The Odyssey Case

Odysseus’s pride and arrogance ultimately causes his difficult journey home. When Odysseus and his crew are escaping Polyphemus, he decides to taunt the Cyclops even though he and his crew are safe. His ego takes over and mocks the “lawless brute”, “so, Cyclops, no weak coward it was whose crew you bent to devour…you shameless cannibal” (9.531-534). Odysseus’s lack of conscious thinking made Polyphemus flare-up with anger. The Cyclops was so enraged that he took a humongous slab of mountain and hurled it at Odysseus' ship; sending him and his crew backwards toward their death, but every man on the ship (except Odysseus) rowed as hard as they could against the shattering waves, back towards safety. If it weren’t for his crew's efforts, Odysseus, his crew, and his ship, would all be destroyed. Odysseus' ego annoys comrades and pushes his enemies to their limits. Once again, Odysseus and his crew are safe to sail away from the Cyclops, but Odysseus says, "Cyclops-if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so-say Odysseus, raider of the cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca” (9.558-562). Prior to Odysseus saying this, the Cyclops does not know anything of his identity and he could easily escape the without any harm or damage. His pause in action caused the death of some of his crewmen when Poseidon heard of his announcement of identity and took revenge on Odysseus. If Odysseus simply left without a grand announcement of self-importance, he would have been able to leave earlier, safer, and without sacrificing his crewmen. It is his hubris that hinders him from returning to Ithaca. After this, the Cyclops yells to Poseidon, his father, to make sure that Odysseus never returns home to Ithaca. Not only is his return to Ithaca suspended, but also all of his crew die due to his arrogance and selfishness.

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