Odysseus 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

Odysseus displays as an epic hero in the Odyssey. But what is an epic hero? Some characteristics of an epic hero is someone who is brave, strong, and intelligent. A hero was a leader who had not only physical strength, but mental strength as well. Odysseus faces many obstacles and life-threatening situations, but he overcomes them all. Odysseus demonstrates a lot of heroic like qualities during the reading of the odyssey.

In Homer’s poem, The Odyssey is a heroic hero named Odysseus who is trying to get home after the events of the Trojan War which lasted an entire decade. He battles mythical creatures and faces the rage of the gods. Odysseus meets the criteria of an epic hero because he surpasses Zeus’s punishment with having superior strength, defeats cyclops with intelligence, and braveness when facing Charybdis as well as Scylla.

“An epic hero is someone who has a long journey, supernatural powers, possesses Greek virtues, and is a strong warrior. ”(“The Hero: Some Definitions”). Odysseus possesses those features; he is strong cunning, strong, and confident. However, in today’s society we would not consider Odysseus a hero.

When Odysseus was faced with his final challenge, the suitors, he removed the weapons from the hall, then used his skills with the bow to strike fear into the suitors, making them easier to annihilate. Odysseus has many other non-physical skills, such as leadership and bravery. He was able to lead his men into battles and not only saw the bigger picture, but helped others see it too. His bravery was shown when he posed himself as the one to listen to the sounds of the sirens. These skills and many others helped Odysseus be a hero, and let him help

An example of Odysseus’s cleverness in The Odyssey occurs when the crew and Odysseus are trapped in the cave with Polyphemus. Polyphemus asks Odysseus what his name is and Odysseus tells him, “Nobody-that's my name” (12.410). This is clever of Odysseus because when he stabs him in the eye, Polyphemus screams that nobody is killing him and the other cyclops don’t come to help. Odysseus also puts his cleverness on display when he tells the crew only he was to hear the sirens. He tells the crew, “I alone was to hear the voices” (12.174) even though Circe never singled him out. By deceiving the crew, Odysseus avoids potential uproars from the members of his crew about wanting to hear the sirens as well. The cleverness is Odysseus’s personality is again shown in Ithaca when he is disguised as an old man to find out who is loyal to him. Odysseus’s body was covered, “top to toe with the wrinkled hide of an old man” (P. 300, L. 494-495). By doing this Odysseus can tell which members of his staff are loyal or disloyal to him without much effort. The traits that make Odysseus a hero can also be found in many of the people we believe are heroes

Thesis statement: Throughout Odysseus long journey home to Ithaca, he faces numerous challenges, which he overcomes, giving him qualities of an epic hero.

Heroes are often thought of as great figures that conquer evil, kill the monster, and save the day. Odysseus is often referred to as a hero. He is a strong individual striving to complete his goal, return to his wife and son and remove suitors that have taken his home. Although he is seen as a hero by definition and he appears to be one as well there are decisions he made that may not be truly heroic. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus decisions to value his crew's life, and completing and being victorious through hard challenges makes him an epic hero. Odysseus saving his crew and competing his goal makes him a hero.

The Odyssey is Homer’s epic tale of Odysseus and his 10 year journey back home after fighting in the Trojan War. Odysseus, a prideful, famed soldier and king of Ithaca in Greece, has already been at war for 10 years and while he and his crewmen try to return home, they encounter many obstacles and enemies, including sea monsters, nymphs, cyclopes, and storms. Odysseus uses his strength, wit and brute force to defeat his foes and escape. This would make him a hero in ancient times. However, in modern times, a hero can be described as a caring and selfless leader. Such individuals include Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., who both fought using non-violence. They made sacrifices to help the people instead of personal interests, such as

Odysseus, An Epic Hero 
 Throughout Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus encounters many physical and mental challenges that he is forced to overcome. Because of his passion, drive, aid, and strength, Odysseus rises above malevolent humans and supernatural beings and continues on his journey to his beloved homeland. Odysseus fulfills the role of an epic hero because of his ability to defeat evil, his incredible strength in the face of terrible danger, and his assistance from gods and goddesses. 
 Odysseus often uses his wit, charm, and strength to defeat those creating evil. When Odysseus and his men are trapped in the cave

Many people refer themselves as heroes but Gavilan has made The Hero’s Journey which shows the requirements of being a hero. Odysseus is considered a epic hero according to Joseph Campbell article The Hero’s Journey and the qualifications of an epic hero. Odysseus was lost at sea coming across lands that is unknown and may be dangerous. After 20 years he finally makes it back home safely, in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. In The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell it shows what skills or events the stories must meet to be required an hero’s journey. Odysseus qualifies as a hero because he meets the following components based on that he has to complete a quest, he has a mentor, and he has allies.

Lance Armstrong once said, “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or even a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever”. This quote resembles that one of the most important qualities of a hero is persevering through rugged obstacles. As the quote refers to time, Odysseus’s journey took 20 years to accomplish and throughout it he faced many trials, showing how great heroes are made up of those trials in life. Throughout the Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus journeys home to Ithaca and throughout the journey, he gains qualities of an epic hero by facing and overcoming numerous challenges.

I believe a hero is not only defined by the destruction of his or hers courageous defeats, but by their choice of actions they portrayed through his or hers journey. An example of my idea would be the character Odysseus from the book, A Book Of The Odyssey, by Homer. Odysseus faced many encounters throughout his journey, three of which I believe are particularly important. The first encounter being when Odysseus’s men defeated the city of “Troy”. Here we portray Odysseus as a hero through his endeavor protection of his men, “Then I urged them to cut and run, set sail, but would they listen? Not those mutinous fools” (Odyssey Book 9), Odysseus tried his best to warn his men to leave, yet they were too drunk from the wine, later bigger and stronger

An epic hero is the person that is admired for their achievements and grand adventures. Odysseus is an epic hero because he traveled for 20 years to get home. He faced many challenges such as Polyphemus, Circe, and the Trojan War and after all this he still has to go through more situations of life and death.

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