Odysseus in The Odyssey: Hero or Not? Essay

Odysseus heroic qualities are strength, courage, dignity, a thirst for glory, and self-confidence. He also shrewd and ingenious, all of which make him the ideal hero in both the physical form and the spiritual aspect. Odysseus being faithful and loyal to his wife shows his dignity. Even though he has been away from his home and family for twenty years his only thoughts are with them. He overcomes all the extreme dangers he encounters showing his strength and courage. His shrewdness and intelligence shows when he, the King of Ithaca, is disguised as a beggar before Telemakhos.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus exemplified strong leadership and outstanding noble qualities. Like Achilles, Odysseus carried some flaws at the beginning of the story. A strong case can be made that his biggest flaw as a character was pride as it caused him unnecessary risks that only delayed his journey and possibly endangered his men. This is evidently shown when Odysseus and his crew wander around in Polyphemos ' cave. After the confrontation with the Polyphemos, Odysseus and his men escaped by stabbing Polyphemos’ in the eye while he was asleep. Once Odysseus and his men were safe on board on their ship, Odysseus took it upon himself to reveal his true identity and proceeded to taunt Polyphemos. At

Again, Odysseus' darker and 'immoral' acts could be viewed could viewed as metaphors for and/or accurate reflections of the imperfection of the human race. Characteristics that show that heroes too are flawed. A hero who has some shortcomings is a more believable character, they may be godly in the sense that they do what no one else can, but that they are still only human. Drawing on this, Odysseus can be considered a hero for modern times. He possesses admiral skills, such as commitment and knowledge, which are still considered heroic today. He uses these traits to protect himself and his crew as they make the long journey home. Although Odysseus is renowned for his expertise in fighting, he is

Throughout the book the odyssey Odysseus the main character makes mistakes and has character flaws that make his journey home a little longer and gruesome. The two character flaws that I think affect him the most are Pride and Unfaithfulness. They are flaws because throughout the book there are different situations and trials Odysseus goes through on his was back to Ithaca. An example of him showing prideness is when they go to island where the giant cyclopes lives. he displays his pride when wanting to claim a guest-gift from the Cyclops. He tells the cyclopes he will tell his name to him if he receives a guest gift. As well as wanting some hospitality from the giant cyclops. Him and his men could have just left or stolen the cheese inside

To illustrate this point, one might raise Odysseus’ cockiness into light, claiming that heroes are supposed to be more humble. In fact, Odysseus is so cocky that after escaping Polyphemus’ land he taunts the Cyclops and reveals himself as “Odysseus, raider of cities…Laertes’ son” (Homer 227). Instead of leaving it at him being “Nobody” he decides to divulge his own life story, thus giving Polyphemus a person to blame. If Odysseus wasn't so prideful and cocky Poseidon (Polyphemus' father) would’ve never known to curse him. In spite of this, Odysseus does prove himself. Heroes are not perfect. They don't swoop in and save the day, if anything, one of the best qualities of a hero is that they have the ability to learn from their past mistakes. Odysseus demonstrates this once he returns back home to Ithaca. At the moment, Odysseus is disguised as a beggar, and Melanthius is constantly mocking and abusing him. He’s even “lurched out with a heel and kicked [Odysseus’] hip” (Homer 361). In this scene, Odysseus could have revealed himself to Melanthius as the great Odysseus. On the contrary, “he steeled himself instead” deciding against beating “the scoundrel senseless” (Homer 362). Moreover, Odysseus redeems himself in displaying his ability to act

There are many different ways that a hero can be described or imagined. Everyone has their own ideas of what makes someone a hero. Also, for many heroes it is debatable whether they really are a hero. In The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Odysseus is one such debatable hero. Odysseus is a hero because he is brave, level-headed, and he shows faithfulness and respect to important figures in his life.

spoke to him, "Put up your weapon in the sheath. We two shall mingle and make

Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus can be seen making quite risky decisions that put his men in danger. Nonetheless, Odysseus still has redeeming qualities because he tries to bring all of his men home. In Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus' bad qualities, or his arrogance, pride and being self-centered hurt his men throughout the epic poem.

He has loyalty, bravery, and courage. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is very loyal toward his men and will protect or rescue them if necessary. He’s brave and courageous when it comes to fighting and won’t hesitate to act. He’s also very clever. For example, Odysseus outwitted the Cyclops, Polyphemus, by giving a false name to disguise his identity. Amid all these qualities, there are still kinks in Odysseus’s character. His pride becomes evident after his confrontation with the Cyclops, where, after a narrow escape, he wished to bother Polyphemus again. His men had to plead to him, saying, “Godsake, Captain! Why bait the beast again? Let him alone!” Odysseus also struggles with selfish actions. For example, he feasts with Circe instead of rescuing his men first. The temptations got the better of him and in turn led him down the wrong

“I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, known to the world for every kind of craft- my fame has reached the skies.” The Odyssey page 212. This quote sounds to describe a great hero, one who everyone loves, everyone knows. However, this man can not be described as a hero because it alone shows the traits that no hero has been known to have. The quality of arrogance takes Odysseus over and puts him and his men in danger. Dishonesty does not put him in danger, but hurts his family with little care from Odysseus. He also can not control his impulses, and this creates difficult situations. Odysseus can not be considered a hero because of his arrogance, deceitfulness, and impulses.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus is a hero because he is a selfless leader. Odysseus puts everything at risk in order to get his men home safely. He even risks his own soul for them. For example, when his men are tempted by the Lotus eaters or captured by Circe, Odysseus rushes to save them without hesitation. Even though they disobey him constantly, Odysseus is still loyal to them. Odysseus could have left his men behind with Circe or the Lotus Eaters, but he

Odysseus is not a hero because he is dishonest, selfish, and greedy. Those are not respectable qualities of a hero, or of anyone who is note-worthy. Odysseus is not a hero. For instance, he proves not to be a hero because of his actions throughout the story. He is dishonest, selfish, and greedy.

American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated,” A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” Emerson is an english philosopher that uses intuition to peer into reality. Greek philosophers are looked upon for most of greeks history. Philosophers are knowledgeable and often right. A philosopher such as Emerson uses knowledge to determine what makes the average person a hero in the eyes of society.

In the epic poem the Odyssey by Homer, the main character Odysseus is lost on a island with a goddess Calypso. Odysseus has to go through many obstacles to find his way back home. Some of the things he has to do to get home hurts other people. Odysseus does things throughout his journey that clearly show he is not a heroic figure. Odysseus has proven many times that he is not a heroic figure. His actions convey that he is not heroic at all. Some of the reasons why Odysseus is not heroic at all is because, he destroys people's homes, lies to his men, and cheats on his wife.

In the poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus, the main character, travels away from his home and finds himself in a situation that prevents him from going back for a long period of time. During the times of trouble, Odysseus reveals characteristics about himself that might otherwise have been hidden if it were not for the journey. This defines his character and shows him to be not an admirable hero. Odysseus first shows this when he successfully escapes from the Cyclops’s home but made a drastic mistake and says: ‘O Cyclops! Would you feast on my companions?