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Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

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The definition of trait is “a distinguishing quality, as of personal character” according to Merriam-Webster. On Ithaca, the protagonist of the Odyssey, Odysseus, was the King who served alongside his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus. Then, a herald came and told him that he had been drafted for the Trojan War which lasted ten years between the Achaeans(Greeks) and Spartans. The hero, Odysseus, went on an epic journey, stemming from the Trojan war and then getting home to Ithaca. On his journey from Troy, Odysseus and his men faced many trials in which he and his men show many moments of loyalty and strength that help them continue. Throughout the journey, Odysseus was shown support from Athena, and Poseidon held a grudge against him for blinding his son, the cyclops Polyphemus. In the Epic Poem The Odyssey, Homer provides Odysseus with many valuable personality traits which make his quest to home obtainable, such as persistence, intelligence, strength, and loyalty.
Throughout the Epic, Homer shows how persistent Odysseus is by showing the hero’s …show more content…

Odysseus had trials such as Calypso, testing his loyalty, trying to make him forget about his home and his family. His men letting Aeolus’ winds go tested his persistence by giving him sight of land, and then his trusted crew crushing the hope of getting home. Chopping down twenty trees before stopping is a good example of how Odysseus’ strength aided him getting home, for without it, he would have never been able to build a boat and start his journey. Odysseus’ intelligence was tested when crossing the strait with Skylla, when he had to choose between telling his crew about the toll of six men and risk mutiny, or not telling his men then feeling completely guilty for what happens. Without these valued traits, Odysseus couldn’t have journey so far for so

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