What kind of hero is Odysseus, and how do the prescribed books show his cunning and endurance?
The characterisation of Odysseus as a hero: his cunning and cleverness (metis), shown in the blinding of the Cyclops and the 'Nobody' trick (Book 9), his endurance and leadership, his flaws (curiosity and boastfulness), and how he differs from a hero of pure strength.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Odysseus as a hero in The Odyssey. Covers his cunning (metis), shown in the blinding of the Cyclops and the 'Nobody' trick in Book 9, his endurance and leadership, his flaws of curiosity and boastfulness, and how he differs from a hero of pure strength, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
The Odyssey is built around its hero, Odysseus, and you must be able to characterise him. You need to understand his defining quality of cunning and cleverness (metis), shown in the blinding of the Cyclops and the "Nobody" trick (Book 9), his endurance and leadership, his flaws (curiosity and boastfulness), and how he differs from a hero of pure strength (such as Achilles or Heracles). The paper tests precise knowledge of the prescribed books (AO1) and analysis plus your own argument (AO2).
The answer
Metis: cunning as Odysseus's defining quality
The Cyclops and the "Nobody" trick (Book 9)
Endurance, leadership and flaws
How he differs from a hero of strength
Compared with a hero of pure strength:
- A hero like Achilles or Heracles wins by force.
- Odysseus wins by trickery, planning and endurance, and even hides his name and disguises himself (back on Ithaca) rather than charging in.
This is why the Odyssey is a poem of wits and survival rather than of straightforward battle.
Examples in context
A strong essay would argue cunning (metis) is Odysseus's defining and decisive quality, though courage, endurance and the gods' help support it.
Try this
Q1. Why did Odysseus blind the Cyclops rather than kill him? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Because a huge stone blocked the cave entrance, and only the Cyclops could move it; killing him would have trapped Odysseus and his men inside, so blinding him (and escaping under the rams) was the clever solution.
Q2. Explain how Odysseus's boastfulness brings him further suffering. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Sailing away, he shouts his real name and taunts the blinded Polyphemus, who then prays to his father Poseidon to curse Odysseus; Poseidon's anger brings him years more hardship on his journey home, showing how his pride undermines his cunning.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J199/21 2019 (style)4 marksDescribe how Odysseus tricks the Cyclops using the name 'Nobody' in Book 9. [4]Show worked answer →
A short literature question (4 marks, AO1). Reward an accurate account of the trick.
Reward points. Odysseus tells Polyphemus that his name is "Nobody" (Outis); after getting the Cyclops drunk on strong wine, Odysseus and his men drive a sharpened, fire-hardened stake into his single eye and blind him; when Polyphemus roars for help, the other Cyclopes ask who is hurting him, and he answers "Nobody", so they go away, thinking he is mad or stricken by the gods.
Top marks. The false name, getting him drunk, the blinding with the stake, and the trick working because "Nobody" is hurting him.
OCR J199/21 2021 (essay, true tariff 15)15 marks'Odysseus succeeds through cleverness rather than strength.' How far do you agree? Justify your response with reference to the prescribed books. [marked here out of 15; this is the true J199/21 tariff]Show worked answer →
The 15-mark extended response (AO1 and AO2). The marker rewards a clear argument supported by close reference to the text.
For (cleverness). Odysseus's defining quality is metis (cunning): he escapes the far stronger Cyclops by the wine, the blinding and the "Nobody" trick, and by hiding his men under the rams; he survives Circe with Hermes's help and caution; and he wins back his home through disguise and the planned ambush of the suitors, not by brute force alone.
Other qualities. He also shows endurance, courage and leadership, and the final victory over the suitors does need fighting and the bow, so strength and the gods' help matter too.
Judgement. The top band argues a clear line, for example that cunning (metis) is Odysseus's defining and decisive quality, distinguishing him from a hero of pure strength, though courage, endurance and divine help support it. Support with the prescribed books.
Related dot points
- The world of the Odyssey: the structure of Homeric society (kings, nobles, ordinary people and enslaved people), the heroic values of kleos (glory), time (honour) and arete (excellence), the importance of the household (oikos) and gift-exchange, and how this world relates to the Mycenaean evidence.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Homeric society in The Odyssey. Covers the structure of Homeric society, the heroic values of kleos, time and arete, the importance of the household (oikos) and gift-exchange, and how this world relates to the Mycenaean evidence, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
- Xenia (guest-friendship) in the Odyssey: the rules and importance of hospitality, the gods as its protectors (Zeus Xenios), good hosts and guests, and the great violations of xenia by the Cyclops Polyphemus (Book 9) and by the suitors.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of xenia in The Odyssey. Covers the rules and importance of guest-friendship, the gods as its protectors (Zeus Xenios), good and bad hosts, and the great violations of xenia by the Cyclops Polyphemus in Book 9 and by the suitors, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
- The role of the gods and fate in the Odyssey: Athene as Odysseus's divine helper and patron, Poseidon as his divine enemy, the way gods intervene in disguise and through omens, and the relationship between divine will, fate and human choice.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of the gods in The Odyssey. Covers Athene as Odysseus's divine helper and patron, Poseidon as his enemy, how the gods intervene in disguise and through omens, and the relationship between divine will, fate and human choice, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
- The homecoming in Books 19, 21 and 22: the disguised Odysseus and Penelope, the recognition by the scar (Eurycleia), Penelope's loyalty and cleverness, the contest of the bow, and the killing of the suitors and the theme of justice and revenge.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of the homecoming in The Odyssey (Books 19, 21 and 22). Covers the disguised Odysseus and Penelope, the recognition by the scar, Penelope's loyalty and cleverness, the contest of the bow, and the killing of the suitors and the theme of justice and revenge, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
- Heracles (Roman Hercules) as the universal hero: his birth and the hostility of Hera, the Twelve Labours, other exploits, his depiction in art, and his significance to both Greeks and Romans, including his use in Roman ideology.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Heracles (Roman Hercules), the universal hero in Myth and Religion. Covers his birth and Hera's hostility, the Twelve Labours and other exploits, his depiction in art (lion skin, club), his apotheosis, and his significance to both Greeks and Romans, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.