There are many different ways that a hero can be described or imagined. Everyone has their own ideas of what makes someone a hero. Also, for many heroes it is debatable whether they really are a hero. In The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Odysseus is one such debatable hero. Odysseus is a hero because he is brave, level-headed, and he shows faithfulness and respect to important figures in his life. First, Odysseus shows bravery in many ways throughout The Odyssey. He shows bravery when he is with allies and friends, which is much easier to do than when one is by themselves. He shows this bravery when he goes to investigate the Kyklops’s cave, “I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer,” (IX, 248-249). …show more content…
Also, he must kill all of them with only a little help. To do this he needed an enormous amount of bravery. Overall, Odysseus’s bravery makes him a hero. Second, Odysseus remains level-headed throughout his journey by continuing to be a strategist and maintaining wisdom. Odysseus shows his ability to strategize mainly on Ithaka. When he is with Athena on the shore, ““Whoever gets around you must be sharp and guileful as a snake: even a god might bow to you in ways of dissimulation. You! You chameleon! Bottomless bag of tricks! Here in your own country would you not give your stratagems a rest,”” (XIII, 371-376). Here Athena herself says that Odysseus could fool even a god with his tricks and strategies. To have a god of wisdom and say this to him shows how good of a strategist he is. Another example of his mastery of stratagems comes soon after when he plots with Athena, “under the old grey olive tree those two sat down to work the suitors death and woe,” (XIII,465-466). Athena and Odysseus devise a strategy together and unless Odysseus was an excellent strategist, Athena would not let him plan with her. His strategies allow him to save himself and as many other people as possible which makes him a hero. Odysseus also sows his level-headedness through his wisdom. One example is in the lair of the Kyklops, “if I killed him we perished there as well, for we could never move his ponderous
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
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.
sword from my hip I went along his flank to stab him where the midriff
Odysseus takes place in an Epic; he not only displays characteristics that make him a Hero, but also a human. We can assume that he is well known because of the way he presents himself when we first read about him, he is well respected not just among his home but also from the ruler of where he inhabits. Odysseus show extreme bravery, not just to his men but when he is faced with a predicament that has potential for turning violent. Not only is this a very beneficial attribute to have, but also it helps build him up as more of a role model. Example of this is when he travels to a land that is not fully foreign to him and his men, but he knows of the lawlessness that occurs there.
Odysseus’ bravery and determination is shown clearly in book 12 of The Odyssey when he and his crew of sailors are forced to sail through monsters such as sirens, where he orders his crew to continue sailing with him tied to the mast of his ship so he would not be tempted by the siren's singing. Later in this chapter, he and his crew came across the six headed monster scylla, where he had to make the decision to tell his crew about the prophecy he was told, or not tell them. If he had not told them, he would have lost 6 of his sailors so that he and the rest of them could get home to their families and so that Odysseus could save Telemachus and Penelope from the suitors. Odysseus truly showed what it meant to be a hero. He was willing to risk life and death to make sure he and his crew could make it home.
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
Throughout the “Odyssey”, Odysseus shows many heroic actions proving that he is brave, smart, and a good leader. He has put himself in harms way before his own men, he watches over them and never leaves them behind. Going through many of the trials and difficulties. he has proven to a heroic character. One reason Odysseus is heroic is his bravery, he is brave because rather than just sending his men into danger, he goes along with them, “As for myself I took my twelve best fighters” (Homer 565).
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
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
Odysseus may not be the image you get in your head when you hear the word “hero”. I’m here to say he is. He tried to save his entire crew. It was their fault that they died, Odysseus tried his best and they disobeyed him. You cannot call Odysseus a “bad leader” for that reason. His trickery and wits and also guts helped him and his crew out of Polyphemus’ cave. In the movie version, Odysseus even fought Poseidon, Polyphemus’ father. I find Odysseus as a very good hero.
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.
What is a hero? Is a hero a powerful being capable of doing amazing things? Or, is a hero just someone to look up to? If anyone can be a hero, then would they even want to be one in the first place? Being in the spotlight is hard as any mistake you make will ruin or hurt your “hero” status. If the hero has always been powerful and well known, like Odysseus, they would already know how to act like a hero. They would know not to make any mistakes. Odysseus is a hero and has been considered one for thousands of years, but does he really deserve that title? In many ways, he is flawed. Odysseus, just like all of us, he is not the perfect hero or person at all due to his untrustworthiness, his ego, and his human nature.
What makes someone a hero? Is it the adventures they go on, the traits they possess, or how popular they are? In The Odyssey, Odysseus embarks on one huge adventure to save his people, but barely gets back home. The struggles on this journey have proved whether Odysseus is in fact a hero, or just a fool who got lucky. Although literary scholars of The Odyssey have argued that he is not a hero, closer examination shows that he is a hero because he met the ultimate goal of defeating Troy, bravely led and sacrificed for his men, and escaped multiple enemies.
Odysseus is a great hero he is brave,smart,and strong but he does these things in a selfish way
Another way Odysseus is also a hero is he always finds a way to survive whether he is in conflict or out on the sea. One of the many situations Odysseus survives is his encounter with Skylla. Six of his crew members do perish but through his hard work and dedication he survives. He makes another smart decision in choosing to go through Skylla instead of Kharybdis because only six of his crew members die instead of the whole crew. Another decision Odysseus makes to survive is not eating the cattle of Helios while on Thrinikia, his crew members choice in eating the hallowed cows results in their death, but Odysseus knew the consequences and did not touch a cow. Another way Odysseus' quick-decision skills helps him is when he chooses to leave the island of the Lotous-eaters, because he realized his whole crew would have fell under the curse if he had stayed there. Odysseus is also a master tactician whose complex plans save his crew and help him regain his crown. One of these plans was his ingenious idea to trick Polyphemos, which shows he is a hero by saving countless lives. Another plan he implemented was to kill the suitors which is also a success because Odysseus and Telemakos themselves kill over a hundred men without an injury to themselves .Odysseus is a quick-thinker whose resourceful ideas save many lives.