How heroic is Odysseus? According to today’s society, not really. Life in Ancient Greece was different then it is today. When most people think of a hero they think of Batman or Superman who always give everything for the people they protect. Odysseus is not a hero because he is very selfish, disloyal, and cocky.
Odysseus is not considered a hero in today’s society because of his selfishness. Most people believe that a hero is supposed to give everything to save everyone. One example of his selfishness is when he visits the cyclops Polyphemus. He enters his house and eats the cyclops’ food then Odysseus expects him to be welcoming. “My men came pressing round me pleading: ‘Why not take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back, throw open the pens, and make a run for it?...’”(Line 166 - 168 The Odyssey).While this may be custom in greek society back then, now, if a stranger entered your house and ate your food you would call the police and have them arrested for breaking and entering. Because of this, Odysseus is not considered a hero in today’s society.
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In the ancient Greek society, this was known as “hubris”. Again pulling from the cyclops story, when Odysseus finally manages to get his men out of the cave and back onto their ship he calls out to the giant and attracts him to his location.”’Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca’”(Line 457 - 460 The Odyssey). This causes Polyphemus to throw several giant boulders. Then, Odysseus proceeds to tell the cyclops his name where he comes from and where he’s going. This allows the cyclops to curse him. Odysseus is not considered a hero in today’s society since he is so
Odysseus was a great leader and hero throughout the story in many examples as I have listed below. My first example is when Odysseus was able to make a spear when he was in Polyphemus's cave. He then took the spear and drove it through the eye of the beast, blinding him. The cyclops then moved the boulder and the men escaped by hiding under sheep.This example shows that O. is a hero because he is daring. If the cyclops was to find any of them or he had missed and woken him then this surely would have meant death for them. The second reason is in book twelve when O. must pass the sirens. To do so he slabs beeswax on the ears of his shipmates. This will make it so them can not be lured into the captivity of the sirens. O. then lashes himself
Since the cyclops’ vision is impaired, Odysseus “tied them silently together, twining/cords of willow from the ogre’s bed/then slung a man under each middle one/to ride there safely, shielded left and right/So three sheep could convey each man” (Homer 500). Odysseus possess the trait of cleverness which is demonstrated through his quick thinking and by only using using the resources available to free his men from Polyphemus’ grasp. He is a man to be revered because he uses his cunning skills to help others reach safety. Odysseus is also the last man to exit the cave because he puts their lives before his. He is also willing to take the responsibility and consequences of their actions. For example, if the cyclops were to notice him he would force his men escape and leave him behind to be devoured. Odysseus is a hero, for his willingness to put his companions’ lives before his own and use of his wits to save those around him.
Odysseus is not a hero because he lets his pride make most of his decisions, which gets him into difficult situations. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus makes mistakes that causes his men to be killed. Most of these mistakes could have been fixed by Odysseus making better decisions throughout his journey.
Odysseus portrays himself as anything but a hero throughout Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus goes through his life believing he is the best. He has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own, and he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods. Odysseus feels he is always the leader and no one can tell him otherwise. Odysseus should not be considered a hero because he portrays himself as a selfish man that failed his crew, and is controlled by his hubris.
Odysseus is a hero because he acts courageously while facing the many challenges he encounters. Odysseus’s shows great bravery when he engages in physical challenges. Odysseus daringly fights against the suitors, while significantly outnumbered: “For I must
The majority of those who read The Odyssey consider the protagonist of the story, Odysseus, a hero. On many occasions, however, Odysseus makes decisions beneficial to himself alone. For example, when Odysseus and his men find themselves on Polyphemus's island, Odysseus's actions are self-centered and at the expense of his men. This can be said for most of Odysseus's actions in the story, as his main objective is to reach his home. Having his men by his side when he returns seems a trivial thing to him. Odysseus could be considered a hero, but many of his actions say otherwise. Due to the many unfaithful and self-centered decisions he makes in the story, Odysseus is not a hero.
First, Odysseus is not a hero because he is a foolish leader who makes many mistakes on his journey back home to Ithaka. His first mistake is his decision to let his men raid and
Joseph Campbell once said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” True heroes are those who do something for others rather for themselves, Odysseus doesn’t exactly show this trait in The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, Odysseus along with his men try to go back home to Ithaca but due to Odysseus nature, only he actually returns alive. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus proves he is not a hero because he is arrogant, secretive, and unfaithful; resulting for readers to believe that every action has an consequence.
Odysseus is not a hero because he constantly puts his men in danger and makes decisions without thinking. Odysseus is sailing away from Cyclops Island and he is teasing Polyphemus about escaping. The crew tries to get Odysseus to be quiet, but his ego gets in the way, and he tells Polyphemus his name; leading to Polyphemus cursing him and his men to make the journey home slow and painful. Odysseus tells the Phaeacians in his story, “So they spoke, but they could not persuade my great-hearted spirit; and I answered him again with angry heart: “‘Cyclops, if any one of mortal men shall ask thee about the shameful blinding of thine eye, say that Odysseus, the sacker of cities, blinded it, even the son of Laertes, whose home is in Ithaca’””(Homer.9.500-506). Odysseus comments that his crew tried to calm him down and get him to stop talking, but he
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
In the story The Odyssey the main character Odysseus is not a true hero. A man with so much hatred and anger should not be someone to hold to a high prestige, or want to be. The needless killing and disrespect to other people 's wishes is not part of what a hero should be, or is to endanger the people that he is in charge of. This is why odysseus is not a true hero.
Odysseus: Is He Really a Hero? Philip Zimbardo, a psychologist said, “I'm saying to be a hero it means you step across the line and are willing to make a sacrifice, so heroes always are making a sacrifice.” In The Odyssey, an epic poem written around 700 B.C. by Homer, a main character named Odysseus attempts to reach hero status. Odysseus does not have the heroic qualities that Zimbardo believes make a great hero. However, Odysseus is close to reaching hero status through his strong instincts, but his selfish and disloyal behavior prevents him from becoming a true hero.
To begin, there are gray areas when considering whether Odysseus is a hero or not. There is contemplation about Odysseus's true colors because he exhibits both the evil and virtuous in himself. One affair where Odysseus’s lack of moral is when Odysseus spent seasons, even years with two beings that he had intimate affairs with even though he claimed that he was always striving to return to Ithaca, his home, when he reunites with Penelope, his wife. Odysseus is not a hero because he spends six years with Calypso, chooses to steer his sheep towards Scylla knowing that six of his men would die, and allows the maids to be killed after they clean up the massacre of the suitors.
Why do we consider Odysseus to be a hero? Was he all bullets and bravado like the “heroes” of today? Was he a testosterone and power armor kind of hero we see in video games? No, but he was heroic nonetheless. His loyalty, valor, humanity and most importantly, his intelligence, sets him apart from many other heroes from his era and from ours. He exemplifies the most important ideals of Homeric Greeks and is portrayed not only as a proud adventurer, but also as a caring father and a husband.