Odysseus: A Flawed Hero

The Odyssey is an amazing piece of literature. Some people question whether the main character, Odysseus, is a hero or not. Odysseus is not a hero because he was not a good leader. He leads his followers into lousy situations where many people were hurt.

Throughout history, tales of great heros, gruesome monsters, beautiful enchantresses, and mighty gods have been told. One such tale that is very important to the greeks is the Odyssey. The main character, “Odysseus, was very important to the greeks because he was relatable to the greeks because he was a mortal man who relied not on superhuman strength, but the power of his own mind” (Mr. Carroll). Although clever, Odysseus has many flaws, and because he was greedy, arrogant, and he lets his crew die, Odysseus is not a hero.

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 the main man “The Captain” is he really a hero or a villain? Throughout the book of the Odyssey, Odysseus does some things that may have been wrong, but in his mind was he doing the right thing? In my mind it is right in the middle he does some things that were ok, but he also did things he shouldn't have done.

Odysseus is the main character of the narrative poem “The Odyssey.” Odysseus is a brave character that goes on a journey to head back home to Ithaca after the war. On his way, he and his companions endure many trials and tribulations. But he always thinks up a way to get out of these situations. Throughout this essay, I’m going to discuss what makes Odysseus and epic hero, what are some of his qualities and flaws, and why Odysseus is considered an archetype.

The story “The Odyssey” describes the eventful travel of the warrior Odysseus, who is also the king of Ithaca, after a war known as the “Trojan War”. Odysseus performed many heroic actions during his travel. Odysseus also performed some unheroic deeds, but he is only a human being, he also makes mistakes. A true hero never gives up and uses everything he can to overcome any trials or hardships he must face.

I think that Odysseus is more of a hero than a villain. Odysseus may be cunning, but that does not make him a villain. He uses this trait to help him get home to his family and to help his crew survive. Odysseus has saved his crew many times because of how cunning he is. For example, Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name is "noman," so the other cyclops will not come to Polyphemus' aid when they blind him.

Throughout the course of the essay, it is clear Odysseus exhibits good characteristics the majority of the time, making him a good man. He listens to the Gods and shows humility to mortals he doesn’t even know as well as the deathless Gods. Yet, there are times where he makes decisions that are a little controversial and violent, such as killing the suitors. Because his conscience, as well as the Gods, encouraged him to make this decision, he felt as if it was something that had to be done. Not only did Odysseus show bravery and courage, he portrayed selflessness by doing it for his family and people of Ithaca. These attributes and reasonings are what made people think of him as a hero instead of a murderer. Odysseus’s complications can apply

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.

Nearly every story in Greek mythology revolves around a character with a certain outstanding attribute, be it strength, intellect, or even musical talent. Heroes such as this might spend their lives questing for kleos, or the myth might simply be a tale in which the hero was trying to accomplish a certain task, such as returning home or rescuing a lover from Hades. In every case, these heroic tales would always end with tragedy; the hero would be killed by a jealous lover, go mad, or have a loved one taken away from him. However, one Greek hero existed whose story did not end with tragedy: Odysseus. Homer's The Odyssey is unique among all other Greek myths in that it is the only story in which the hero does not meet a tragic end; why

Is there such a thing as a true hero? Or are those that are considered "heroes" just regular people who made the right choice at the right time and became idolized for it? To be a true hero, the person would have to be totally good. It is impossible for a human being to be totally good because weaknesses, character faults, and the tendency to make mistakes are all rooted deeply into human nature. Therefore, no human being can ever truly be a hero, though we may do heroic deeds. A well known example of such a person is Odysseus from Homer's "Odyssey". Odysseus is idolized for his few heroic deeds during the Trojan War and his journey home to Ithaca. He is often thought of as a hero, but, as he is human and therefore subject to human

Many think being a hero is having super powers, but on the contrary it's more than that. A hero is one who is distinguished for their courage and bravery, and looked upon for their great deeds. A hero like this is not just found in modern society today, but in mythology as well. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus earns the title of a true hero by conveying many qualities such as: determination, courage and leadership.

Odysseus is one of the greatest epic heros in the history of literature. The Odyssey, by Homer, is an epic poem, which depicts the journey home of Odysseus. Angering many gods, this voyage takes him through multiple obstacles, and ends up taking almost twenty years longer than it should've. Throughout his journey, “The Son of Laertes” must get his crew out of trouble multiple times. He uses his intellect and other strengths to do so, and never gives up, no matter the circumstance. Even after losing everything he needs in a storm worthy of the gods, Odysseus still never gives up, and gets himself out of trouble yet again. Throughout his entire journey, coming home from the Trojan War, Odysseus repeatedly uses many heroic traits to get himself and his crew out of many unfortunate situations. These heroic traits, how Odysseus uses them, and the steps of his journey all come together to illustrate that he is an epic hero. Odysseus characterizes himself as an epic hero based on how he almost perfectly follows the characteristics of an epic hero, gets his crew out of trouble multiple times, and follows the Hero's Journey.

Young Odysseus was a powerful and respectful child. Mainly because he possessed so much power at a young age. He once had to fight a boar, and overcame, and here’s that story; child odysseus was about 7 when one day while walking through the woods, he was approached by a boar. At first, he attempted to reconcile with the boar, but to no avail, the daunting animal still appeared adamant to attack and kill Odysseus. Not at all frightened by the rampaging destructive animal, he did get slightly anxious when more slowly but surely began to appear. And within almost seconds, he was surrounded by nearly thirty boar, all with anger in their eyes and all expressing a passion for death. Odysseus knew real men could get themselves out of a situation

In Homer’s, The Odyssey, I believe that Odysseus is a true modern hero. During his long and perilous journey home Odysseus shows many heroic qualities that help save his men from many dangerous situations. He first shows his Valiant behavior during the war in Troy, he cares about his crew and survives the war. He also deeply cares about the welfare of his men on their return trip to Ithaka. Odysseus is a hero because he is a courageous leader, a quick thinker and a modest man.