But he flung both arms around my knees and pleaded, begging me with his tears and winging words: 'Don't force me back there, captain, king leave me here on the spot...'
Eurylochus is described as brave by Homer, he was even chosen by Odysseus to be his right hand man. He is always the first one to speak his mind and lead the way, but only to better himself, when he is faced with any real danger he becomes weak and falls to his knees. He fights Odysseus' rule knowing that his King will not strike one of his own crew down for only speaking his beliefs, and because of this he leads the crew astray on several occasions. Foolishly guiding them to even more hardship by taking the easy way out. Unfortunately for Odysseus the actions of a crew is reflected on to their captain. The crews shortsighted actions caused much strife for both themselves and Odysseus. In the end on the island of Thrinacia they make their fatal mistake, going against the oath they swore by killing the cattle of the sun god, they paid for this mistake with their lives.
I don't think brave is an accurate description of Eurylochus (sorry Homer). He's greedy, self-centred, and quick to point fingers at his leader who has saved his skin several times. From a literary perspective, Eurylochus serves as a foil, a character that depicts everything Odysseus is not, therefore highlighting Odysseus' own good traits.
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