The first in Joseph Campbell’s steps to completing the Hero’s Journey is leaving home. This is when the protagonist leaves the safety of his home/parents/lover to go into the world. In TheOdyssey, Odysseus is forced to leave his island kingdom of Ithaca, his wife Penelope, and his young son Telemachos to fight for King Menelaus, ruler of Sparta. King Menelaus’s wife Helen had been stolen by Paris of Troy. Odysseus would have refused to fight if not for an oath he had sworn years before.
And thus, Odysseus sets sail for Troy with the Spartan fleet. The second step to the Hero’s Journey is deciding on a quest. This is when the hero decides to go upon an adventure. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’s quest begins when he leaves Troy and attempts to return to Ithaca, 10 years after he left. However, his quest to return home would have been very short and not at all hero-worthy if not for Odysseus forgetting to sacrifice to the gods before leaving. This angers the gods, so Zeus sends a storm to destroy the returning fleet.
Odysseus and his men are thrown off course by the storm and then Odysseus’s quest really begins. The third step to completing the Hero’s Journey is encountering dragons. This step is when the hero encounters the metaphorical dragon, i.e. enemies, temptations, distractions, ect. Odysseus’s first dragon is his encounter with the Cicones. It represents thewarriors’ basic instinct: greed. After destroying Cicone, Odysseus and his men loot the village and divide the wine, women, and money among themselves. However, instead of leaving the Cicones like Odysseus suggested, the men’s thirst for wealth compels them to stay in the town, gathering all the treasure and spoils they can lay their hands on. But, while the Ithacans were looting and drinking, the Cicones “.got away and shouted to other Ciconians, neighbors of their island, more men and better men, who knew how to fight from the chariot against a foe, and on foot if need be.” (Homer 101)
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When the Ithacans were driven from the shore, Odysseus learns an important lesson: don’t be greedy and give into temptation.His next dragon is his run-in with the Cyclops; Polyphemus is one of the hardest trials Odysseus endures. Odysseus enters the Cyclops’s cave, eats his food and makes himself at home, confident that the caves owner will be obliged to help Odysseus because he is a guest. However, the Cyclops, whose name is Polyphemus, doesn’t feel the same way. The Cyclops traps the Ithacans and begins to eat them.Odysseus must escape Polyphemus’s cave, but he can’t move the large stone that covers the entrance. He can’t kill Polyphemus in his sleep either, as Polyphemus is the only one strong enough to move the door. So Odysseus must use only his cunning and trickery to escape alive. Odysseus was famous for his cunning during the Trojan War, and he used it to complement his skill in battle, but Odysseus normally relied upon is immense strength. But in Polyphemus’s cave, he casts off his dependence onstrength and turns to his ability to think himself out of a corner. This dragon teaches him to use his brain rather than his brawn to win a fight. It also teaches Odysseus tobe humble after a victory.
After escaping from the island, Odysseus taunts Polyphemus, saying that, “I say, Cyclops! If ever anyone asks who put out your ugly eye, tell him your blinder was Odysseus, the conqueror of troy, the son of Laertes, whose address is uponlthaca!” (Homer, 110)0dysseus’s foolishness almost caused his ship to be suck by the Cyclops, and all the Ithacans would have died. Humility is hard for Odysseus to understand; he suffers Polyphemus’s wrathtwo times before he finally understands it.Odysseus’s brush with the sirens is a trial he can’t survive without his crew’s help. Tied to the mast, he sails pastthe Sirens, who attempt to kill him by song. He would have jumped into the ocean to his death if he was by himself. This dragon shows Odysseus’swillto complete every challenge in his path. He must keep the object of his quest in mind, and not strayfrom the path. He also realizes that his singularquest will not be an adventure he can complete alone, and only with help he will be successful. The fourth part of the Hero’s Journey is the all-out struggle. This is when the hero clashes with death via a fight or mental struggle. In Odysseus’s case, it’s a fight.
After returning home to find his palace besieged by greedy suitors who have been pillaging his palace and eating his food, Odysseus uses the lessons he learned over his 10-year quest to cleanse his home. Instead of rushing in rashly to fight the suitors, Odysseus uses his wit. He realizes he will not be able to defeat the multitude of suitors without help so he goes to his son Telemachus, a loyal cowherd named Emmaus, and his old nurse Eurycleia. The nurse locks the women upstairs, the cowherd closes and locks the gates, and Telemachus and Odysseus destroy the suitors after locking up their weapons and armor. The fifth stage in a Hero’s Journey is being wounded/marked by the fight. There are two fights in The Odyssey: The quest home and the final battle against the suitors. On the way home, Odysseus Ioses all of his faithful men, in addition to losing 20 years with his family. His wife and son don’t recognize him upon his return and this must have been painful.
In Ithaca, Odysseus kills many if not all of Ithaca’s best fighting men, leaving his island without warriors to defend it. He also kills all of his palace’s unfaithful maids who slept with the suitors. Odysseus is indeed marked by both of these struggles, but this isn’t entirely bad. He has learned many valuable lessons along his quest. The final stage of a Hero’s Journey is the great wisdom. The protagonist learns something(s) of great value. By destroying the suitors whooutnumber Telemachus and Odysseus about 50 to 1, Odysseus proves himself to be the rightful king of Ithaca. His devious plan to hide the suitors weapons, his skill in leading just four people to victory against staggering odds, and hisincredible self-control and restraint shown in notattacking prematurely are each are traits he learned from the quest. During the course of his final battle, Odysseus uses all the knowledge and skillhe gained throughout his Hero’s Journey. It is the successful use of his acquired abilities that allows him to fulfill his journey and to become a better king, husband and father.
