Odysseus As An Epic Hero In Homer's Odyssey

A characteristic that defines Odysseus as an epic hero is his intelligence. Odysseus and his men were trapped in a cave so Odysseus came up with a plan to injure Polyphemus, the cyclops, in order to escape as Polyphemus furiously stood in front of the entrance. Odysseus managed to escape by his cleverness. An example is, “I took the wooliest ram, the choicest of the flock, and hung myself under his kinky belly”. This explains the way Odysseus had escape by wrapping himself under a sheep’s belly and waited until morning for the flocks of sheep to leave the cave and enter their pastor. It turned out to be a successful escape because he managed to come out alive. Overall Odysseus did not only stab the cyclops in the eye for it to lose his vision but he manages to come up with a clever plan to escape. This shows Odysseus using his intelligence to defeat cyclops which is why he is

After Odysseus reveals his identity, he takes revenge of the wooers and severely punished anyone that was associated during the occasion. He was justified with his actions when he struck back. His punishments were brutal but neccasary. He gave the wooers what they deserved.

Insteading having the definition of hero that majority believe in, which are fit and strong bodies, Greeks believe that a true hero must have sharp intellect with physical capability. To protect the title as an “Epic Hero,” the protagonist must have different aspects from others to be admired from all others. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is the man that breaks the whole common image of the other men. He had determination to achieve his quest with his strength and his wits and this was a major reason why his crew believed that he was a hero. Homer, depicted Odysseus dealing his tough situations with his quick thinking to overcome them. One of the moments that shows Odysseus’ cleverness was when the hero encountered the Cyclops in Book 9, or when he secretly planned his slaughter of the suitors by having his minstrel play a wedding tune in Book 23. Homer also portrayed his protagonist as a persuasive, fluent speaker that can manipulate others with no

The first characteristic of Odysseus that makes him an epic hero is that he is a great warrior. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus fights great monsters that all want him dead. When Odysseus visited the Cyclops, he used his skills to blind the monsters eye. “Now at last, I thrust our stake in a bed of embers… Hoisting high that olive stake with its stabbing point, straight into the monster’s eye they rammed it hard… til blood came boiling up around the smoking shaft” (Homer 223). Because Odysseus already had experience in the Trojan war, he was able to think quickly under pressure and distract the cyclops. Then he and his men carried out his plan and managed to escape. Odysseus was also smart enough to know that he couldn’t kill Polyphemus because he was the only one who could lift the large boulder in front of the entrance of the cave. Then, Odysseus with his quick wit, hid his men under the bellies of the cyclops’ flock of rams until Polyphemus let them out the next morning. Another example that shows Odysseus is a great warrior is the situation with the suitors. When Odysseus returned home from his twenty year journey that no one thought he could return from. Suitors were plaguing his home in pursuit of his faithful wife Penelope. Dressed as a beggar, Odysseus defeats them in an arrow shooting contest and then one by one begins to rid the palace of its ‘rat problem.’ Odysseus first kills Antinous. Then after letting the other suitors beg for mercy, he and Telemachus begin killing them as well (440). Odysseus, seasoned from war, tired of fighting, still had enough strength left to defeat the suitors.

This shows that throughout the epic, Odysseus is not an admirable hero because he is unloyal to his wife, he gets his crew killed and he is selfish. There are many moments throughout Odysseus´ journey when he is unloyal to his wife, Penelope. When he is on his journey back home he gets caught in a ocean storm caused by Poseidon. This storm leads him to the island of Calypso where he gets trapped for many

One of the many qualities that Odysseus has is persistence. Homer states in the book The Odyssey “You're a hard man, Odysseus, you're fighting spirits stronger than ours your stamina never fails you must be made of iron head to foot…”(Homer 280). Homer explains how the man who told Odysseus that he is

Despite being a stout hearted war hero, Odysseus is certainly not a hero in any other aspect. There is not one human being who could possibly agree that a cheating, prideful, men killing monster is in any way

“Heroes are made by the paths they choose not the powers they are graced with,” - Brodi Ashton. In the Odyssey --The Epic Hero is written by Homer, represents one does not have to obtain powers to be a hero. Odysseus reflects the heroic traits of the Greek culture because he is brave, an effective leader, a skilled warrior and is of high birth.

The Greeks have many great stories of heroes including Odysseus. In The Odyssey, Odysseus goes on a quest and encounters-many challenges along the way. Odysseus goes through rough times, but he is not alone. Athena helps Odysseus with his decision making and making plans to get out of troubling situations. Odysseus is a hero because he displays the traits of a hero. Odysseus is a natural born leader, skilled fighter, and a problem-solver.

In the epic poem “The Odyssey” Odyssey, Homer gives Odysseus characteristics of a hero, but breaks the idea of this stereotype by giving Odysseus relatable characteristics making him more relatable.

An epic is a poem about a hero’s journey and how a hero becomes a hero. Some heroic qualities include have courage, being and leader, being brave, having patience, and being wise. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus will become a hero. He starts out with a big head and with many flaws but by the end he will become a wiser less flawed man.

I think first in order to figure out what makes Odysseus an “epic hero”, is to first consider what an epic hero is. An epic hero, is a hero in a story with extraordinary powers, talents, or wits. I think Odysseus can be called an epic hero, because his main concern throughout the story, is his crew and their well-being. The way Odysseus out smarts the Cyclops in part 1, is an example of his cleverness and courage. The way Odysseus interacts with his crew members, shows that he is not just a cruel conqueror sailing the ocean for treasure. For example, in part 2 of The Odyssey, the crew members actually cry when they see Odysseus alive.

A hero in the Homeric culture is defined as, “The hero’s duty is to fight, and the only way he had of gaining glory and immortality was through heroic action on the battlefield; thus, he continually prepared his life for the life-and-death risks of battle. The Homeric hero believed that men had to stand together in battle; men had to respect each other, and men had to restrain of excessive cruelty” (Cliff Notes). It has been debated for a very long time to whether or not Odysseus is a hero or not a hero in the epic poem, “The Odyssey”, because Odysseus doe some pretty questionable things throughout the epic poem to question his heroicness or not. So the question of whether or not Odysseus is a true hero in the epic can be quite mind boggling. Odysseus exposes the characteristics of a hero by finishing goals set for him, and defeating all the challenges thrown at him. For starters, Odysseus is honest, for the most part. Recall back to the part of the epic where Odysseus and his crew members are about to be passing the Island of the Sirens. Odysseus and his crew members were in harm’s way when this was happening. But Odysseus, being the hero he really is,

According to dictionary.com, an epic hero is “a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events” The stages of the heroic journey are used as guidance which molds Odysseus into a true hero even when coming upon challenges. Odysseus is a king in the land of Ithaca with a lovely wife and a great son. The heroic journey commences with The Ordinary

Odysseus is the epic hero because of his strength.In The odyssey, Seareach challenges Odysseus by calling him weak. In response, he leapt out, cloaked as he was, and picked “up a discus, / … and, whirling, let it fly from his great