What was Odysseus biggest mistake?

Odysseus has made some mistakes. No one's saying otherwise. He blinded a Cyclops, he invoked the wrath of Poseidon, and remember that time he got distracted by a sexy sea-witch for an entire year? (Full disclosure, he also stole some cheese.) But by far his biggest mistake was hiring his crew.

What was the mistake that Odysseus make?

Odysseus makes the mistake of telling Polyphemus his real name and he makes the mistake of taunting the cyclops. The result of the taunting conducted by Odysseus was rocks being hurled his way by Polyphemus. The result of him yelling his name at Polyphemus is Polyphemus praying to his father Poseidon to curse Odysseus.

What is an example of Odysseus being careless?

Odysseus is careless.In their journey home, a bunch of Odysseus's men are sacrificed due to his carelessness. For example, the Cyclops kills a bunch of men when he eats them. More men are lost when the Cyclops throws boulders at the ships.

What are the flaws of Odysseus as a hero?

Tragic flaw: Because the hero is not solely divine, his tragic flaw stems from the fact that he is human. Odysseus's hubris, excessive pride, caused him great trouble along the way. Supernatural help: Odysseus receives help from the gods, mainly Athena, along his journey.

What foolish decision do Odysseus men make that leads most directly to their demise?

Excessive pride will lead to the person's downfall and perhaps those of others as well. Odysseus cannot resist flaunting his victory over the Cyclops. As a result, he will endure great suffering, brought about by his own arrogance. His crew will lose their lives.

A Long and Difficult Journey, or The Odyssey: Crash Course Literature 201

What bad things did Odysseus do in The Odyssey?

Odysseus murders everyone

The goddess Athena, who has served as his protector and adviser, disguises him as a beggar so that he can scout out the situation. He reveals himself to two of his most loyal slaves, as well as to his son, Telemachus, who is by now all grown up.

How does Odysseus show foolishness?

Odysseus knew it himself that he and his men may not be able to get through this big of an obstacle, but he just pushed them forward. This shows an act of foolishness as leader because he did not notify his men of the dangerous obstacle coming towards him, but just keeps put to leave his men to fend for themselves.

What are the three major flaws of Odysseus?

I think that Odysseus has human flaws, such as his pride and his curiosity, but those flaws are overridden by the fact that he is clever, wise, brave, and overall, a strong leader. All of these qualities are shown in quotes throughout Books 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, and 17. Odysseus is shown to be clever primarily in Book 9.

What are three of Odysseus weaknesses?

Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic poems The Odyssey and The Iliad, has many strengths and weaknesses. During his journey home, he shows himself as a courageous, smart, and confident leader. But, he has flaws. His arrogance, pride, quick temper, and stubbornness often lead him to dangerous situations.

What is Odysseus primary character flaw in the epic?

He has a tragic flaw, which can best be identified as hubris (an overbearing arrogance or misguided pride) as one of several distinguishing traits. But Achilles is a simpler character.

How was Odysseus careless?

Odysseus makes a selfish decision when he leads his crew to stay in Polyphemus's cave thinking he would offer gifts and Odysseus would “accept (his) help, or any gifts/” he had to “give” (9.726-727). This is a selfish act because he is putting his crew in danger for something that would only benefit himself.

How is Odysseus reckless in the Odyssey?

Odysseus lies, accepts insults, disguises himself, represses his emotions and even conceals his true identity in order to get through his journey. Odysseus is impulsive and reckless.

How is Odysseus disloyal?

166-167). Complimenting Nausicaa further confirms Odysseus is disloyal to Penelope because by giving her compliments Odysseus is showing he thinks she is this beautiful girl which is ultimately leading her on. In addition, Odysseus does not even think about Penelope in this situation.

What mistake does Odysseus make as a leader in book 9?

What mistake does Odysseus make at the end of book 9 that costs his men their lives? Why does he make this mistake? He lets his pride get in the way and tells the Cyclops who is his. This leads it to tell Poseidon who blinded him, adding an extra enemy on Odysseus's list.

Why does Odysseus make this terrible mistake and what lesson is it meant to teach us?

Odysseus and his men learn to be humble by making mistakes, having bad consequences, and feeling pain. The mistakes made by Odysseus teach us that everybody is destined to blunder at some point in their life.

Is Odysseus guilty of hubris?

(470). Because of Odysseus' hubris after blinding Polyphemus, Poseidon grants the prayer, and it takes Odysseus 20 years to return home, at the cost of the lives of all his men. Next, Polyphemus demonstrates hubris by believing that because he is a giant, he is unbeatable by anyone, even a god.

What was Odysseus tragic flaw?

Through books IX and XII of The Odyssey, Homer highlighted one of Odysseus' most eminent tragic flaws, hubris; however, he exemplifies the change in Odysseus as a dynamic character- becoming more modest- through books XVII and XVIII.

How was Odysseus stubborn?

His men try to calm him down and stop him, but Odysseus's stubbornness causes him to continue calling out his taunts to Polyphemus, putting his men in danger again because Polyphemus is hurling boulders towards the ship. During the adventure with Circe, when Circe turns Odysseus's men back into humans from pigs.

How was Odysseus arrogant?

Following the visit to the Cyclops den in The Odyssey, Odysseus shows arrogance by declaring his escape from there to be a success despite having lost six men while trapped. He further proves his vanity by mocking the Cyclops while escaping, 448 Words. 2 Pages.

What is the main problem in the Odyssey?

The chief conflict in the poem is between Odysseus's desire to reach home and the forces that keep him from his goal, a conflict that the narrator of the Odyssey spells out in the opening lines.

What human flaws can be gleaned from the summary of the Odyssey?

The Odyssey gives good examples of the human flaw of greed. Odysseus and his crew… “sacked the city , killed the men, but for the wives and plunder that rich haul we dragged away from the palace” (9.212). The crew attacked an innocent city because they could, also to say they did.

What conflicts does Odysseus face?

In The Odyssey, conflict is constantly present. Much of the conflict arises from the obstacles Odysseus faces returning home. The wayward traveler and his crew battle against the dangers of the sea and the challenges of temptations. Odysseus constantly battles the supernatural world so he can return home.

How does Odysseus overcome his hubris?

Eventually Odysseus is able to overcome his hubris when he realizes that the gods are ultimately on his side after all. At this point he comes to the realization that the gods control his life; “It is no hard thing for the gods of heaven to glorify a man or bring him low" (Book XVI, 250-251).

What is the Cyclops curse on Odysseus?

The Curse of the Cyclops: "Hear me, Poseidon … If truly I am your son, and you acknowledge yourself as my father, grant that Odysseus, who styles himself Sacker of Cities and son of Laertes, may never reach his home in Ithaca.

Does Odysseus learn from his mistakes?

From the many obstacles and misfortunes he endured he learned not to boast too much and to respect and listen to the gods. This new found wisdom allows him to finally regain his place in his homeland of Ithaca.