My dear goats rush out of the cave as I see my best friend, “Hello Jelly,” I say, “It’s chilly, it’s time I make you a new hat. It’s not my fault that I was born not as smart as my siblings! It’s not my fault that he’s teases me! He always scolds but never helps me.Īs I open my rock-door to release my dear goats, I gaze out to the panorama of the rolling green hills and bunches of geraniums. I cannot stress how ashamed I am you are a disgrace to the family, Polyphemus.” “You’ve been saying that for the past three-hundred years!” he thunders, making my cave shake, “You are so impulsive that you never think. “Son, you’re an idiot!” he shouts, “What did you do when I gave you that staff yesterday? Eh? You threw it out to sea, thinking it would eat you. By the end of the journey, honor rather than glory becomes the guide to right action.“Oh father, stop!” I weep, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

Although the vengeance brings him glory in battle, it is ultimately an act of honor.

Let not man ever be lawless all his life,/ just take in peace what gifts the gods will send.' He humbles himself in front of the suitors in order to avenge the great dishonor they have brought to his wife and his household. Disguised as a beggar, he says to one of the suitors: 'I too seemed destined to be a man of fortune once/ and a wild wicked swath I cut, indulged my lust for violence…. In the course of his journey home, however, Odysseus seems to repent of his youthful hunt for glory. Similarly, he decides to face both Scylla and Charybdis, 'hell-bent yet again on battle and on feats of arms,' although it costs him several of his men. In seeking glory, he betrays his crew and greatly prolongs his journey home. And because Odysseus names himself, the Cyclops brings great misfortune to him and his crew by inciting the rage of Poseidon (the Cyclops' father). But at the last moment, he calls out to the Cyclops to declare that it was he, Odysseus, who defeated him, so that the Cyclops can spread his fame and win him glory.

Odysseus escapes the Cyclops with most of his crew in part by naming himself Nobody – a symbolic act of self-effacement. For example, Odysseus blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus in order to avenge the deaths of six crew members: the violence is an act of honor because vengeance is customary and just. Sometimes the two pursuits conflict with one another, since striving for glory can lead to reckless, proud behavior that violates customs and angers the gods. Glory is attained mainly by victory in battle and by feats of strength and cunning, while honor is attained by just, lawful behavior. In the course of the story, the two terms acquire distinct meanings. Odysseus and other characters are motivated by pursuit of glory and honor.

Book 9 the odyssey