Textual Analysis Of 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.

The Odyssey written by Homer highlights the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, in his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus is accredited with many strong traits including his nobility, smarts, and bravery. Having one tragic flaw, being his arrogance, was put to the test throughout his heroic journey. Homer stripped the protagonist of his arrogance as the story goes on, by giving him many challenges, giving dire consequences for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus’ journey was to reach his home as a humbled man. The hero’s journey can be used as a way to look at life’s morals. The reader is able to see the protagonist continue to make mistakes, because of his arrogance and continue to be punished by the gods. Once he overcame this, he is greatly awarded with the security of his home. This essay will analyze the arrogance of Odysseus along with his extraordinary traits, the molding of his identity, and his new found lesson of humility.

Odysseus, king of Ithaca, was probably on of the greatest warriors in the history of Ancient Greece. It is said that the poet, Homer, wrote the story of the Odyssey. In this story, Odysseus and his crew are trying to make their voyage back home to Ithaca after they have fought with the Trojans. During the long journey, Odysseus will show some of his character traits which include his bravery, cleverness, and wisdom that will assist him with the situations he encounters on his journey home.

The presentation of Odysseus in Book 10 of Homer’s Odyssey differs from that in Book 9 and reveals a change in the hero. From a man driven primarily by a desire for kleos (fame and glory) in Book 9, Odysseus’ motivation shift toward a desire to return home (nostos) and ensure the safety of his crew. His interactions between Polyphemus in Book 9 and Circe in Book 10 emphasise his move towards caution and a triumph of metis (cunning, intelligence) over bia (energy, force, power) in his dealings with each antagonist.

The term “dynamic” is often used in literature to describe a character who changes drastically from one point in the story to another. When reading “The Odyssey” an epic poem by Homer, we see that our protagonist, Odysseus, changes throughout the course of the novel. This essay will argue how he changes, and also what changes him, such as his travels, his relationships, and how fate and the Greek gods affect and change him.

In The Odyssey- Part II, Odysseus with the help of his son and loyal servants. They slaughtered all the suitors and maids for the following: they tried to take advantage of his goods, they tried to marry his wife continuously, and destroyed his house. The slaughter of many of the suitors may have been brutal, but it was necessary.

Odysseus’ starts his speech by saying, ‘“We’re hardly strangers at meeting danger”’(Odyssey 12.226). This reassures and reminds the men of all the difficult trials that they have faced and conquered so far in their journey with Odysseus as their leader. He then proceeds to state that: ‘“This danger is no worse than what we faced when Cyclops penned us up in his cave with crushing force!”’(Odyssey 12.227-229) showing his confidence and proving that his wit and cunning can and has lead them safely out of danger before, even though his actions were responsible for getting them in to the dangerous situation in the first place. This is his Ethos which is his reputation and the characteristic’s that

Odysseus is the main character in an epic poem called the Odyssey. In the poem Odysseus has had some bad luck getting home, with some of the gods helping him and some hindering him; his journey towards home is a constant struggle. In this poem we see a man being broke and rebuilt, through constant irony his faith was damaged and without the help of Athena he probably would have given up on his journey. Through his hard work and wise spirit he finally does achieve his goal.

1. Odysseus kept his true identity from Telemachus at first, because he did not want Eumaeus to know about his return. Since he would be likely be killed if the suitors found out about his return, he wanted as few people as possible to know about his homecoming. He did not tell his wife, Penelope, about his return, because one of the workers in the palace could share this information with the suitors.

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 Epic Poem “The Odyssey” Odysseus is the protagonist. Odysseus’ over-the-top ego caused him to lose his men and his son’s childhood, but taught him a valuable lesson about humility. The Odyssey, written by Homer, tells the story of Odysseus and how he faced misfortune in his attempts to return home after the Trojan War. Odysseus is not famous for his great strength or bravery, but for his ability to deceive and trick. To his friends, he was a brilliant strategist. To his enemies, he was a deceiver and a manipulator of the worst kind.

“You can't relate to a superhero, to a superman, but you can identify with a real man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within himself and triumphs but only after a struggle.” This very strong analysis of a hero by Timothy Dalton, shedding light to the idea that a heroic character who can seem immensely powerful are very hard to relate with, but share similar struggles. To put it in perspective, a superhero often struggles to overcome obstacles and their distinct traits. Likewise, throughout Odysseus’ journey in The Odyssey, Odysseus’ proves himself as an epic hero through his clever thinking, fearless attitude, and prideful behavior.

The Character Study of The Odyssey’s Odysseus “Speak, Memory, of the cunning hero, the wanderer, blown off course time and again…,” (Homer 332) said by Athena, while describing the hero Odysseus. But was Odysseus really a hero? Throughout the epic we are given many examples of his heroism, while we are also foretold of times he's acted in the manner less than acceptable for hero. In this paper, I will discuss how Odysseus’s character developed in the epic through his intellect, emotions, and his strength, and determine if the development through the story has caused him to lose himself as hero or become a true hero instead. One way that Odysseus developed throughout the story was in his intellect.

Odysseus is a hero because he helped to defeat the Trojans and he was smart enough to overcome the obstacles he faced in the 20 years it took him to return home with the help of Athena, Hermes, and other gods. In Homer’s The Odyssey the protagonist Odysseus was a king of Ithaca which is found in Greece. Odysseus went to Troy for one purpose, to fight in the trojan war . “A hero is someone who we determine to have demonstrated behaviors and decisions that are ethically and emotionally worthy of our awe.” stated by Rob Cipriano Founder, Chairman, and CEO, of The AllHumanity Group (The Huffington Post,. 'What Is A Hero'. N. p., 2015. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.). The war took 10 years and at the end Ithaca won with the help of poseidon. “In Homer’s day,

This main character is a hero that has all the elements of an epic hero. He has supernatural abilities, he faces many magical being such as monsters or sorceresses, and he is tested in multiple ways to exhibit his abilities. His name is Odysseus. Odysseus encounters many obstacles on the way home. He gets passed every obstacle he has came across so far.