o help them escape. The Cyclops, Polyphemos, let his prized sheep out graze during the day, so Odysseus decided they should hang on the bellies of the sheep when he let the out, Odysseus saved his men from certain death. However, as Odysseus was escaping from Polyphemos he disclosed his name to the giant, which he had earlier tried to keep a secret. He wanted to pridefully exclaim that he was the man who had tricked the awful Polyphemos. He did not realize the consequences of this disclosure made him in particular responsible for his actions. It happed that Polyphemos was the son the sea god Poseidon. Throughout the rest of the journey, Poseidon works against Odysseus and his crew. Odysseus allowed pride to get the best of him; this becomes a common occurrence of epic heroes. He feels he can accomplish all things on his own, forgetting to honor the gods. This character flaw seems to appear later in the epic when Odysseus arrives home to find his home in the middle of a terrible ordeal. He allows anger to engulf him and vows to get revenge on the suitors and their accomplices. He kills the handmaidens of the suitors; they are given an offensive and dishonorable death “by hanging rather than by the knife or sword, as in the ritual sacrifice of an innocent animal” (Wilkie and hurt 571). This dishonorable death showed Odysseus lack of respect and extreme anger, which he took out on the maids. They were not allowed a proper burial, which dishonored their families and all that knew them. Oedipus is another famous hero who served as the Theban king. Oedipus became famous when he solved a riddle and rid the city of the monstrous Sphinx. The Theban people had just lost their king and so the hero Oedipus was crowned as their new leader. He then married the queen and ruled over the city. A terrible plague later haunts the people of Thebes, Oedipus vows to find the cause and later vows to avenge the death of the past k...
