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 his crew sailed back for Ithaca, but on their way they stopped on the island of Kikones, where Odysseus said "[He] stormed that place and killed the men who fought Plunder [they] took, and [they] enslaved the women" (304). Odysseus is clearly still in a war state of mind so he and his men stay on the island only to be ambushed by the army of Kikones in which he losses many men. This tragic end shows poor leadership qualities in Lord Odysseus as he and his men became too greedy and savage, which leads to the death of some crew members. This again happened when the men sailed to the island of the Kyklopse, and entered Polyphemus's cave. They landed on the...