Examples Of Hubris In The Odyssey

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Hubris is defined as excessive pride until it gets you and others into trouble. Authors demonstrate hubris in their novels, poems or plays to warn people about the consequences that may may occur if you have excessive pride. Lorraine Hansberry’s novel centers around an African American family who receive a life insurance check of ten thousand dollars due to the death of Walter’s dad. Homer’s novel is about Odysseus’ long, dangerous journey home to Ithaca. Both authors Lorraine Hansberry and Homer indicate the similar theme of hubris through their characters having excessive pride in various situations. Odysseus shows hubris numerous of times throughout the epic poem. Odysseus first shows hubris when he leaves Ithaca to fight the Trojans in Troy. He plots a magnificent plan to sack the city of Troy. Once Odysseus and his crewmates witness success, Odysseus refuses to pray …show more content…
On his return from Aeolus’ land, Odysseus men have a great desire to open the bag. His companion’s greedy thoughts grew and “They untied the bag. All the winds rushed out-storm winds seized them, swept them out to sea, in tears, away from their own native land” (Homer, 56). The winds took them back to Aeolus’ island which put them back where they started. Another example of Odysseus failure to control his men took place in Aeaea, Circe’s island. Odysseus split his men into two groups and they came across Circe. Circe’s lovely voice welcomed Odysseus’ other group of comrades in and they obediently went in. They were fed them food with a vicious drug and drink so that they would lose all their memories of home. Once their minds had been clear of home, “ . . . she took her wand, struck each man, then penned them in her pigsties” (Homer, 60). Odysseus was forced to save his men. After he successfully saved his companions, they resided in Aeaea for one

Odysseus As An Epic Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”(Murakami) The ability to go through an awe-inspiring ordeal with bravery and cunningest defines an epic hero. The main character of Homer's The Odyssey is a well-known example of this. Odysseus is a well-respected man and through his trials we see heroism shine through. Human characteristics depicted throughout the many trials Odysseus faced makes him an epic hero. Odysseus shows his cunningest the most throughout…

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The Hero's Journey In The Odyssey By Joseph Campbell

The hero’s journey, discovered by Joseph Campbell, is an 11 step process in which essentially a hero enters a special world and conquers many trials. The tale of The Odyssey can be summarized as a journey of a man named Odysseus trying to travel home after a battle, he encounters many problems along the way. The character in which is being compared, L Lawliet comes from the anime/manga, Death Note. Death Note is about a high school student who obtains a magical notebook allowing him to kill anyone…

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Homer's Odyssey: Homeric Heroes And Free Will

Free Will In Homers Iliad and Odyssey the characters constantly battle with themselves. The main characters are multidimensional and are given free will but it is expected by the gods to accept the punishment when they dishonore them or the customs of the society they live. Mortals usually blame the gods for their misfortunes; “Mortals! They are always blaming the gods for their troubles when their own witlessness causes them more than they are destined for!” (Odyssey 1.36)Although the decisions they…

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The Role Of Heroism In The Odyssey

told stories of their ideal heroes. However, Homer, composer of The Odyssey, does not use his epic poem to model this image. As you follow Odysseus on his ten-year journey home succeeding the Trojan War, his disposition is truly revealed. On the outside, his accomplishments make him appear to be a perfect hero. However, after looking deeper into his underlying personality, readers are not so sure. His perpetual disloyalty, hubris, curiosity and mercilessness disqualify…

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Odysseus: The Epitome Of An Epic Hero

Odysseus is the epitome of an epic hero. He is intelligent, brave, courageous, confident, and loyal. The Odyssey showcases many of these amazing traits Odysseus holds. For example, Odysseus’s intellect and astuteness allows him to escape his encounter with the Cyclops, Polyphemus. When he is trapped in the cave with Polyphemus, Odysseus plans to escape by tying him and his crew to the bottom of Polyphemus’s sheep, “Three abreast I tied them silently together, twining cords of willow from the ogre’s…

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Oedipus Tragic Hero Research Paper

who's actions leads to their own demise, regardless of how hard they try to prevent it. Oedipus is a great example of a tragic hero. A few characteristics of tragic heroes are hamartia, hubris, peripeteia, catharsis, nemesis, and anagnorisis. An epic hero is a hero that is courageous and brave; they are applauded and commended for their heroic abilities and feats. There is no better example of an epic hero than Odysseus. A few…

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The Odyssey Essay

Five Hundred Pages of Greek Mythology Mrs. D’s class used The Odyssey as an example of Greek mythology. The Odyssey shows all thirteen steps of the hero’s journey and the four functions of Greek mythology. Even though this book is five hundred pages long, it is an exemplar of Greek mythology, which is in contrast to most other Greek mythology stories that tend to be short. In the book The Odyssey the main character Odysseus is an exemplar of the hero’s journey. To begin, the initiate is Odysseus…

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Odysseus Essay

possible outlines for the essay about the Odyssey. Here they are. You may deviate from these outlines; however, you must get approval first. Outline 1 (Passage Analysis) 1 - Introduction - Heroes then and now with quoted Odyssey passage 2 - Summary/Character Analysis of Odysseus based on passage 3 - How does this tie to heroics? 4 - How does it relate to today (specifically Ali) 5 - Conclusion Outline 2 (Character Analysis of Odysseus or Ali) *The examples below tie to this outline directly.…

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Christopher Mccandless

escaped humanity to set off on a journey of self- discovery. McCandless willingly left his life behind and departed into the Alaskan wilderness by himself to explore and adventure into the wild. Although some may find his behavior to be purely based on hubris, his actions reflect his desire to be his purest self by testing the limits and risking it all for his endeavors. McCandless was not your typical adventurer he was well-educated and was driven to learn new things about others…

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Odysseus Research Paper

aim high and attain that aim. Both Odysseus and George Pollard contained some of these qualities. They compared the same in these ways but they also had their differences when it came to how they handled the situations they were put in. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is favored by the immortal gods and admired by the mortals. Even the wrath of Poseidon does not keep him from reaching home. He is confident that he represents virtue even when others might not agree with it. He also lives through a series…

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