The Odyssey, by Homer, tells the tale of the Grecian general, Odysseus, and his return voyage to his home Ithaka. Odysseus fights in the Trojan War, and during the war and his return journey, he faces many dangers and overcomes them. Because of his wit, cunning, and bravery, Odysseus is often viewed as a great hero. Although literary scholars of The Odyssey have argued that Odysseus is a hero because of his bravery and cunning, closer examination shows that Odysseus is not a hero based on his rash and foolish decisions, his skewed logic, and the end result of his journey.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus boasts of his skill often, a foolish decision that often gets him into trouble. He angers the god of the sea, Poseidon, when he claims that he won
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Nothing about their deceitful actions is “heroic.” In The Odyssey, Odysseus is unfaithful to his wife and sleeps with two goddesses, Calypso and Circe. Though it may be argued that Odysseus cheats to save his men from Circe’s spell, that argument is weakened by the fact that when Odysseus returns home to his wife, he is furious with her when he wrongly suspects that she has been unfaithful to him. He yells, “Who dared to move our bed?” and “There is our pact and pledge, our secret sign, built into that bed.” ( The Odyssey, Chapter 23, Lines 391, 396-397) Odysseus has a double standard in his mind that his cheating is allowed, but he could berate his wife if he suspects any suspicious behavior. That skewed logic would certainly not fly in the modern day, and surely would not be …show more content…
You would expect a triumphant return, with parades and euphoric celebration. But with Odysseus’ return, there is mourning. Not mourning for him, as he has returned safely. But mourning for the rest of his men who have all died on the journey. Not one of Odysseus’ men have returned, which is irreparable damage. Though heroes can do great feats or win battles, most heroes have some sacrifice they make. Odysseus does not sacrifice something to save his men. Through his journey, his main concern is getting himself home. During his journey, he makes decisions that put his men in jeopardy, but is always able to wiggle his way out of danger with quick thinking, which some may call heroic, but he often leaves a risky situation with much fewer men than before. When Odysseus and his men pass between Scylla and Charybdis, the sea monsters, Odysseus says, “I told them nothing, as they could do nothing.” (The Odyssey, Chapter 12, Lines 161-162) Odysseus chooses not to make his men aware of the coming danger, giving them no chance to protect
Odysseus is not a hero because he cheats on his wife multiple times throughout the book. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew travel to Ismarus and harass and take the women there. As Odysseus said, “I then looted the town and attacked the people. We then took their wives and much booty.”(p.75). This shows that Odysseus is not a hero because he is disrespectful to women. Also in The Odyssey, Odysseus cheats on Penelope with Circe. Although it was under certain circumstances Odysseus still could have found a
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.
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.
Odysseus, king of Ithaca, was probably on of the greatest warriors in the history of Ancient Greece. It is said that the poet, Homer, wrote the story of the Odyssey. In this story, Odysseus and his crew are trying to make their voyage back home to Ithaca after they have fought with the Trojans. During the long journey, Odysseus will show some of his character traits which include his bravery, cleverness, and wisdom that will assist him with the situations he encounters on his journey home.
In homer's Odyssey the main character Odysseus is a person who only tries to help himself. Although he earns the trust of his men while in Troy, he loses it on his perilous journey home. Many times in the epic he manipulates others, commits foolish acts and is full of hubris. He tries to take shortcuts and as a result of this is men are killed and his boats destroyed. He plays with the lives of his men and he is punished for it. Odysseus is not a hero because, he is foolish, lacks faithfulness and is consumed by his Hubris and selfishness.
