Epic Hero in Homer's The Odyssey Essay

Being able to conquer Troy, have the god Poseidon against you, and dealing with many life threatening things on your long journey home are all things Odysseus overcame. Odysseus is an epic hero for making the long journey home and defeating monsters along the way. Epic hero's typically have larger than life qualities, are extremely skilled fighters, and are natural leaders. They can be smarter than everyone else and stand alone. In this essay, the three traits that will be focused on for Odysseus are having larger than life qualities, being smarter than everyone else, and being a skilled fighter.

Odysseus must now face the other suitors in order to win Penelope. He must rely on physical strength to get past this task then to face Penelope and convince her it is really Odysseus. After defeating the other suitors Odysseus was cleaned up and made to

here are many characteristics that fall under a hero. Throughout The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus proves that he has some of these characteristics, by experiencing many challenges and difficulties on his journey back home. While going through these hard times, Odysseus gains values of a hero. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus displays many Greek values, which characterize him as a hero.

Odysseus is described as a god-like man. He is cunning, sly, suave, strong, confident and self-possessed. He accomplishes many great events like that of defeating the Trojans, slaying the suitors and travelling to and back from Hades. When on the beach in Phaeacia he confidently “stalked as a mountain lion exultant in his power strides through wind and rain and his eyes blaze and he charges sheep or oxen or chases wild deer” , and when he sees Nausicaa “He launched in at once, endearing, sly and suave” . Athena found him to be “so winning, so worldly wise, so self possessed!” . Neither does he lack in ingenuity, King Nestor said that “No one...could hope to rival Odysseus, not for sheer cunning–at every twist of strategy he excelled us all” . Odysseus has a large and gallant reputation to fulfil, but when he first makes an appearance in the book he is crying on Calypso’s island. Crying is often seen as a weakness in a man, but this makes Odysseus more endearing as it reveals the labour of his love.

A Homeric epic hero is considered to be above a normal human being. The traits of a typical epic hero are strength, loyalty, courage, and intelligence. In fact, the Macmillan Dictionary for Students defines a hero as "one who is admired and looked up to for valor, achievements, and noble qualities" (483). Odysseus fulfills all of the requirements for an epic hero and more. He demonstrates his ability to be an articulate speaker, and his poise aids him on his journey. His endless curiosity has gotten him into dilemmas, while his superb displays of strength and cunningness have helped both him and his crew escape danger. His arrogance sets him back, but his loyalty is what drives him forward on his long and treacherous expedition. In the

While being taunted by the suitors Odysseus kept his composure, the best choice for protecting his family. Odysseus also sees some of the servants sneak off to have sex with the suitors. He “was stirred by this, and much he pondered in the division of mind and spirit, whether to spring on them and kill each one, or rather to let them lie this one more time with the insolent suitors, for the last and latest time; but the heart was growling within him".(homer,20,9-13) The personification of his growling heart depicts how very angry Odysseus is. He could have unveiled himself then and attempted to kill the suitors and punish them, as well as prove his strength. Instead he waits for a better moment so that he does not risk the lives of his son and wife only to demonstrate his superiority, a mistake he made previously when calling out his name to the cyclops. Odysseus also realizes more about himself while on the journey. He makes the realization that he is no god, only a mere mortal whose imperfect decisions can often put other people at risk. Odysseus and his crew had been trapped by the cyclops due to his own

Homer 's The Odyssey follows the incredible journey of the main character Odysseus, and his long trip home to the Island of Ithaca. The Odyssey is an epic poem written in verse, and is fittingly named after the epic hero Odysseus. An epic hero is defined as a character who possesses superhuman strength, craftiness, and confidence, is helped or harmed by the gods, and usually possesses a natural position of authority. Without a doubt, Odysseus is an epic hero; he is clever and cunning, he has a good relationship with the gods, and excels as a leader.

One of the 4 epic hero traits that Odysseus has, is that he has a plethora of exemplary attributes. For instance, Odysseus is able to “bored (bore) that great eye socket” with an olive tree, suggesting the extent of Odysseus’ formidable might. In addition, Odysseus is also able to “strike and strike again” at the suitors while they “moaned at death”. This emphasizes the power and strength that Odysseus held. Moreover, when Eurykleia tells Penelope that if she had seen Odysseus it would have made “your (her) heart grow hot”, because Odysseus was like “a lion splashed with mire and blood”, it emphasizes Ancient Greek values of strength. Another exemplary attribute that Odysseus possesses is his contemplative and strategic mind. This can be illustrated when Odysseus cleverly uses the Kyklopes’ rams and “slung (slings) a man under… to ride there safely” (IX

Odysseus is an epic hero based on its definition. One, Odysseus is a hero set in an epic poem. Second, he fights with great valor. For example, he fought against the Cyclops to protect his men. He also accomplishes many great feats such as outwitting the Cyclops and Circe. In return, his deeds have won him the admiration of many people and gods.

He likes everyone knowing he was the best. He might have a very strong trait of perseverance, but he lacks the trait being humble. Next, Odysseus and his crew were going towards the Sirens Scylla and Charybdis, he was foretold, by Circe, that whoever hears the Sirens crying the men will not lay eyes on their family or home ever

The character in Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey has heroic characteristics that make an archetype of an epic hero in literature. Odysseus is the ideal man, handsome, brave strong and loyal. He possesses characteristics that make people around him trust him as their leader like intelligence and loyalty, but he also has flaws like being self centered and over prideful at times as well, being arrogant. He shows his good qualities by overcoming obstacles in the story and getting his men out of trouble. Show showed his arrogance when he taunted the cyclops when they were leaving the island.

They typical epic hero possesses superhuman strength, craftiness, and confidence, is helped or harmed by gods or fate, embodies qualities valued by the culture, or overcomes perilous situations. Odysseus is the main character, and hero of the epic The Odyssey written by Homer in ancient greek times. He is challenged by giant cyclops, hundreds of men trying to marry his wife, envious sirens, and the constant struggle of trying to return home to his family in Ithaka. The epic hero Odysseus is characterized by his cunningness and determination through struggle, though flawed by his ego.

The first characteristic that makes Odysseus an epic hero is that he answers a call to action. Odysseus answers two calls to action in The Odyssey. His first call is to go to Troy with Agamemnon and rescue Helen even though his son Telemachus has just been born and his wife Penelope doesn't want him

Odysseus has great emotional strength through Homer's The Odyssey. He really shows emotional strength when he doesn't acknowledge his dying dog, Argos, in a pile of dung, because he couldn't blow his cover. " Treated as rubbish he lay on a pile of dung." (Homer 1148). He also shows this trait when he sees his son for the first time since he left. He Had to resist hugging going to his son and hugging him. Instead he pretended he was a stranger. Another time he shows emotional strength is when he cstarts crying because he misses his family. " Tear on tear brimming in his eyes . The sweet days of his life time were running out in anguish." He shows strength by crying instead of killing himself. This is why I believe Odysseus has emotional strength.

An epic hero is one who exhibits courage, strength, bravery, intelligence, and a desire to achieve. Odysseus, from "The Odyssey," is a person who perfectly fits the definition of an epic hero. Odysseus has been one of the most frequently portrayed figures in literature. He performs many courageous acts throughout his journeys: He uses his intelligence to overcome obstacles and learns from his mistakes along the way. In this essay I am going to point out how Odysseus personifies an epic hero.