Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey begins by painting Odysseus as a brave and powerful leader and an impulsive decision maker who over time becomes more intelligent; Homer develops these relatable and heroic characteristics through detailed imagery and word choice as well as through symbols and homeric similes which amplify the representation of Odysseus as a normal person as well as a heroic figure. Odysseus’s tendency to succumb to impulsive strokes of curiosity enables readers to relate with his inner character. The protagonist gives into the natural human curiosity to find and fix one's weakness. Circe tells him of the sirens who know the secrets of Odysseus’s weakness, she also tells him that listening to their knowledge is unwise and he along with his crew should close their ears. However, in his impulsivity, Odysseus actually tells his crew to force him to listen while they cover their ears. Odysseus also shows his impulses in regards to thirst for knowledge when he sends two scouts to explore the land of the Lotus Eaters, knowing full well that their chance of return is unlikely. This quest for knowledge could have been in a slower, but more logical and effective way. This shows how Odysseus can easily succumb to less logical ideas if it is a question of his power or knowledge. Another constant in his early story is his portrayal as a daring and fearless figure, often taking control and triumphing over potential threats. Odysseus witnesses two of his shipmates be
What heroic qualities does Odysseus show? Explain the situations in which Odysseus shows these qualities.
"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.
As a final point, being brave, strong, and making a quick decisions was many kinds of being a hero and that’s what Odysseus had that make him a hero. Odysseus with his men going through a lot of challenges but in the end he is the only one survived and alive. With this in mind, the epic poem showed us how big the difference between the people 3,000 years ago and people in this generation. The author shows in the epic poem how whimsical the world 3,000 years ago and how powerful the gods in their maturity.
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.
In Greek literature of mythology, we have examined Odysseus. Students and scholars alike have held debates about Odysseus. The discussion is whether Odysseus was a true hero, as read in The Odyssey. There is abundant supportive evidence to verify all sides of the debate and opinions held about Odysseus. Odysseus had encompassed many qualities that I believe make him a hero. The qualities he embodied were mental strength, physical strength, and spiritual strength. I would like to advocate for why Odysseus was a hero.
Odysseus tends to use strategy over strength to be a hero when it comes to challenges. Instead of beginning with fighting the Cyclops, he takes his time and sets up a plan. Everytime he enters a new island, he does not start telling everyone that he is Odysseus, king of Ithaca. Instead, he charms the people he meets and uses his wise words that cause them to help and pity him. Odysseus represents what being a hero is actually all about. Throughout the novel The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus continuously shows his personality of being an admirable hero to everyone by using strategy instead of strength.
For generations, heroes have always fascinated people and people have strived to achieve certain qualities of their heroes. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is considered the hero of the story. While Odysseus does demonstrate some qualities that are not heroic, he is still defined as a hero because of his better, more heroic qualities in which he is far superior in than any other man. The qualities in which define Odysseus as a hero are courage, intelligence, and leadership.
The Odyssey by Homer, is a epic based off the actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes of a greek by the name of Odysseus. Throughout the story, Odysseus’ travels take him to new places on new adventures with no insight on what could happen next. Odysseus refers to himself, and is referred to a number of times, as a hero. Throughout the time of book 9 to book 12, there are many scenes throughout the story that portray the qualities Odysseus possesses that lead him to be given the heroic title. On the contrary, there are numerous occasions where Odysseus does things that might not be expected of someone seen as heroic. One of the first things that stood out to me starting in book 9, was Odysseus’ pride for his native land and where he comes from. Here, Odysseus states, “Nothing is sweeter than your own country” (Book 9, Line 37). This quotes shows how Odysseus is prideful of his home, Ithaca, and believes it to be the “sweetest sight” (Book 9, Line 31). Another scene that represents Odysseus’ heroic qualities is when Odysseus and his crew were being held by the cyclops, Polyphemus, and he comes up with an escape plan. During this, Odysseus states, “And I bade my comrades cast lots among them, which of them should have the hardihood with me to lift the stake and grind it into his eye when sweetsleep should come upon him.” (Book 9, Lines 328-329). To me, this portrays Odysseus as a quick thinker and a problem solver. In this situation, the problem was that him and
In greek mythology, a hero encounters many different types of challenges. In the novel, The Odyssey, the author Homer displays the heroic protagonist Odysseus as brave and confident. These heroic traits help Odysseus fight his internal thoughts and battle external problems, such as goddesses and other mythical creatures. Odysseus’s brave trait shines most when he encounters two goddesses. Wanting immoral love, Calypso, who is a nymph, keeps Odysseus on her island.
How does Odysseus’ traits pertain to modern-day heroes? What traits does Odysseus show in The Odyssey which makes a hero? Odysseus heads to go fight in the Trojan War. Winning the way, Odysseus starts his journey home. On the journey, he faces many disputes heading to Ithaca.
Odysseus shows both the epic hero qualities of leadership and wisdom when he and his men are dealing with the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Odysseus shows the epic hero quality of leadership. He shows this when he tells his men not to give up. After heating the spear in the fire, Odysseus, “cheered [his] men along with battle talk to keep their courage up: no quitting now” (325-326). Odysseus confirms his position as the leader by giving a pep talk to his men like teams do before games. By cheering his men on, Odysseus illustrates the epic hero quality of leadership.
We all expect our heroes to be perfect and innocent, but Odysseus proves that not all heroes are perfect. In the story the Odyssey by Homer Odysseus is our protagonist. He faces many misfortunate events along with his crew. He gets stranded away from home for 20 years due to getting on the wrong side of a god.
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 Book called The Odyssey is centered around the hero Odysseus. The part about this story that makes it challenging to talk about is the argument around whether Odysseus is a hero or not. Many Literary scholars of The Odyssey by Homer have argued that Odysseus is not a hero, closer examination shows that he clearly was a hero because he led them to victory in the Trojan War, he turned his men back into actual men, and he even went to the underworld where few to none have escaped freely. The logic of this is debated a lot because of the judgements he made during the war and the journey back home.
Many people have a different idea as to what is considered a hero and what is considered heroic. In the “One Eyed Giant’s Cave,” Odysseus, who is an example of that, is certainly a character that is well known in the story. Homer portrays him as showing a lot of heroic attributes throughout, that make him seem like a very high profile person, compared to other characters. Odysseus shows a lot of bravery, as well as intelligence, that he uses as an advantage. Odysseus certainly takes on many tasks and is put in situations that makes him seem like that character he is.