Odysseus: A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

In my eyes a hero is a person who shows courage, is humble, does not give up, and is someone everybody can relate to. The protagonist in “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because although he is emotional throughout the book and lets his emotions take over his actions, he displays immense courage and perseveres through his journey and hardships.

Throughout history, poets, authors, and directors have created characters labeled as “heroes”. These figures can be brave and kind; they can be strong and intelligent, but regardless of the attributes these “heroes” possess, they reflect those valued and admired by the people of that time and culture. Homer, the author of book nine of The Odyssey, “In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave,” used the character Odysseus to appear heroic by showcasing the traits readers would find most desirable in a person. Homer showed such characteristics in Odysseus when he wrote him to be brave when confronted with danger, intelligent in problem-solving, and extremely loyal to his homeland.

Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus experiences many ups and downs throughout his journey home. He is throw into peril and there often seems to be no hope for his return home. While he remains victorious in the end, returning to his wife, son, and father, the poem itself is filled with many darker moments filled with doubt and sadness. Odysseus is the hero of the Odyssey, and in order to exist as a hero he must be relatable. His story cannot be one entirely of triumph, it must include a more human perspective. Triumph cannot come without strife, and heroism cannot come without tribulation. Athena and Odysseus’ experiences as divine and human, respectively, and define whether or not they are heroes. By comparing Odysseus to Athena, it is apparent that what makes Odysseus a hero before anything else is his humanity.

Odysseus is definitely a strong character. Not just physically strong, but mentally strong too. He is intelligent, arrogant, and godlike. Throughout the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus proves that he is able to take on any challenge that he runs into headfirst. In Ancient Greece, Greeks looked up to him and wanted to be him, Almost like how Christians want to live like how Jesus or Mary did. People thought of Odysseus as a perfect person. He was one of the greatest ancient Greece heroes. Looking back on him now, he doesn’t look as excelling as he did to the people in ancient Greece. Calling Odysseus a hero is still up to debate today, but one thing for sure is that he is definitely a strong person.

Heroes are everywhere, no matter how small their heroic actions may be. However, what is a hero? A hero is someone who helps others without regard to themselves. A person like Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, who put Tom Robinson in front of his own reputation, and was called a “black lover” in the racist community for doing the right thing. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus has done this more than once on his journey home, however he also has been selfish. Odysseus is a man who has been both heroic, like when he rescued his men from Circe, but he has also done unheroic actions, like when he didn’t tell his men about the dangerous bag of wind.

Odysseus is a hero because he went on his journey home from the Trojan War with strong determination and bravery to get him and his men home. After being already a war hero for being a great help to winning the war, he later proves himself even more of a hero when he leads his men through countless dangers hoping that eventually they will return home. The things they face on their adventure back home will take good amounts of courage and bravery.

To be a veteran is a matter of being in near perfect mental and physical condition and state. Veterans have to endure life changing events and most of the time, it is hard to cope with. Veterans fight for our country so that we may have the privileges we do today. I think the legendary protagonist from Homer’s well-known epic “The Odyssey”¬ – Odysseus, is similar to all veterans.

Have you always read books where the main character is usually the hero of the story? What if I told you that in the book The Odyssey the main character isn’t the hero. As a matter of fact, there is no specific hero in the The Odyssey. Although Odysseus is the main character of the story, he is definitely not the hero. Odysseus has acquired some qualities of being the hero, but have acquired numerous of qualities of not being one. First of all, Odysseus has shown quite a few time of where he showed no respect towards others. In addition, how can he be considered a hero when he killed a mass of people. Lastly, he has been unfaithful towards his wife Penelope. Overall, Odysseus have proven that he isn’t a hero through his traits that appeared throughout the story.

Wade Davis, an author, photographer, and explorer for National Geographic, describes an ideal hero as being “never perfect, but they're brave, they're authentic, they're courageous, determined, discreet, and they've got grit.” Odysseus is the protagonist in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, and demonstrates the bravery and determination contained in Davis’ definition. He successfully fought beside other Greek heroes in the Trojan War and now attempts to return to his kingdom in Ithaca being away from home for twenty years. Odysseus should be considered a hero because he portrays essential heroic characteristics such as bravery and determination.

In Homer’s the Odyssey, Odysseus consistently struggles with tasks and takes questionable decisions. What becomes true in the epic, is that it’s not easy to be a hero. Throughout the Odyssey Odysseus proves himself not a hero when he consistently submits to temptation, is helped to the point where he is never truly at risk by Athena and makes reckless and murderous decisions. Moreover, if even a king like odysseus fails to be a hero what hope does any of us have? Odysseus consistently submits to all forms of temptation in the odyssey, further proving he is not a hero.

Whenever I think of a hero, visions of characters such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman often come to mind, as these strong figures have save their respective communities from danger using their remarkable skills. Odysseus from the Ancient Greek epic The Odyssey by Homer is often considered a hero, although he does not share the same characteristics that most people who are considered heroes in today’s popular culture have. This led me to wonder, what characteristics qualify or disqualify someone to be considered a hero? The thematic idea of heroism plays a key role in The Odyssey, as there are several occasions throughout the epic where Odysseus puts himself at risk to keep others out of harm’s way. After careful analysis of these textual

The king of Ithaca, son of the god Laertes and Anticleia, married to Penelope and father to Telemachus, was the hero Odysseus. Odysseus is known for his cunning and brilliant intelligence. During Odysseus’ lifetime, he went on many adventures including a few that involved a cyclops, the Land of the Dead, and the Suitors.

In the first few books of Homer’s Odyssey, the “resourceful” war hero Odysseus is said to be hopelessly stranded on the island of Ogygia. According to Harold Bloom, after ten years of battle along the bloody front of the tragic Trojan War, “Odysseus [managed] unintentionally to offend Poseidon, and in revenge the ocean god [put] Odysseus through an extended series of very severe tests before allowing him to come home.” (13) Eight years of isolation followed the ten years of war on Calypso’s island, keeping him away from his longing family and deteriorating kingdom of Ithaca. Regardless of his heroic war prowess and unprecedented abilities, Odysseus is portrayed at first as a mere mortal, a helpless human being with a fate constantly determined

In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus and many others go on various quests for glory and fame. Throughout these adventures, they are revered as heroes for their accomplishments, and they continue to do more to receive even greater fame. The Greeks revere heroes and their power. The ancient Greek’s reverence of heroes shows that the greeks value fame and power above all else.

What gives a person heroic quality? From a more modern lens, heroes are known for their bravery, responsibility, and courage. As for earlier times like ancient Greek, heroes were portrayed as god-like, full of intelligence and boldness. The Odyssey describes the ten-year long journey of epic hero Odysseus. In it he faces countless trials and tribulations: coming face-to-face with an entire clan of hungry giant cannibals, fighting a Cyclops and angering Poseidon, god of earthquakes and the sea while he was at it; and then facing the riled-up Poseidon himself.