Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

In my eyes a hero is a person who shows courage, is humble, does not give up, and is someone everybody can relate to. The protagonist in “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because although he is emotional throughout the book and lets his emotions take over his actions, he displays immense courage and perseveres through his journey and hardships.

When Odysseus becomes trapped in the Cyclops, Polyphemus’s, cave, he realizes that now is the time to use his strategy rather than strength. It all starts with his ‘libations’ to the Cyclops. Odysseus consistently gives Polyphemus wine “to top off the banquet of human flesh [he has] bolted down!” which is the crew members that Cyclops has eaten ( 9. 222). The most crucial part of Odysseus’s plan is when he tells Polyphemus his name is “Nobody- so my mother and father call me” (9. 223). This particular name that he tells Cyclops helps him escape the other cyclops on the island. Once they stab Polyphemus’s eye with a burning hot stick, the other cyclops wake up to ask him if anyone else is in there with him. Polyphemus, thinking that Odysseus’s name is actually ‘Nobody’, tells them that ‘Nobody’ is in there with him, While escaping death from the cyclops, Odysseus also blinds the cyclops, and saves the rest of his crew. Odysseus chose to use his strategy in place of trying to use his strength which would not have helped him escape. In this situation, strength is no use, seeing as the cyclops is ten times as strong as him.

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.

Heroes are everywhere, no matter how small their heroic actions may be. However, what is a hero? A hero is someone who helps others without regard to themselves. A person like Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, who put Tom Robinson in front of his own reputation, and was called a “black lover” in the racist community for doing the right thing. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus has done this more than once on his journey home, however he also has been selfish. Odysseus is a man who has been both heroic, like when he rescued his men from Circe, but he has also done unheroic actions, like when he didn’t tell his men about the dangerous bag of wind.

Whenever I think of a hero, visions of characters such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman often come to mind, as these strong figures have save their respective communities from danger using their remarkable skills. Odysseus from the Ancient Greek epic The Odyssey by Homer is often considered a hero, although he does not share the same characteristics that most people who are considered heroes in today’s popular culture have. This led me to wonder, what characteristics qualify or disqualify someone to be considered a hero? The thematic idea of heroism plays a key role in The Odyssey, as there are several occasions throughout the epic where Odysseus puts himself at risk to keep others out of harm’s way. After careful analysis of these textual

A quote from Epictetus, a Greek stoic philosopher, describes skillful pilots as gaining their reputation and glory through surmounting their storms and tempests. In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, one man named Odysseus shows his glory and builds his reputation in different ways. Odysseus is a skillful pilot in which he overcomes a long journey, a suppressed identity, and a battle in his own home.

Odysseus also is very clever, strong, and brave, which are perfect characteristics for a hero to have. Since he has these traits they helped him go through this journey and come back home to Ithaca alive, and then he does kill the suitors but it restores peace back to his home. An example where Odysseus is very clever, strong, and brave is with Polyphemus. Since Polyphemus is a cyclops he is stronger then Odysseus is, but Odysseus makes a plan, he gets the cyclops drunk then stabs him in the eye, which using the Cyclopes strength against him, which saves most of his men and himself. They also escape by tying themselves under sheep, which can be considered

I am odysseus the legendary greek king of Ithace and the hero of homer's epic poem the Odyssey. I odysseus am the greatest legend that has ever been told, and I deserve to be written in the annals of actual history. I have three reason that qualify me as the greatest legend and should be written in actual history. I am determine , smart, and an all round epic hero.

Odysseus has never truly been alone in the Odyssey. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus has always had Poseidon, Athena, and Hermes by his side. Whether their actions had a positive effect or not, they were always by his side. He had many other gods and goddesses that pushed him along the way but, these three really had a huge impact on his journey.

In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus and many others go on various quests for glory and fame. Throughout these adventures, they are revered as heroes for their accomplishments, and they continue to do more to receive even greater fame. The Greeks revere heroes and their power. The ancient Greek’s reverence of heroes shows that the greeks value fame and power above all else.

In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus is the king of his home Ithaca. He won the battle of Troy and is trying to find his way back home. His wife, Penelope and son, Telemachus are back in Ithaca waiting for his patiently for his arrival. Along the way home he comes across many things that slow him down but he is still determined to get back to his family and Ithaca. Along the way Odysseus has shown many characteristics of a hero. Some things are when this is said in the story, “...weathered many bitter nights and days in his deep heart at sea, while he fought only to save his life, to bring his shipmates home.” ( The Odyssey page. 371). This shows that Odysseus was not only protecting himself but also protecting his shipmates. Knowing that he

Hero’s are eminent and cherished by the general public; they use their abilities to help others. A hero can be defined as many different kinds of people. A doctor who saved someone’s life for example, could be their hero. A hero sticks out to people, be that in a good way or a bad way. In Homer’s, “The Odyssey,” Odysseus is a character portrayed as a hero through his bravery, wisdom, and loyalty.

Odysseus from “ The Odyssey” is a hero Heroes, when you think of heroes you think of strong noble men that fight the bad guys; but what really is a hero? In real definition of a hero from the dictionary is “A person who is admired is idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” In Homer’s “The Odyssey” the main character is Odysseus. Odysseus was a king of Ithaca who was also a Greek leader in the Trojan War.

Odysseus was sound asleep in the woods only to be awakened after hearing the sound of girls shouting. The girls were kicking around a ball when they woke Odysseus as they were waiting for the river-washed clothes to dry in the sun. Fate was taking place to connect the exhausted traveler with a princess, Nausikaa. The night before, Athena visited Nausikaa in her dreams with intentions to influence her to go to the river to wash herself and her clothes for reason to be able to meet Odysseus. Once Odysseus gathered himself to go see what was around him, he comes out from behind the bushes causing the maids accompanying Nausikaa to all scatter at the sight of him. He is compared to a calm mountain lion that looks to be roughened by his hardships,

Taking on influential roles in both The Odyssey and The Iliad, Homer greatly distinguishes Odysseus’ physical features apart from other figures throughout both epics. While surveying the battle at Ilium, Odysseus, with his fighting ability and “strong-built” greatly stands out among all other warriors to King Priam. His “broad shoulders” and “deep chest” may have contributed to his unmatchable skill in battle. Having a long torso and short legs, Homer compared “burly” Odysseus to a “ram…keeping a flock of silvery sheep in line.” In book 23 of The Odyssey, Homer depicts Odysseus’ hair as “crisping…in curls like petals of wild hyacinth.”