Odysseus As A Hero Of This Epic

Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and the main character in homer’s The Odyssey, was gone for twenty years before finally returning to his family and his homeland. He struggled through many hardships and lost many loyal companions. The King of Ithaca would not have made it home without the assistance of the Greek gods. Despite all of the help and advice that Odysseus receives from the gods, he is a very brave man because his courage and daring in the cave of the Cyclops, his inability to give up and abandon his men on Circe’s island, and his flawless following of the gods instructions are acts of bravery that is uncommon in most men.

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.

Bob Riley once said, “Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed.” Throughout their lifetime, one endures many hardships, and it is during those hardships that their true character comes out. Similarly, in order to return home to his wife, Odysseus must endure every obstacle in his way, and it is through these hard times that the true face of Odysseus is really shown. In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer uses the character Odysseus to assert that heroic actions and deeds do not always represent a good and righteous character.

As a final point, being brave, strong, and making a quick decisions was many kinds of being a hero and that’s what Odysseus had that make him a hero. Odysseus with his men going through a lot of challenges but in the end he is the only one survived and alive. With this in mind, the epic poem showed us how big the difference between the people 3,000 years ago and people in this generation. The author shows in the epic poem how whimsical the world 3,000 years ago and how powerful the gods in their maturity.

In the “Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through obstacles throughout the book that a normal man couldn’t subside. One example is in book 9, his main obstacle that he is trying to face is to escape from being held hostage in a cave by a Cyclops better known as Polyphemus. Odysseus is a archetypal hero, he is also a role model, with an ambition to get to his homeland Ithaca. He goes through resisting temptation and using his intellect and physical strength to get him there, no matter the obstacle nor the negative flaws that he faces. Odysseus put himself and his men in that situation by being curious and wanting to know what kind of land his ship and the winds led him to. This was selfish of him because it cost him some of his men, but a leader and hero has to play that role and some lives will be dealt with on the way. Odysseus says, “The rest of you will stay here while I go with my ship and crew on reconnaissance. I want to find out what those men are like, Wild savages with no sense of right or wrong Or hospitable folk who fear the gods” (Homer 429). Saying this quote alone makes Odysseus a humble man due to the fact that not even a piece of land is going to slow him down on his journey back home.

Homer’s The Odyssey is very much an epic tale of a man’s heroic quest. The protagonist, Odysseus, is a cunning, brave, strong, and tenacious character who is given the title of a hero. This “hero”, however, does not always show characteristics of a hero, which leads many to believe that Odysseus, is not a true hero after all. In fact, Odysseus cheats on his wife multiple times, is willing to sacrifice his men in order to get home, and slaughters all his maids even though he did not have to. In The Odyssey, Homer attempts to create a complex portrait of a hero, but fails at his attempt when making Odysseus unforgiving, self absorbed, and a philanderer.

In the epic poem of the Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus is a warrior and King of Ithaca trying to get back home. While doing so he goes on many adventures like passing through Cyclopes, Sirens, and the Underworld. Throughout his journey, he shows many different types of his personality traits including being Courageous and unfaithful. To start off with, Odysseus can be very courageous he shows us many times; when he is not afraid to rush head first into battle or to get out of a tough situation. This is seen when he and his crew go to the land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus is not afraid of the Cyclopes but instead wants to meet one.

During his journey Odysseus used what he has learned from is mistakes to return home and kill the suitors of his wife. On the island of Cicones,and with his encounter with Polyphemus, Odysseus learned that bragging can bring great misfortune. On Ithaca Odysseus never brags to the suitors and is able to enter his house with the Antinous and the other suitors knowing his real identity. He takes the punishment of Antinous and the other suitors without saying a word and is able to see those who have invaded his house. Odysseus is able to see who is loyal and who is not and take his revenge with the suitors never knowing who

Odysseus’ craftiness sets him apart from the other characters as a hero because he succeeds when others fail.

Odysseus’ journey was not one for the faint of heart; he had to exemplify many admirable traits, including loyalty to his home and bravery even in the face of danger. One example of Odysseus’ loyalty is his guilt upon sleeping with Calypso. He feels he is required to lie with her out of duty (and safety) but sombers around afterwards due to the pain of being unfaithful to his wife Penelope. His body may lie in a foreign land and with a foreign woman, but his heart continues to thrive with his true home, Penelope in Ithaca. Loyalty is not the only quality a hero of Odysseus’ caliber must prove; he must also be brave. Danger lurking around every corner to strike down the righteous hero is an essential theme in epics such as The Odyssey, but our

The Odyssey Brave, courageous, daring, and a great leader these are the words I would use to describe Odysseus in the epic poem called Odyssey. In every epic poem there is an epic hero that is trying to get back to his homeland or back to his people. In the following three paragraphs I am going to give you three amazing examples of what makes Odysseus an epic hero. After reading these examples I’m sure you will agree with me that Odysseus was an amazing man trying to get back to his wife and son. My first example is going to a land that is home to a Cyclops named polyphemus.

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.

Odysseus is stranded on a foreign distant island and he becomes a prisoner of Calypso, a gorgeous nymph who falls in love with him ( 3, p16). Hermes, the god of messengers travels to Calypso and demands her to release Odysseus. Odysseus is free and then sails away but is discovered by Poseidon, the god of the seas, who seeks to punish him for blinding his son, Polyphemus. Poseidon wrecks the boat through a storm and Odysseus reaches the land of the Phaceans (3, p18). Odysseus meets Princess Nausicaa and reveals his name and identity.

Homer's epic tale The Odyssey is a story of the triumphs and downfalls that are in store for one warrior's long pillage home.  Odysseus, the hero from the Trojan wars, has led his people of Ithaca and other Achaean soldiers to victory and now wishes to return home to his wife and family of Ithaca.  Through his twenty year journey Odysseus is often tested not only of his physical strength, but his wits as well.  The many accomplishments he achieved earned him great status and recognition throughout ancient Greece.  The mistakes he made caused the deaths of many men.  Consequently, we as readers are able to see the many personas that Odysseus carries with him.