Tyler D’Agostino Mr. Martino English 10 Section 6 2 November 2012
Who’s To Blame? In Homer’s Epic, The Odyssey Odysseus the leader of Ithaca goes through very long troublesome and painful journey after fighting in the Trojan War. Throughout the whole epic, learning and experiencing his long expedition, the reader can decide who is to blame. Many Greek people would …show more content…

They killed my cattle” (12. 282). Zeus is encouraged to smite them, along with their ship. This is also the moment when the crew’s fate becomes sealed and Odysseus’s voyage becomes even more complicated force to go on alone. The last character to blame for Odysseus’ anguish is Odysseus himself. Like many epic heroes of Greek literature Odysseus suffers from Hubris. Hubris is excessive pride, something we see in Odysseus throughout the story. For instance when he knows they will pass the sirens and Odysseus feels he must hear and resist their song, rather than just fill his ears with wax, like his crew. It is not until this peccadillo of Odysseus becomes a threat when he exclaims to the Cyclops, “if any man on the face of earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so-say Odysseus” while narrowly escaping his island (9. 227). When Odysseus exclaims his name and taunts the Cyclopes, it proves to be a pejorative decision. Even Though the crew tries to stop Odysseus from provoking the monster, continues, eventually leading to the exposition of Poseidon as the father of the Cyclopes, and the introduction of Poseidon as an antagonist to Odysseus. Poseidon made sure his journey would be wearisome and difficult, in which it very much was. Odysseus became a menace to himself as soon as he opened his mouth to sneer the beast. After Reading the epic, readers are able to reflect on Odysseus as a hero by looking back on his journey. Odysseus has