Characteristics Of Odysseus A Hero

Merriam-Webster defines a hero as, “A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” For Odysseus to be a hero this definition is supposed to fit and describe him and his character, but why does this definition not describe or fit him and his character? This is because Odysseus is not a hero. Odysseus has done unethical things on his journey that makes him a person that should go unadmired. For example, when Odysseus ignored the death of his man in order to make more progress on his journey since he claims a task was pressing and waited for the Cyclops in order to be offered more gifts (his men die as a result), these examples prove he is a person who does unethical things. Odysseus is not a hero because he is disloyal, selfish, and greedy.

Odysseus is not a hero because he cheats on his wife multiple times throughout the book. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew travel to Ismarus and harass and take the women there. As Odysseus said, “I then looted the town and attacked the people. We then took their wives and much booty.”(p.75). This shows that Odysseus is not a hero because he is disrespectful to women. Also in The Odyssey, Odysseus cheats on Penelope with Circe. Although it was under certain circumstances Odysseus still could have found a

"If I play a hero or a good guy, I'll try to find his darkness or his flaws." -J. Kinnaman. (Brainyqoute.com) As Kinnaman mentioned, there are almost always flaws in a hero, and these defects usually make the story more interesting. (Knowing a protagonist's defects is helpful to follow the story, because they usually propel the tension the story.) (-- removed HTML --) , an ancient Greek epic poem written by Homer, the protagonist attracts readers by showing not only his heroic qualities but also his shortcomings. The poem is mainly about Odysseus, a victorious general of the Trojan War, going back to his beloved homeland Ithaca after the brutal battle. However, he suffers through a 20-year-voyage to get home, which is caused by his own flaws. Indeed, he has plenty of heroic qualities, yet they are closely connected to his defects.

Ten years after the fall of Troy, Odysseus a great hero has yet to return to his home in Ithaca. It begins with Athena and Poseidon who helped the Greeks during the Trojan War. Athena turned against the Greeks and convinces Poseidon to do the same. The Greeks are hit by storms on the way home and many ships are destroyed and the fleet is scattered. The war and his distress at sea keep Odysseus away from Ithaca for twenty years.

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

In the end, I think Odysseus is a hero because although he does make mistake and although no one is perfect he tried his best to get him and his men home safely. Odysseus has many good qualities consisting of quick thinking, creativity, protectiveness, and many more. He also has bad qualities like curiosity and ignorance. So even though people make mistakes and don’t always do the right thing I think that they can still be a

In conclusion Odysseus is a true hero even though he was thoughtless, selfish and deceitful. However he had respect for the gods (Athene), a strong sense of duty, (will always go back for his men) showed great honour and was highly regarded by his men and peers. He was a role model for his son Telemachus who wanted to be like him. He also showed great Athleticism which was very important and highly regarded. He was very competitive and tried to be better than anyone else and insured his name lived on forever. This is a sign of a true

Odysseus is not a hero because due to him and his anger a lot of people have lost their lifes. First example is that he stabbed a arrow on Antinous, the lead suitor. Homer says, “with that he trained a stabbing arrow on Antinous.” (22.8)This shows that Odysseus had killed Antinous by stabbing him. This also shows that he is selfish, because when he killed Antinous, he never thought about Antinous’s family. He was only thinking about revenge on the suitors. Secondly Odysseus also killed Eurymachus,son of Polybus also a suitor, by stabbing him

What characteristics should a powerful hero demonstrate? To me, a powerful hero is someone who is brave enough to make decisions that does not always benefit oneself but the people in their surroundings. In Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” Odysseus exhibits many heroic qualities. Although he made various mistakes, for example when Odysseus’ men died in the episode of “Scylla and Charybdis” Odysseus’ men died in a battle against the sea creature due to the fact that Odysseus forgot to remind his men of what was yet to come. Similarly, our modern day hero, Kobe Bryant, a recently retired professional NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers, shows similar leadership qualities. He like Odysseus, he is determined and selflessness.

What is a Hero? By definition, a hero is a person or main character of a literary work who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through impressive feats of ingenuity, bravery or strength, often sacrificing his or her own personal concerns for some greater good. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is admired as a hero. However, scholars have been debating the topic for some time, and some scholars argue that he is not a hero because he is reluctant to leave home, he loses all his men and cheats on his wife. However, Odysseus is a hero because he possesses all the qualities heroes possess. He overcomes many hardships on his journey, is smart and courageous, and is concerned with the fate of others.

Tom Hanks once said, “A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown.” In Homer’s Odyssey, the main character Odysseus showed lots of heroic characteristics, that cause me to believe he was an epic hero. An epic hero was defined as, a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events, on dictionary.com. Odysseus showed heroic traits by having wit, being selfless and being hubris. Odysseus was successful on his journeys throughout the Odyssey was his wit.

Another trait that Odysseus demonstrates repeatedly throughout the story is his loyalty. In various situations he never gives up on his crew, even when he has reason to. During an episode in the epic, Odysseus travels to the underworld to receive a prophecy. He meets his great friend Elpenor, who has died earlier in Circe’s hall. Because he is unburied and unmourned he asks Odysseus to build a cairn in his honor. Odysseus replies, “Unhappy spirit, / I promise you the barrow and the burial.” (Homer, lines 609-610). Although Odysseus is preoccupied with finding Tiresias, he shows loyalty to his crew mate by spending time with his spirit, and carrying out the spirit’s request. It could have been easy for Odysseus to ignore the spirit of Elpenor, but Odysseus shows a real emotional reply to this meeting. Not only does he show loyalty to his crew but his homeland as well. Although he could have given up during the ten year span Odysseus wandered from home, he persisted even though giving up would have been easier. At one point Odysseus is detained by the enchantress, Circe, but remains determined to reach home:

“A hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people” (Maya Angelou; American author, poet, and civil rights activist). This world is filled with many epic characters, movie stars, and other people that are considered to be heroes: one of them is Odysseus. Yet, many of Odysseus’ actions brought forth the fact that he was not heroic. A hero is selfless, humble, and a good leader that has many admirable values. However, Odysseus did not have those qualities, therefore, he should not be emulated and celebrated and placed upon a pedestal that people admire and choose to follow. He did not have the characteristics a hero must have and was not an example for others. By no standards was Odysseus a hero.

What does Odysseus and a hero have in common...almost nothing. The definition of a hero is “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Which Odysseus only did the things that he did for just himself. So if Odysseus was set in modern society he would not fit the modern definition of a “hero”. A hero is a person that risk their lives for a lot of people and to make sure people are safe.

Some may argue that he isn’t a hero at all, but I think that his heroic qualities, like bravery and honesty, outweigh his not-so heroic ones. Odysseus is brave because of the way he overcame a fear of his for the benefit of his crew. When Odysseus and his crew landed on the island of Circe, she turned Odysseus’ crew into swine, or pigs. Odysseus eventually persuades her to turn his crew back into men; but when she does so, they were under a trance that she would only diminish if Odysseus went to the Underworld. Odysseus was terrified, to say the least, but he chose to face his fear for the welfare of his crew.