Odysseus As An Epic Hero Essay

Odysseus is an epic hero, he is a natural leader and at some points in the book smarter than everyone else. After stabbing the cyclopes in the eye and the cyclopes moving the boulder Odysseus had to think of a way to get his men out safely and this quote shows his intelligence and leadership skills "I tied them silently together, twining cords of willow from the cyclops's bed; then slung a man under each middle one to ride there safely,

A hero is a person that is admired for his courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Such noble qualities include virtue, respect, and beneficial. An epic hero is a supernatural character who partakes the principles of a race. He (or she) completes long, dangerous journeys and accomplish extreme goals in a form of a quest. Similar to a hero, they must be courageous and robust. In the epic The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus is an epic hero.

     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

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.

He is stricken with hunger and longs for nourishment, but he is able to triumph over this temptation by remaining mentally strong: “One day I withdrew to the interior / to pray the gods in solitude, for hope / that one might show me some way of salvation” (XII, 426 – 428). Instead of giving in to temptation, Odysseus heroically prays to the gods. In addition to physical and emotional challenges, Odysseus faces intellectual challenges, and is able to overcome these challenges with quick thinking. Odysseus must utilize his cunning wit when he devises a plan to surprise the suitors in an attack, and hide their weapons: “I / shall signal to you, nodding: at that point / round up all armor, lances, gear of war / left in our hall, and stow the lot away” (XVI, 335 – 338). This challenge tests Odysseus as a tactician, and he is able to succeed with intellectual valor. Odysseus encounters a mental challenge when he is on the Land of the Kyklopes. He quickly tells Polyphemos that his name is “Nohbdy”, and then once the Polyphemos is stabbed, the other Kyklopes think that “Nohbdy” hurt him. Then, Odysseus and his men are able to escape on the underside of sheep. Odysseus bravely risks the lives of his men and himself. Odysseus overcomes all these challenges, using his physical, emotional, and intellectual abilities. The courage he displays in each of these instances makes him more heroic.

The first characteristic that makes Odysseus an epic hero is that he answers a call to action. Odysseus answers two calls to action in The Odyssey. His first call is to go to Troy with Agamemnon and rescue Helen even though his son Telemachus has just been born and his wife Penelope doesn't want him

A hero is someone who saves the day. An epic hero possesses superhuman strength, craftiness, and confidence. They are helped or harmed by the goals. They embody values that a culture considers admirable. In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus is a great example of an epic hero.

Odysseus is a hero that goes through something tremendously difficult and comes out standing tall. He is a symbol of strength and fortitude. Despite how difficult the tasks, he was able to overcome numerous hardships. This more than anything else is a display of an epic

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.

The epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.

The Odyssey is a Greek epic poem told by a blind rhapsode named Homer, and is translated by Robert Fitzgerald. This poem tells the grand adventures and obstacles, Odysseus, king of Ithaca, faces on his journey home from the Trojan War. Throughout the journey, despite the hardships, Odysseus never gives up and his main priority is making it home to see his beloved wife. Odysseus is definitely to be considered an epic hero because he exhibits the greek values of cleverness, loyalty, and love for home and family.

Epic heroes are usually great leaders and accomplish great deeds and undertake journeys or quests that usually take place in a wide setting such as the world. The epic hero is a “larger than life person” who embodies the highest ideals of his culture and time period. Also, this type of heroes experience human emotions, yet is able to master and control these human traits to a greater degree than a typical human. All of these standard traits were set by Odysseus, the epic hero from the Odyssey, written by Homer. Odysseus embodies the characteristics of the Greeks at the time such as Curiosity, sharp intellect, cunningness all throughout the Odyssey to set the standard for epic heroes for future generations to come.

Hercules, Perseus, Theseus, and Achilles are all known as epic or homeristic heroes. They have all had their legendary battles and journeys that have classified them as an epic hero. Epic heroes all have good and bad qualities, for example Hercules is known as the strongest man in the world, but he is not that smart. Odysseus is a great example of an epic hero. He is smart, strong, and protected by gods and goddesses, but he does have faults in his actions considering he is only just a mortal. In Homer’s book, The Odyssey, Homer shows how Odysseus is truly an epic hero, by showing his journey back home to Ithaca.

Odysseus was one of the strongest characters in this story, he fought for his men and did what he thought was the best for his family or his men. In this story there were a lot of hero moments that he was brought upon, but likewise there were also some zero moments where he was selfish and only thought of himself. One of the main examples that he was a zero moment was that he cheated on his wife for seven years, even though it was said that everytime he would cheat on his wife. But on the other had he had some hero moments, one example of that was that he saved his men from the Cyclopes and none of them were hurt. My opinion on Odysseus isn’t really figured out if he was a hero or zero because he was both of them, one of the main reasons why he isn’t really a hero is because he is really selfish and only thinks of himself and doesn’t think of everyone else around him that might suffer from what is choice might be.

An epic hero is someone who is admired for their great achievements and selfless acts in times of despair. Heroes are also effective leaders, as their guidance is important in the face of danger. The story, The Odyssey, follows the epic hero, Odysseus, and his strong men on their adventure sailing the Mediterranean Sea with the objective of returning home to Ithaca. As they sailed, the curious men crossed paths with misfortune, leading all but Odysseus to their deaths. Odysseus used his leadership by strategically planning escapes during dangerous situations, making him a heroic figure. However, his imperfections weaken his reputation as a strong, epic hero. Although he had good intentions in using his intelligence to try to ensure the safety of others, his character flaws, such as his arrogance and unfaithfulness, cost his crew their lives and caused chaos in the lives of his loved ones.