THE JOURNEY OF ODYSSEUS – Let us look into the story of the journey of Odysseus with moral lessons and a summary as one of the great heroes of Greek mythology. He leaves his home in Ithaca to fight in the Trojan war. Because of his smartness, they were able to seize Troy.
The story includes diverse characters and settings that make it enjoyable to read. On Odysseus’ way home, he meets giants, witches, and many other creatures and becomes a hero like he always is.
The Journey Of Odysseus
In the ten-year Trojan war, Odysseus was one of the great leaders in Greek mythology. His idea of building a giant wooden horse filled with soldiers helped the Greeks seize Troy. Together with his men, Odysseus sailed home with twelve ships. Before he arrived to take his place as the rightful King of Ithaca, he took home ten years of peril and adventure.
Storms came in the trajectory of his journey, and Odysseus’ ships went off-track, landing on the Cyclops’ island. The man-eating Cyclops devoured several sailors of Odysseus. To take revenge on the Cyclops for eating his men, Odysseus gave the Cyclops a barrel of wine and drank it until it fell asleep. With the remaining wine, Odysseus set the fire using a wooden stick and burned the Cyclops’ eye, which blinded it.
On another journey, Odysseus meets Circe, an alluring witch-goddess. Only Odysseus’s ship remained on the fleet and made half the remaining men into pigs. To resist Circe’s magic, he used a magic drug. She fell in love with him and released his men, amazed at his powers. They feasted on the island for a whole year before finally returning to Ithaca.
Another remarkable adventure of Odysseus was the passage between Scylla and Charybdis. Charybdis was a fearsome whirlpool very close to Scylla, a six-headed monster. Odysseus carefully directed his men to row between the two dangers. Scylla eventually noticed them, seized the ship’s oar, and ate six men. It was a horrible happening, but it just was better than losing the entire ship to the whirlpool, Charybdis.
After fighting Scylla and escaping the channel, they were tired and needed to rest. They decided to stop at the closest place, the Sun god’s island. Odysseus didn’t want to stop in this place for fear of hurting any of the Sun god’s cattle. Upon arriving on the Island, Odysseus told his men not to harm any cattle, but his men secretly killed and ate cattle due to lack of food. Odysseus found out about it and was horrified. When they set sail again, Zeus found out what they did and threw a lightning bolt at the ship that drowned all his men. Odysseus was spared because he didn’t harm any of the cattle. He had washed ashore on the mysterious island of the nymph Calypso where she forced Odysseus to be his lover for seven years before he finally got to escape from her.
Ultimately, Odysseus returned home after 20 years of sailing and hopping from Island to Island. At home, he had to contend with several suitors trying to bug his faithful wife, Penelope, greedily. Odysseus slaughtered the suitors and eventually restored peace with the help of his son and father.
Story Analysis of The Journey Of Odysseus
From the story, we can infer that Odysseus’ journey is filled with adventure, fear, lust, and bizarre creatures. It is unbelievable for anyone to overcome all these challenges, but Odysseus is exceptional. He escaped death even though hope was just as little as sand. His will never stops him from succeeding in all endeavors.
The myth intends to enlighten us to explore the world, live as free men, and be determined to chase every dream we have. Odysseus longed to come home to his family. For twenty years, he struggled enough to reach home.
The Journey Of Odysseus Moral Lesson
- Anyone can never shake a man with solid determination.
- Despite the many challenges and the long journey to return home, Odysseus never loses hope and is determined to do so. Many creatures have tried to knock him down, but his strong will always prevails.
- You are shaping your destiny, not anybody else.
- Odysseus chased his destiny. He could seize every creature that hinders his dream of returning home. In the end, he is destined to achieve his goal, for he is a man of free will.
- Loyalty is bestowed on the beloved who deserves it.
- In the story, Penelope has many suitors trying to chase her heart, but she remains loyal to Odysseus. He even slaughtered them all to restore peace and live a prosperous life with Penelope.
The Journey Of Odysseus Summary
Odysseus was the famous Greek hero who ended the ten-year Trojan war. He built the giant wooden horse and filled it with soldiers who could seize Troy. Odysseus and his men sailed home and encountered many adventures on the way.
One remarkable adventure is when their ships were hit by storms and landed on the Cyclops’ island. Here, the Cyclops ate some of his men, and he blinded its eye to take revenge. Another incredible journey is when he meets Cirse, the witch goddess who fell in love with him, and they feast for a whole year. Many more adventures passed Odysseus, but after twenty years, he could return home to Ithaca.
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