Although in his way back to Ithaca, Odysseus has lost all of his men, his compassion toward them makes him a good leader. By caring for these men, Odysseus uses his intelligence and bravery to overcome barriers they meet, even if he could not protect all of them. When Polyphemus has killed some of his people, Odysseus outwits the cyclops and helps the rest of crew escape from danger. He also confronts Circe to save his followers while they are held captive. These instances show that Odysseus has the attributes necessary for being a good leader. Despite that he is prideful when his plan succeeds, he also regrets the death of his followers, showing his empathy toward these men. Not surprisingly, his leadership skill also allows him to gain back throne and restore peace at last place. Such accomplishment is worthy of his wit and courage.
Indeed, Odysseus’ intelligence has saved his followers from various threats, which may stop them from proceeding. Compared to his followers, Odysseus is more sensitive toward danger, and he tries to drive them away from it. For example, as the crew arrives at the land of Lotus eaters, they are offered with appealing fruit to eat. Even though the Lotus eaters do not mean harm, Odysseus notices the effect of the fruit as it makes people unwilling to leave the place. Therefore, he quickly decides to pull his crew back to the ship. “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches.” (Homer, Odyssey, 9.105-106) This action shows Odysseus’ concern for his members’ mind, while preventing them from being inflicted by the toxic fruit. In addition, Odysseus is skilled at deceiving, which rescues his followers from the hands of cyclops. When the team gets to cyclops Polyphemus’ cave, the members do not expect the cyclops to seal the cave and eat some of them. During this situation, he devises a plan to escape, takes advantage of cyclops’ desire, providing wines for him, and lies to him when the chance comes. “Remember the gift you promised me, and I shall tell you. My name is Nobody.” (Homer, Odyssey, 9.395-397) This speech, while boastful, tricks Polyphemus so that Odysseus’ crew will not be attacked by other cyclops when he cries for help.
Of course, even when the team put Polyphemus to sleep, it is still fearful for people to attack this huge giant creature. In this moment, Odysseus’ leadership is enhanced by his outstanding courage, which he even manages to propagate it toward his followers. “Now, by the gods, I drove my big hand spike deep in the embers, charring it again, and cheered my men along with battle talk to keep their courage up: no quitting now.” (Homer, Odyssey, 9.406-409) Even in the face of mishap, Odysseus persuades his members to take the action, which leads to their success in blinding this monstrous giant. His courage, combined with intelligence, is even able to subdue Circe, a powerful and seductive sorceress. As his followers cannot perceive danger until they are turned into pigs by Circe, Odysseus determines to meet with this formidable woman and persuades her with his deceitful power. “Circe, where is the captain who could bear to touch this banquet, in my place? A decent man would see his company before him first. Put heart in me to eat and drink – you may, by freeing my companions, I must see them.” (Homer, Odyssey, 9.426-431) By such daring yet deceitful words, Odysseus successfully sets his members back to free. But such skillful attempt also stems from his unfaltering concern for his followers. Being the leader of the crew, he refuses to leave them aside and succumb to their fate. Instead, he wants to return all of them back to their homeland, even if they are destined to perish.
Certainly, Odysseus is a great leader because his compassion also manifests in his pity for his men’s death. When he travels to the land of the dead, he meets one of his companions Elpenor, and moans him. “Elpenor, of our company, who lay unburied still on the wide earth as we had left him – dead in Circe’s hall, untouched, unmourned, when other cares compelled us. Now when I saw him there I wept for pity.” (Homer, Odyssey, 11, 54-58) In this moment, Odysseus feels sorrowful for the loss of Elpenor. While he knows he could not save all of his followers, he still tries to harness his repertoire to keep them alive. If death happens, Odysseus will make it honorable, as he sets a proper burial for Elpenor. Though the team dies out as the journey progresses, Odysseus still attempts to motivate his members before they are devoured by Scylla. “Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave? Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits to find a way out of us?” (Homer, Odyssey, 12, 269-274) Though he prides himself on defeating cyclops, this speech promotes his followers to defend against the monster Scylla to the best as they can. Even in the face of defeat, Odysseus tells them that they should never surrender.
Though eventually, Odysseus has lost all of his men when back to Ithaca, he carries on his leadership and uses it to regain his kingdom. After passing the bow test, he reveals himself and rallies up people in the palace to fight against suitors. For instance, to his son Telemachus, he makes decisive order to take armors from store room. “Run then, while I hold them off with arrows as long as the arrows last. When all are gone if I’m alone they can dislodge me.” (Homer, Odyssey, 22, 113-115) This fast decision makes him successful in regaining the throne and restoring the peace for Ithaca.
To sum up, a good leader in epic might not be able to keep all his people alive, but he could sympathize with his followers, and use his intelligence and bravery to lead his team through progressing various difficulties. Odysseus fails to protect all of his men on the way back to Ithaca. However, he often gets them out of trouble when they could not resist by themselves. Therefore, one should not overlook the fact that he lost all of his men. Instead, it is critical to analyze how he leads the team.
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