Odysseus character change

Q: In What ways does Odysseus develop as a character during the course of the

narrative? At which points do we see him change?

One of the characteristics of an Epic is that the character(s) must have a transformation of character throughout their journeys in the narrative. Joseph Cambell puts it as “death of the old… resurrection of the new”. This transformation occurs in Homer’s Epic The Odyssey, in which the main character Odysseus has a series of adventures and encounters with gods, giants, sea creatures, and humans, each of which are steps in his character development. Odysseus goes through dramatic character changes throughout the development of the poem.

Firstly, In Homer’s book The Iliad, Lord Agamemnon and Menelaus sail to Ithaca to convince Odysseus to join them in battle. However, Odysseus was hesitant to go, under the circumstances that Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, had just given birth to Telemakhos. Odysseus tries to convince Agamemnon and Menelaus that he is ‘mad’, but fails and so joins them. Over the ten year battle, Lord Odysseus is transformed from a father, husband, and king into a warrior, which is the point where The Odyssey begins. After a victory in Troy, Odysseus and

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They entered Polyphemus’s cave with an attitude resembling that of the island people, savage.

Although he is changing, Odysseus still lacks great leadership qualities. However, as Odysseus said, “Temptation had its way with my companions, / and they untied the bag. The goddess Kirke had turned Odysseus’s men into pigs with a spell. Odysseus still did not show great signs of leadership and moored his ship away from the rest of the dying crew. Odysseus was the only survivor and landed on Kalypso’s Island. This again happened when the men sailed to the island of the Kyklopse, and entered Polyphemus’s cave. Odysseus no longer longs for adventure or Kleos, but rather he longs for home. Odysseus began to show the Homeric value of Nostos, or ‘love of home’. Before the Trojan War, Odysseus is seen as a husband, father, and king. Through Odysseus travels home his encounters and interactions with his crew changed him from a blood thirsty warrior into a glorious king, husband, and father.

In fact, Odysseus becomes very sympathetic to his men and their wishes. They land off the Island of Lamos, home of the Laestrygonians. It was prophesized by both Teiresias of Thebes and Kirke of Aiaia that if they feasted on the holy beeves that it would mean death for all (355).

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