A dynamic character is a literary persona who experiences a significant inner change, such as a shift in personality or attitude. Odysseus, the primary character in Homer’s epic work “The Odyssey”, is no different. Odysseus maintains his strategic perspective despite the hardships of combat and the difficulties of the voyage home.
Odysseus is a dynamic character since he is away from home for years and misses his family. He achieves victory in battle and is helped by the gods. He has long been regarded as a literary hero. Also, he undergoes significant transformations throughout his journey.
Odysseus is the central character in the Odyssey. The epic tells the story of his journey back home to his wife Penelope. He possesses several characteristics. He is strong, friendly, and brave, but most importantly, he is exceptionally clever. The epic tells the narrative of a Trojan War warrior and the King of Ithaca. He is renowned for his knowledge, wisdom, and courage. The Odyssey highlights how different experiences can cause people to shift their identities or social statuses. Within the narrative, the main character experiences different kinds of adventures and enemies. They have a substantial impact on his identity.
The story begins with Odysseus the warrior. As previously said, Odysseus is renowned for his intelligence. Odysseus uses deceptive discourse or voices, as well as disguises throughout the story to fool or perhaps confuse people. He regularly altered his appearance and the way he spoke and sounded. For example, Odysseus informs the Cyclops Polyphemus that his name is ‘No one.’ Also, while thrashing Polyphemus, he yells, ‘No one is beating you,’ when the Cyclops questions who is doing so.
He did so when others asked Polyphemus what was wrong and he said, ‘No one is harming me.’ The others expected that, ‘If you are alone as you are [Polyphemus], no one will use violence against you. Furthermore, in the sonnet, when he first meets and addresses Nausicaa on the island of Scheria, his calm, soothing demeanor quickly earns her trust. He was able to persuade and influence his audience throughout the story.
Characters in Homeric literature are often static. Even though they are extremely intelligent and reasonable, they do not evolve throughout the work in the same way that characters in contemporary books and stories do. Regardless, the main character of The Odyssey, Odysseus, breaks this tradition. Odysseus, being headstrong and needing to be known, begins his adventure in the grotto of Polyphemus, getting a charge out of the free drain and cheddar he discovers, and is caught there when the Cyclops returns. He even disguises himself as a deprived individual. As a poor person, he is mistreated and beaten, yet he does not react quickly to the rivals’ mistreatment. He will rather take up the battering until he constructs a trap, and his connections place him in a position to successfully strike back.
However, the battle with Polyphemus taught Odysseus that his most powerful weapons were his intelligence and knowledge. Following his successful escape, Odysseus learned to adapt to new surroundings. During the story, Athena disguised himself to appear as a beggar. Odysseus favors Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. She repeatedly spares him at an important crossroads. Like Odysseus, Athena dislikes Poseidon, the ocean god and competitor in the story.
He had to begin his new life as a nobody to become a noble king once more. Odysseus killed his wife’s suitors while returning to Ithaca. The incident restored his previous identity. Odysseus killed the suitor to symbolize the hero’s physical return.
When Odysseus returned to Ithaca, he struggled to identify himself to his family. Penelope assumed Odysseus had died because he had been missing for twenty years. She didn’t recognize him when he returned home. Penelope was motivated by Athena to take up an arrow-shooting mission. The goddess was confident that Odysseus would fulfill his duty. With her support, the family agreed to take Odysseus. He also restored his standing as king in society owing to her counsel. She orders the inhabitants of Ithaca to formally acknowledge Odysseus as king. Odysseus’ return to Ithaca restored his actual status.
Considering everything into account, Odysseus embarked on this remarkable self-absorbed warrior, knowing that he had no choice but to bite the bullet and that everyone knew his name, husband, and father.
Throughout the story, Odysseus’ response to the inquiry changes through foreshadowing and flashbacks. He grows and develops as a character throughout the story. By the end, he is progressively quiet and can put his pride aside. He becomes increasingly crafty, even lowering his stature as Lord of Ithaca, and masking himself as an ordinary man, allowing mistreatment from the suitors. In this way, Odysseus is a round figure who grows as a character.
