Leadership in The Odyssey Essay

The Odyssey

While with the Phaeacians, Odysseus relates his trials and tribulations since the fall of Troy. However, when he arrives in Phaeacia, he arrives alone; all of his men have died. He has had a violent and gruesome journey home. Despite this loss, however, his effectiveness as a leader is evident. He is powerful, clever, and determined in everything he does.

Odysseus shows his cunning throughout his various adventures. One example is the way he escapes from the cave of the Kyklops. When asked his name, he deludes the kyklops into believing his name is Nohbdy, This way, when the kyklops cries out for help, the others hear that Nobodys tricked [him], and walk away (Homer.157). In order to leave the cave, Odysseus has to again prove how astute he is. He decides to tie his men to the bottoms of the Kyklops rams so that in the morning, when the Kyklops opens the door, he and his men all escape undetected. In other accounts, Odysseus intellect gets him out of trouble. For instance, when faced with the decision of sailing past Skylla the six headed monster or Kharybdis the killer whirlpool, Odysseus chooses to sail past Skylla; that way only six men are lost. Kharybdis would assure death for all, capsizing every ship. He does not divulge to his men the danger they are about to face because they would have dropped their oars again, in panic (Homer.217). The withholding of information from his men shows that Odysseus thinks ahead, taking into account every possibility. However, these precautious measures do not mean he is weak in any way.

Besides being clever, Odysseus is a powerful man- in body and in spirit. During the encounter with Polyphemos the kyklops, Odysseus blinds his captor with a large smoldering pole. Although he lifts it with the help of his men, he is the force behind it when it plunges into the eye and twists like an auger. Even after that, when escaping, he manages another feat of strength. While the other men are tied to the sheep, he cleaves to the bottom just with his hands and stays there all through the night with fingers twisted deep in sheepskin ringlets for an iron grip awaiting the morning (Homer.158). Later, on the island of a goddess named Kirke, Odysseus is visited by Hermes and given instruction on how to rescue his men. In order to carry this out, he would not only have to be physically strong, but mentally strong as well. After consuming the plant that renders him impervious to Kirkes potion, he surmounted the urge to sleep with her right away. That took strength of mind. Then he jumped up and restrained her with a knife to her throat, making her swear not to work [any] more enchantment to [his] harm (Homer.175). To hold back a goddess requires great strength and determination.

Determination is another characteristic displayed by Odysseus, qualifying him as an effective leader. For years, he is bound by the nymph Kalypso on her island. He will not accept her offers of immortality to be her hearts delight (Homer.146). No matter how long it takes, he will wait until she releases him and he may return back to his family. Odysseus traverses far and wide, contending with monsters, jeopardizing his own life, harried for years on end, all so that he can return home (Homer.1). In another account, on Kirkes island, Odysseus refuses to leave his men behind and is steadfast on getting them out of the mansion. After losing his entire crew and all of his ships, he escapes his doom by grabbing a nearby fig branch and hanging from it for an extended amount of time. These actions prove that despite the odds, Odysseus is determined to get back to Ithaka.

All of this evidence is clearly in support of Odysseus ability as a good and effective leader over his men. He is powerful, cunning, and determined in everything that he does, enabling him to make the correct decisions. The loss of all his men is a result of their own ignorant actions, eating Helios cattle against the wishes of the gods. Their deaths are not due to the misjudgment of their captain, though his judgments are far from infallible.