A Hero's Journey with Odysseus

Lizeth Marin Honors Introduction to Literature Period 3 18 April 2008 Odysseus: Hero or Villain? Heading home, to Ithaca, Odysseus is faced upon many obstacles that he and his men try to overcome, but in the end substantiate that Odysseus is a villain. “The old soldier in despair: He has spent ten years (seven of them as Calypso’s not entirely unwillingly captive) trying to get home” (652, summary). Evidence proves that Odysseus is a villain, because he tries to convince that he was kept unwillingly by Calypso. However, it is true that Odysseus was kept as Calypso’s captive for a time. Yet he can still be judged as a villain, because he does not just stay as a prisoner, no, he assists Calypso by being with her for the pleasures that

Heroes, as shown in literature, often undertake the most difficult tasks and place themselves in mortal danger in order to bring back, for themselves and their societies, both knowledge and treasure. Their stories follow “Hero Journey.” The Odyssey, as the epic story of the hero Odysseus, follows closely the complete cycle of a Hero Journey, both as a physical and as a psychological undertaking. The Hero Journey, used as a framework for both Odysseus’ physical and mental journeys, serves to bind the two together. Each of Odysseus’s physical difficulties can be viewed as a metaphor for a psychological hardship that he must overcome, and by overcoming these hardships, Odysseus matures—achieving a more complete understanding of himself and

After a long journey back from the Trojan War, he encounters superhuman beings, luring traps and sea beasts. Finally he reached his home land of Ithaca, where he kills suitors trying to court his wife. After the suitors are dead, Odysseus confronts his wife, Penelope, but she still refuses to acknowledge his reality. Finally she knows he is real because Odysseus tells her about their

In The final chapters of Odysseus's quest, the reader believes that the main character has finally found himself. The problem with his happy ending is that he has forgotten one thing. Odysseus is not perfect he is human. Though he has learned much through his perils, the vices of Pride, vengeance, and dependency, all come back to haunt him during the

Odysseus displays a praiseworthy hero in more than one way. Again, he uses strategy over strength every time he lands upon a new island. Once Odysseus lands on new, unknown lands, he does not run to the king and queen telling them his name and entire life story. He knows that bragging and being rude will not get him very far. When he enters King Alcinous’s castle, the first thing he says to the queen is, “I come to beg you for mercy” (7. 184). He knows that by saying this they will have sympathy

Escaping under the belly of two tied up sheep just won’t be thought up by any normal kind of person. Odysseus encounters many creatures along his way, meaning ,” The fearsome creatures encountered by Odysseus exemplify the extremes of his trial ”(Richardson pg. 1). He understands that he could die during his travel towards home. During the Scylla encounter, he could’ve easily been one of the six that died being consumed by Scylla. Odysseus views his potential death to be the greatest testament to his dedication to his cause. The Odyssey is well know throughout the world since it contains the many adventures of Odysseus, “Every hero undergoes a quest for which he achieves a place in the literary pantheon of his homeland’’(Harris pg. 1). Almost everyone has heard of Homer’s legendary, greek epic poem “The Odyssey.” Many people study for the greek origin, looking at how the greeks viewed the natural leader and hero, and many just read for the fun of it. Either way, the poem will be remembered for many generations for now on. The story can’t be complete without the antagonist though.

Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus experiences many ups and downs throughout his journey home. He is throw into peril and there often seems to be no hope for his return home. While he remains victorious in the end, returning to his wife, son, and father, the poem itself is filled with many darker moments filled with doubt and sadness. Odysseus is the hero of the Odyssey, and in order to exist as a hero he must be relatable. His story cannot be one entirely of triumph, it must include a more human perspective. Triumph cannot come without strife, and heroism cannot come without tribulation. Athena and Odysseus’ experiences as divine and human, respectively, and define whether or not they are heroes. By comparing Odysseus to Athena, it is apparent that what makes Odysseus a hero before anything else is his humanity.

