In books 9-12 of The Odyssey, name one of Odysseus's strengths and one of his weaknesses. Explain your answer.

In book IX, Odysseus shows how clever he is.  He realizes that if he kills Polyphemus, the Cyclops, he and his men will perish inside the cave because they will have no way to move the stone from the door.  He comes up with a plan, instead, to blind the monster so that he will still be able to move the stone but he will not be able to see the men, and this will make it easier to evade him.  Further, he cleverly tells Polyphemus that his own name is "Nobody" so that, when other Cyclopes come to their brother's aid, he will have to tell them that "Nobody is hurting [him]!"  Pretty ingenious.  Certainly, his cleverness is a major strength.

However, at the end of this same book, Odysseus shows how proud he is, and it spells danger for him.  As his ship races away from the Cyclopes' island, he shouts back at Polyphemus and tells the monster that his real name is Odysseus.  He is gloating, and he wants the Cyclops to be able to tell people who it was that bested him.  However, Poseidon, the god of the sea, is Polyphemus's father, and Polyphemus prays to his father to avenge his injuries, and, because Odysseus revealed his identity to the monster, Polyphemus knows exactly whose name to give his daddy.  Thus, Odysseus's pride results in a lot more trouble for him on his way home and is a serious weakness.