Odysseus and his Crew

   Part of our class discussion today consisted of us revealing what we thought of Odysseus based off of certain parts of the story. A good majority of us explained that we fell like Odysseus is incredibly self centered, and does not tend to concern himself with the benefit of his crew. While I feel that is a point that could be argued, I would like to take the opposite stance and say that he does tend to care for his crew, and will sometimes put himself into risky situations to rescue them from peril.

            The interaction with the Cicones provides two instances in which Odysseus goes out of his way in order to properly respect his crew. In recalling his story, Odysseus says “as for the wives and plunder, that rich haul we dragged away from the place- we shared it round so no one, not on my account, would go deprived of his fair share of spoils” (Book 9, Lines 46-49). This right here is a prime example of how Odysseus does not always think only of himself, and tries to be absolutely sure that all of his men get their fair share of the loot, which is a rather commendable trait. Also, after the Cicones return and kill off a few of his men, it is said that Odysseus would “not let our rolling ships set sail until the crews had raised the triple cry, saluting each poor comrade cut down by the fierce Cicones on that plain” (Book 9, Lines 73-75). What is remarkable here is not only how respectful Odysseus is of his fallen crew members, but that he is this respectful after having called them “mutinous fools” (Book 9, Line 51) just before.

            In addition to Odysseus being respectful to his crew, there are also two instances in which he rescues them from what would otherwise be inevitable doom. The first time is when they fall victim to the “lotus obsession”. Upon learning that his men have tasted the louts, Odysseus ventures on to the island in order to force them back onto the ship, so that they may return home. Now granted, Odysseus does not risk a whole lot in saving them, but it still shows that he is concerned about whether or not they return. However, the second time he saves them, he puts himself at a much greater risk. When Eurylochus returns from Circe’s palace with the report that all of the other crew members have been transformed into pigs, Odysseus does not hesitate for a second. He recalls that “at that report I slung the hefty bronze blade of my silver studded sword around my shoulder, slung my bow on too and told our comrade ‘Lead me back by the same way that you came’” (Book 10, Lines 287-290). Even when Eurylochus warns him of the dangers that lie ahead, Odysseus is determined to win his crew back, telling Eurylochus “necessity drives me on” (Book 10, Line 301). This is probably Odysseus’s greatest act of selflessness yet, as he is clearly putting his life in danger in order to save his men.

            So overall, while I do think that Odysseus can at times seem self centered, he truly does care about what happens to his men, and will go out of his way to protect and honor them.