During Odysseus’ journey in ‘The Odyssey’, Odysseus runs into a couple problems. He leaves home ready to fight in the Trojan War. Although he had plans on coming home, he never made it home. His wife Penelope and his son Telemachus assumed that Odysseus was dead. It was not until Athena came to Telemachus and gave him everything he needed to make it to his dad. What Telemachus did not know was that Odysseus wanted to come home, but he could not because he was being held prisoner on an island named Ogygia. Odysseus wants nothing more to return home and see his lovely wife Penelope.

Throughout our studies on Greek mythology we have learned that, The Odyssey, demonstrates a prime example of the heroic cycle. The story begins after the defeat of the Trojans in the Trojan War. The greek hero, Odysseus, embarks on his victorious journey back to his home land of Ithaca. Fatefully, Odysseus’s journey goes awry resulting in him being captured and held hostage for seven years by the greek goddess, Calypso. Ultimately, the gods of Mt. Olympus decide the time has come for Odysseus to return to Ithaca and be reunited with his family. The gods send Hermes to Ogygia, Calypso’s island, to set Odysseus free. From that moment on, Odysseus is thrusted into his own heroic cycle. In Homer’s, The Odyssey during Odysseus’s journey to

The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a

Another way Odysseus is also a hero is he always finds a way to survive whether he is in conflict or out on the sea. One of the many situations Odysseus survives is his encounter with Skylla. Six of his crew members do perish but through his hard work and dedication he survives. He makes another smart decision in choosing to go through Skylla instead of Kharybdis because only six of his crew members die instead of the whole crew. Another decision Odysseus makes to survive is not eating the cattle of Helios while on Thrinikia, his crew members choice in eating the hallowed cows results in their death, but Odysseus knew the consequences and did not touch a cow. Another way Odysseus' quick-decision skills helps him is when he chooses to leave the island of the Lotous-eaters, because he realized his whole crew would have fell under the curse if he had stayed there. Odysseus is also a master tactician whose complex plans save his crew and help him regain his crown. One of these plans was his ingenious idea to trick Polyphemos, which shows he is a hero by saving countless lives. Another plan he implemented was to kill the suitors which is also a success because Odysseus and Telemakos themselves kill over a hundred men without an injury to themselves .Odysseus is a quick-thinker whose resourceful ideas save many lives.

The Odyssey is an epic poem that is taken place after the Trojan War. Odysseus and his men were sailing from Troy to Ithica. The trip lasted 10 years and they had some positives and negatives. So even though they had their ups and downs, throughout the adventure they learned many lessons throughout their journey to Ithica. As Odysseus home from Troy, he changes physically and mentally as he learns the following lessons: cunning overpowers physical strength giving into temptations has negative effects, and loyalty and perseverance are heroic and admirable.

The epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.

The Hero’s Journey, as defined by Joseph Campbell, is a set of stages a protagonist must undergo to reinter into his known and normal world after facing many challenges. One specific challenge the hero must face is described as the Supreme Ordeal, which is the moment the greatest fear is confronted. In The Odyssey, Odysseus must kill the suitors who took over his household to reach the next stage of his journey. As Odysseus slaughters the suitors in the hall of his home in Book 22, not only does he enter the Supreme Ordeal stage of the Hero’s Journey to face his greatest fear, but also is one phase closer to reintegrating with society.

Homer's epic tale The Odyssey is a story of the triumphs and downfalls that are in store for one warrior's long pillage home.  Odysseus, the hero from the Trojan wars, has led his people of Ithaca and other Achaean soldiers to victory and now wishes to return home to his wife and family of Ithaca.  Through his twenty year journey Odysseus is often tested not only of his physical strength, but his wits as well.  The many accomplishments he achieved earned him great status and recognition throughout ancient Greece.  The mistakes he made caused the deaths of many men.  Consequently, we as readers are able to see the many personas that Odysseus carries with him.