Odysseus Personality In Homer's The Odyssey

In The Odyssey, Odysseus’s personality traits play a major role in the timeline of his journey. Whether helping or hurting, it can be seen how the different aspects of his personality affect the overall journey.  The Odyssey begins after the Trojan War, where Odysseus has been lost at sea for ten years. Throughout the book, Odysseus must face several challenges and monsters. He must face obstacles such as Polyphemus, the Lotus Eaters, Scylla, and Charybdis, and the gods that are against him. During his journey, he loses his men, and is gone for twenty years, but he never loses hope of getting back home to Ithaca. Odysseus’s personality traits that set him apart from heroes today are his cunning, determination, and excessive hubris.

To begin, the first personality that sets Odysseus apart from heroes today is his cunning. This can be seen when Odysseus and his men were trapped with Polyphemus. When Polypemus asked Odysseus his name, and Odysseus replied, “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy” (Homer, 380). This quote shows how Odysseus was cunning with not revealing his identity at the time. This is relevant because later in the story, when Polyphemus is blinded, he yells out to his brothers that Nohbdy has hurt him. Due to Odysseus’s cunning, they think that he is okay. Had Odysseus said his true name, his brothers would have known that someone was in there, and they would have known who to target. 

Secondly, another personality that sets Odysseus apart from heroes today is his determination. This can be seen when Odysseus arrived back home in Ithaca and said, “I am at home, for I am he. I bore adversities but in the twentieth year I am ashore in my own land” (Homer, 405). This quote tells of how Odysseus has been gone for twenty years but is finally home. After the Trojan War, Odysseus has been lost at sea for ten years. He has been through many obstacles such as the Cyclopes, Scylla and Charybdis, and his men all being destroyed. He was trapped on islands for years. However, throughout all this, he has stayed true to his path of getting home. This shows his determination because even after twenty years and difficult obstacles and challenges, he has finally made it back home to his family.

Lastly, the third personality that sets Odysseus apart from heroes today is his excessive hubris. Having excessive hubris means to have an excessive amount of pride or confidence. This is proved when after Odysseus had escaped Polyphemus he said, “I would not heed them in my glorying spirit, but let my anger flare and yelled: Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes son, whose home is on Ithaca” (Homer, 384). This quote shows an example of Odysseus’s excessive hubris during his journey. During this time, Odysseus and his men had escaped Polyphemus. Odysseus had lost his temper and yelled at the Cyclops. When he yelled, he got prideful of his accomplishment, and told Polyphemus what his real name is. This was a major downfall of Odysseus because after Polyphemus learned Odysseus’s name, he prayed to his father, Poseidon, who cursed Odysseus. Had Odysseus not had so much hubris, his journey may have been much simpler without Poseidon cursing him.

Overall, when comparing Odysseus to the heroes of today one can see that Odysseus’s cunning, determination, and excessive hubris set him apart. Odysseus showed his cunning when he told Polyphemus his name is Nohbdy. He showed his determination when he finally made it home after twenty years, and he showed his excessive hubris when he told Polyphemus his name because he let his pride get to him. Odysseus’s many personalities shaped his journey, whether harming or helping. Had he not had these certain characteristics; it is hard to say if his quest home would have been completed. Therefore, Odysseus’s cunning, determination, and excessive hubris truly separate him from the heroes of today.