A major part of being a hero is trying to protect the ones you love from any harm, hurt, and danger. Odysseus, however, does not protect his family from harm because he leaves Ithaca for so long. In particular, Odysseus does not protect his wife from hurt when he cheats on her. Every minute of each day that Odysseus was gone, Penelope was mourning the absence of her husband, not knowing that he was deceiving her. Odysseus not only cheats on Penelope once, but twice. First, Odysseus is held sex captive by Calypso, a nymph goddess, on her island for many years. This means that at some point Odysseus had fallen for temptation. Odysseus then cheats on his wife yet again with another goddess named Circe. Although this affair does not last as long, Odysseus still sets
The Odyssey by Homer, is a epic based off the actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes of a greek by the name of Odysseus. Throughout the story, Odysseus’ travels take him to new places on new adventures with no insight on what could happen next. Odysseus refers to himself, and is referred to a number of times, as a hero. Throughout the time of book 9 to book 12, there are many scenes throughout the story that portray the qualities Odysseus possesses that lead him to be given the heroic title. On the contrary, there are numerous occasions where Odysseus does things that might not be expected of someone seen as heroic. One of the first things that stood out to me starting in book 9, was Odysseus’ pride for his native land and where he comes from. Here, Odysseus states, “Nothing is sweeter than your own country” (Book 9, Line 37). This quotes shows how Odysseus is prideful of his home, Ithaca, and believes it to be the “sweetest sight” (Book 9, Line 31). Another scene that represents Odysseus’ heroic qualities is when Odysseus and his crew were being held by the cyclops, Polyphemus, and he comes up with an escape plan. During this, Odysseus states, “And I bade my comrades cast lots among them, which of them should have the hardihood with me to lift the stake and grind it into his eye when sweetsleep should come upon him.” (Book 9, Lines 328-329). To me, this portrays Odysseus as a quick thinker and a problem solver. In this situation, the problem was that him and
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.
In Homer's Odyssey Odysseus is a character who, sometimes behaves like a proper hero and also as a very self-centered character at other points. He earns the respect of his men during the Trojan War by making good sound decisions and caring about the welfare of his men. But, in his adventure home Odysseus is definitely not taking the responsibility of a hero among his men. On almost any page you turn to in the epic, you can find some act of greed or foolishness coming from Odysseus. He plays with the lives of his men with no regard for the well-being or their families. Odysseus is not a hero because, he is foolish, lacks faithfulness and is consumed by his Hubris and selfishness.
Odysseus: a hero in every way. He is a real man, skilled in the sports, handy with a sword and spear, and a master of war strategy. Most of the challenges and adventures in his return voyage from Troy show us this even if we had no idea of his great heroic stature and accomplishments in the Trojan war. I found in my reading of the Odyssey that most of the trials the gods place upon him are readily faced with heroic means. These challenges are not
In The Odyssey, Odysseus goes on a long journey in which he takes part in dangerous adventures. Odysseus is an example of Homer’s greek hero. He is a leader of his people and they depend and follow him. Odysseus is brave; he believes in himself and trusts that he is doing the right thing. Odysseus values his honor and is confident in himself.
For example in book 10 with Circe it says, “But I, I drew my sharp sword sheathed at my hip and rushed her fast as if to run her through - She screamed, slid under my blade, hugged my knees with a flood of warm tears and burst of winging words…” (240, 357-360) In this section of text Odysseus sleeps with Circe in order to save his crew from being pigs forever. Some people might say this this in non-heroic because he is cheating on his wife, but the only reason he did what he did was to save his crew. Another thing Odysseus did for his crew that put the crew before himself was in book 10, “So she asked, but I protested, ‘Circe- how could any man in his right mind endure the taste of food and drink before he’d freed his comrades-in-arms and looked them in the eyes?If you, you really want me to eat and drink, set them free, all my beloved comrades- let me feast my eyes.” (242, 423-429).
Often through great literature, there is an epic hero. In the Odyssey, Homer tells the journey of one man’s journey home from the Trojan War. The protagonist of the epic poem Odysseus is often regarded as a great hero. However, Odysseus is not quite the glorious soldier that people often see him as. Odysseus disproves his title of a hero through his pride, his disloyalty, and his bloodthirstiness.
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.
Odysseus: a hero in every way. He is a real man, skilled in the sports, handy with a sword and spear, and a master of war strategy. Most of the challenges and adventures in his return voyage from Troy show us this even if we had no idea of his great heroic stature and accomplishments in the Trojan war. I found in my reading of the Odyssey that most of the trials the gods place upon him are readily faced with heroic means. These challenges are not