Odysseus : A Hero As A Hero

Odysseus heroic qualities are strength, courage, dignity, a thirst for glory, and self-confidence. He also shrewd and ingenious, all of which make him the ideal hero in both the physical form and the spiritual aspect. Odysseus being faithful and loyal to his wife shows his dignity. Even though he has been away from his home and family for twenty years his only thoughts are with them. He overcomes all the extreme dangers he encounters showing his strength and courage. His shrewdness and intelligence shows when he, the King of Ithaca, is disguised as a beggar before Telemakhos.

     Is Odysseus, the main character of Homer’s The Odyssey, really an epic hero? An epic hero embodies several heroic traits such as; having superior or super-human strength; being intellectual and courageous; and being a strong and responsible leader. An epic hero struggles and is overwhelmed with difficulties. An epic hero is on a quest of self discovery, war or some sort of goal. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is on a quest to return home to Ithaca after ten years of war in Troy. Odysseus, during his quest, is forced to venture through a merciless Cyclops, angered Gods, deeply obstinate Goddesses, the underworld, and determined suitors that are after his wife Penelope. Odysseus surmounts

Another quality of being a hero is, having courage; and Odysseus clearly conveyed this during his journey. In order to be courageous, the hero has to be fearless, meaning he has to act confident about his actions. This applies to Odysseus and the deities. If Odysseus were to appear weak, than the gods may think he's too weak for the journey and won't make it out alive. So, as a way of showing his courage, confidence overcomes Odysseus and he talks to the gods as if he were one of them. “After these years...to my harm.” (Book V, Lines 183-190). Odysseus shows no fear when speaking with Kalypso. Also, Odysseus shows more courage when he blinds Polyphemos. He humiliates Polyphemos, without even thinking of the effects. “Kyklops, you ask my honorable

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

His bragging almost results in the death of his entire crew. Odysseus doesn't think highly of his men, and this is apparent throughout the entire story.

Bravery was probably one of the traits Odysseus was known for best. Without his bravery, the story most-likely wouldn't have been as exciting and suspenseful as it was. One of the situations that displayed this trait was when they landed on the

The first characteristic of Odysseus that makes him an epic hero is that he is a great warrior. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus fights great monsters that all want him dead. When Odysseus visited the Cyclops, he used his skills to blind the monsters eye. “Now at last, I thrust our stake in a bed of embers… Hoisting high that olive stake with its stabbing point, straight into the monster’s eye they rammed it hard… til blood came boiling up around the smoking shaft” (Homer 223). Because Odysseus already had experience in the Trojan war, he was able to think quickly under pressure and distract the cyclops. Then he and his men carried out his plan and managed to escape. Odysseus was also smart enough to know that he couldn’t kill Polyphemus because he was the only one who could lift the large boulder in front of the entrance of the cave. Then, Odysseus with his quick wit, hid his men under the bellies of the cyclops’ flock of rams until Polyphemus let them out the next morning. Another example that shows Odysseus is a great warrior is the situation with the suitors. When Odysseus returned home from his twenty year journey that no one thought he could return from. Suitors were plaguing his home in pursuit of his faithful wife Penelope. Dressed as a beggar, Odysseus defeats them in an arrow shooting contest and then one by one begins to rid the palace of its ‘rat problem.’ Odysseus first kills Antinous. Then after letting the other suitors beg for mercy, he and Telemachus begin killing them as well (440). Odysseus, seasoned from war, tired of fighting, still had enough strength left to defeat the suitors.

Odysseus is the king of Ithaca. Pi is the underdog. Everyone respects Odysseus and has his back. There is no one is there for Pi. They both made it out of the heart wrenching journey alive, and the stories are surprisingly parallel to each other.

The admirable character or hero in Homer’s The Odyssey is Odysseus. Odysseus shows multiple heroic traits throughout the story, but a clear trait is displayed when Odysseus and his men are sailing through the land of the Sirens. Some might argue differently, that Odysseus has methods that are to cruel or harsh for a leader, but there is evidence to prove this wrong, and support the claim that Odysseus is the hero in The Odyssey.

Most Greek heroes overcame obstacles by being strong, immortal, or powerful. Unlike most, Odysseus used his brain. One of the most important heroes in the world is Odysseus. Odysseus, King of Ithaca, is a hero that under several accounts uses intelligence to his advantage. Odysseus even won the ten year long Trojan War by sending in a “gift,” and then attacking everyone after they were inside Troy’s borders. After spending ten years at war, Odysseus starts his voyage back, starting the great novel, The Odyssey. Several times during his trip home Odysseus uses his cleverness to his advantage. During The Odyssey, Odysseus uses strategy instead of strength to overcome many obstacles. Two examples include when Odysseus kills the Cyclopes, and when Odysseus finally reaches his homeland after 20 years of being away.

Odysseus’s has properties of great mental strength that become evident during his journey. Through his encounter with the cyclops it becomes apparent that his possess great mental strength , when the cyclops drinks the wine Odysseus gave him and soon falls asleep, Odysseus tells the the giant that his name is “nobody”, the cyclops believes him. When he calls for help, the other cyclops believe that no one is hurting him and ignore him. This is Odysseus key

In the epic poem Odyssey the hero, Odysseus shows many heroic qualities. He is a natural born leader who tries to get all his men and himself back home. He proves on their journey that he is intelligent, strategist, crafty, and he also never gives up.

Odysseus was a great hero in Greek mythology, he was best known for defeating many monsters, but what is often disregarded is that Odysseus started his quest as a soldier. What make Odysseus unalike is strength that makes a soldier but is also a courageous view of the world that makes a hero. Odysseus served in the Trojan War and survived because of his skills in combat and leadership.

Most archetypal heroes go on a quest, have a special weapon, and have supernatural help. Odysseus leaves his family to fight in the Trojan war. On his journey home, “he saw many cities of men, and learnt their minds; he endured many hardships and struggles to save his own life”(3). Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, challenges a group of her wooers to shoot Odysseus’ bow, all fail but him, disguised as a beggar; “He took one sharp arrow which lay out on the table before him[...] This he lay on the string of the bow, and drew back the string and notches together; still sitting upon the chair as he was, he took aim and let fly. He did not miss”(269). Odysseus was the only one able to use his bow. On his journey, the greek goddess Athena aids Odysseus,

Odysseus, in The Odyssey, is much more complicated. He lives by his wiles as well as his courage. He is an intellectual. Often he openly evaluates a situation, demonstrating the logic he employs in making his choices. When it proves effective, Odysseus lies cheats, or steals in ways that we would not expect in an epic hero. Although he is self-disciplined his