Can anybody explain, in lamens terms, who Odysseus is from Homer's Odyssee and some facts about him????

Question

Can anybody explain, in lamens terms, who Odysseus is from Homer's Odyssee and some facts about him????

Answer 1

Odyseus was king of Ithaka, a small island in the Aegaeis.
He had to be forced to join the Greeks, he pretended to be insane, but when his newborn son was put in danger, he had to give up and join the other Greeks, according to his oath of alliance.
In the end it was Odysseus who came up with the idea of the wooden horse, and Troy fell.

On the way back, which took him 12 years, he met various adventures, among others the man-eating one-eyed giant Polyphemos, whom he killed. Polyphemos was a son of the sea god Poseidon, who then did everything to kill Odysseus, but was thwarted by Athene, the goddess of wisdom, who had put Odysseus under her personal protection.

In the end he lost his ship and all his comrades, and got stranded on an Island whose king gave him the means to go home, persuaded by his daughter Nausikaa who had found Odysseus near dead and rescued him.

On returning to Ithaka Odysseus learned that his wife was pursued by men who wanted to marry her and become the new king.
He disguised himself as a beggar and was only recognized by his dog and an old servant, not, at first, by his wife.

Himself and his now grown son, Telemachos, fought the suitors and killed them all.

That's basically it.

If you want to know more you'll have to read it for yourself, there is a new edition of Robert Graves "Greek Myths" from Penguin, very easy to read.

Answer 2

Once upon a time, when humanity was young, most people obeyed their kings and their gods or goddesses without thought or question. Some people focused more on their own needs, doing whatever it took to live a life of glory, etc. One guy learned that obeying without thought was generally bad, and so started focusing on how to think, how to be able to get out of any negative situation with the 'best win', how to be 'crafty'.
This man was represented in the poems of Homer by Odysseus, and was the mental father of all the Greeks, and for that matter now of the Americans, who approach every problem believing that with enough awareness, thought, and readiness to create some tool or technology or other a solution giving everyone involved the 'best win' can be found.

Answer 3

Odysseus was the ruler of a greek Isle, called Ithica. He was also one of the great leaders in the Trojan War, and one of Helen of Troy's suitors. He also backed out on a pledge to bring Helen back by acting like he was insane. He was caught and proven sane by Palemedes

After the fight in Troy, his band tried to sail back home but he had angered Posiden who worked his way to insure that he would never return to his wife, Penelope.

The entire book by Homer is the supposed happenings after the Trojan war.

Answer 4

Odysseus was the King of Ithaca. He went away for ten years to fight in the Trojan War. He sided with the Greeks and after they won he forgot to thank the God Poseidon for helping them. Poseidon was angered by that and it took Odysseus ten extra years to get back home to Ithaca after the war was over, because Poseidon kept delaying him.

Answer 5

He was a great worrior who fought in the great Trojan War. He fought for 10 years and it took him 10 years to get back home. When he got home, all of these guys were tring to win his wife, so he dressed up as a begger and won her back with an incredible feat of archery. There is a lot more about the war and the journey home. Its pretty cool.

Have a nice day :-)

Answer 6

Odysseus.

Poseidon was against him because he claimed all the credit for himself although Poseidon helped him.

Left to go fight the Trojans the day his son was born.

Had to return home before son grew his first beard in order for his wife not to re-marry.

Him and his men built the famous Trojan Horse to defeat the Trojans.

Was on Calypso's island for 7 years.

He was a proud warrior and leader in the beginning only to find himself as just an ordinary man in the end.

He threw a spear in the Cyclop's eye.

His men was turned into animals and had to sleep with the Goddess in order for them to change back.

Answer 7

He's the George Clooney character in O Brother, Where Art Thou.

He's a fairly ordinary guy--no magical powers or anything like that. He's smart but not a super-genius. Basically, he gets through a tough journey home fraught with bizarre perils (dog-headed monsters, a witch, Sirens) by being fairly clever and resilient.

All the guys with divine connections got killed off in the Trojan War or right after they got home. So the moral is, it's best to get by without help from the gods--they'll screw you in the end.