/ Puny, am I, in a Caveman’s hand? / How do like the beating we gave you, / you damned cannibal? Eater of Guests / under your roof! Zeus and the gods have paid you!” (Homer 768). As he is saying this, his hubris is beginning to creep up on him because he thinks he is the best person ever after tricking Polyphemus.
When Odysseus and his men are clearly safe away from the island Odysseus brags about his successful feat. Polythemus hears this and launches giant boulders in the direction of the ship. Some came very close to sinking the ship, yet that was not enough for Odysseus. Blinded by his pride he unwisely revealed his identity to Polythemus. With that Polythemus called upon his father, Poseidon, to seek revenge on the man who had harmed him.
Despite of the tragedy Odysseus remains to keep his moral high and hatches up a plan to deceive Polyphemus. “There bowls I brought him, I brought him and poured them down. I saw the fuddle and flush come over him…” (9.355-365). His men are brutally killed and gorged on by this monster; nevertheless, Odysseus is still able to face his fear, exemplifying bravery. Proceeding on the plan Odysseus and his men drive a spear through the Cyclops’s eye.
Roger is one character who unleashes his inner brutality after being once confined by the expectation of society. In one incident, he implies a sign by kicking over the sand castles of the innocent littleuns. For example, “Roger led the way straight through the castles, kicking them over, burying the flowers, and scattering the chosen stones” (Golding 60). He hints that he has let some brutality consume him, but has yet to bypass the chains of civilization. However, as time passes, Roger becomes more savage to the point of killing Piggy by pushing a rock off of a ledge.
An example of this is when Odysseus and his men are trapped in the Cyclopes’s cave, Odysseus says “Now came the time to toss for it: who ventured along with me? Whose hand could bear to thrust and grind that spike in Cyclops eye” (279). Odysseus is saying that he wants to decide who is to aid him in killing Polyphemus simply with a toss of a coin. This is hardly a heroic decision, and it shows his lack of true leadership. Yet another example from Polyphemus’s island was when Odysseus watches and cheers as his men stab Polyphemus in
A hero is someone you can bet your life on and know that they will have your back whatever happens. Odysseus saves his men in the cyclops’ cave, and rescued his men from becoming animals for eternity. Odysseus is a hero because he has both super human strengths and human
The Danes admired Beowulf, which infuriated their greatest warrior Unferth. Unferth challenged Beowulf’s boasts and told the story of Beowulf’s swimming contest with Breca, suggesting that Beowulf lost that competition. Beowulf corrected Unferth, making it clear that he didn’t lose the fight; he was simply defending himself against nine incredibly strong sea monsters instead of focusing on a silly race. He described a great battle in which he asked fate to “let [him] find [the monster’s] heart with [his sword].” He went on to say that he conquered the monsters, and at last could see “God’s bright beacon” and the land in front of him. This scene combined the Pagan concept of wyrd with the idea that God is able
First, in various stories Odysseus is very contradicting to himself because he is only hero-like some of the time. When he and his men were raiding the Cyclops’ cave they could have left before the Cyclops got there and they could have avoided a lot of trouble. But Odysseus wanted to be a hero and wanted to stay and fight the Cyclops. This was a very selfish move of him and ended up being the wrong decision because it cost him a few of his best men. Later when he redeems himself he tells the Cyclops his name is nobody and gets him drunk.
Aeneas once again proves his piety prevails, as he does not let Juno's efforts to destroy his fleet discourage him. Although, his piety survives Juno's attacks, he is very disgruntled by his fate and he does not hide his feelings. Aeneas deems "luckier were those who died before their parents under Troy's high walls" (1. 112-113). He utterly envies the men who died in the Trojan War, wishing he could be so lucky, as to die behind the walls.
They are referred to as a fierce, lawless people. Instead of being hospitable toward Odysseus, the Cyclops wants to eat him and his men. The Cyclops and the suitors did not act like the traditional Greek creatures or people that they were supposed to be. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus and Telemachus overcome obstacles and they meet people that show them hospitality and hostility. The nymph Calypso was very hospitable and loving to Odysseus.