Odysseus was religious, believing in the power of the Greek Gods to control destiny and fate. This helps him set a good example for his men to follow. In book nine he often makes reference to gods and nymphs (the children of gods). One of these being ‘, some god must have guided us here through the murky night,’ and also ‘, presently the Nymphs, those children of Zeus, set the mountain goats on the move to ensure my companions a meal’.
Chapter nine also suggests that Odysseus is an intelligent man who can plan ahead. For example when in the Cyclops cave he tricks the Cyclops by giving his name as ‘nobody’. When the Cyclops is blinded and screams for help, the other Cyclopes come to his aid. As the Cyclops had shut off his cave the others were unable to see inside and could only shout to ask him what was wrong. The Cyclops then replied that it is nobody’s fault and nobody’s treachery that caused him pain. The other Cyclopes then say, ‘Well if nobody is causing you harm then you must be fine,’ and they then walk off and go back to there business.
Odysseus can be rash and make mistakes in judgement. An example of this is when he first entered the Cyclops’ cave; he walked into a dead end. He had no escape route if things were to go wrong. As a result of the misjudgement, he gets imprisoned by the Cyclops and half of his men are eaten.
There is also evidence that Odysseus can be arrogant and fail to control his temper and that this can result in him making unwise decisions. When he finally escapes the Cyclops’ cave and the companions start to sail away, Odysseus shouts an insult at the Cyclops. As a result of this the Cyclops throws a huge boulder at the ship narrowly missing it. Odysseus’ men then stop him shouting again, but he ignores them and shouts at the Cyclops again, giving his name, ‘Cyclops, if anyone ever asks you how you came by you blindness, tell them your eye was put out by Odysseus, sacker of cities, son of Laertes, who lives in Ithaca’. The Cyclops now puts a curse on Odysseus. This also shows Odysseus does not always listen to the opinions of his men.
In conclusion I consider that the chapter gives evidence of both the positive and negative aspects of Odysseus character. It shows Odysseus could be an intelligent leader who cared or his men’s well being and safety, but that he could also be arrogant and impetuous.
