “You speak with art, but your intent is honest./ The Argive troubles, and your own troubles,/ you told as a poet would, a man who knows the world.”(Lines 426-428). This is clearly true of Odysseus. He is adventurous and rushes in to situations to the peril of those around him but as his tale continues one cannot help but being enraptured right along with the Phaiakiabs
