The Tragic Hero : Odysseus As An 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, 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.

A Homeric epic hero is taken into account to be senior to a standard individual. The traits of a typical epic hero are strength, loyalty, courage, and intelligence. In fact, the Macmillan lexicon for students defines a hero as "one who is loved and researched to for valorousness, achievements, and noble qualities" (483). odysseus fulfills all the necessities for an epic hero and more. He demonstrates his ability to be an articulate speaker, and his poise aids him on his journey. His endless curiosity has gotten him into dilemmas, whereas his excellent displays of strength and cunnings have helped both him and his crew escape danger. His conceitedness sets him back, however, his loyalty is what drives him forward on his long and treacherous expedition. within the initial few lines of The Odyssey, Odysseus describes himself as "formidable for guile in peace and war". He knows that he's a formidable opponent, and there are instances where his guile has caused both harmony and violence. regardless of what challenge Odysseus faces, he invariably clearly demonstrates the characteristics of an epic hero.

A true epic hero has many very defining characteristics. Usually you will find this hero to be the ‘alpha male. ' With an almost super hero personality, epic heroes are extremely above an average human being. This character must be of noble birth, and as a result, this gives them great respect and many resources. There is a deep reverence for the gods and this helps the hero through tough times. An epic hero is bravery than the other characters. They are willing to take bigger risks and reap greater rewards. Despite these strong traits, there is usually an element of deep suffering that the character must deal with through out his story. No matter what, however, the epic hero will always win out in the end in a good vs. evil type of

In Greek literature of mythology, we have examined Odysseus. Students and scholars alike have held debates about Odysseus. The discussion is whether Odysseus was a true hero, as read in The Odyssey. There is abundant supportive evidence to verify all sides of the debate and opinions held about Odysseus. Odysseus had encompassed many qualities that I believe make him a hero. The qualities he embodied were mental strength, physical strength, and spiritual strength. I would like to advocate for why Odysseus was a hero.

A Homeric epic hero is considered to be above a normal human being. The traits of a typical epic hero are strength, loyalty, courage, and intelligence. In fact, the Macmillan Dictionary for Students defines a hero as "one who is admired and looked up to for valor, achievements, and noble qualities" (483). Odysseus fulfills all of the requirements for an epic hero and more. He demonstrates his ability to be an articulate speaker, and his poise aids him on his journey. His endless curiosity has gotten him into dilemmas, while his superb displays of strength and cunningness have helped both him and his crew escape danger. His arrogance sets him back, but his loyalty is what drives him forward on his long and treacherous expedition. In the

In The Odyssey, Odysseus goes on a long journey in which he takes part in dangerous adventures. Odysseus is an example of Homer’s greek hero. He is a leader of his people and they depend and follow him. Odysseus is brave; he believes in himself and trusts that he is doing the right thing. Odysseus values his honor and is confident in himself.

The protagonist of the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer is Odysseus, who is a man of many qualities. Odysseus's skills and intellect are honed through the hardships he experienced on his very long journey away from home. Through his adventures, Odysseus gained for himself the reputation of a hero who survived shipwrecks, battled monsters, faced the wrath of the mighty gods, and met many people of various foreign lands. On top of other classic epic hero traits, Odysseus proves to be the very definition of a Homeric hero through his portrayal as a character who is faithful, loyal, and mentally capable.

Odysseus: The Hero of all Time Being a hero isn’t just about the fame and glory. It is about the characteristics of the person and how they decide to use them. This epic poem, The Odyssey, written by Homer, has many examples that show off the heroic traits of a character named Odysseus. Two heroic traits that Odysseus acquires are his intelligence and his self confidence. During his journey, the brave Odysseus went through many obstacles that forced his journey to a standstill, but his intelligence and self-confidence helped him survive and return home to Ithaca.

Someone who possesses the qualities of an epic hero is a very brave and loyal individual whose excellence deserves to be recognized. In the poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is the king of Ithaka who embarks on his journey home after being away in the Trojan War for ten years. He is a perfect example of one who possesses epic hero qualities. His skills are evident when he tricks a Kyklops by lying about his name, when he continues on his journey after being living lavishly for several years, and also when he remains strong and perseveres after a deadly storm. Odysseus faces many challenges, but manages to overcome them because of his epic hero qualities of strategic intelligence, independence, and courageousness.

The epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.

Nearly every story in Greek mythology revolves around a character with a certain outstanding attribute, be it strength, intellect, or even musical talent. Heroes such as this might spend their lives questing for kleos, or the myth might simply be a tale in which the hero was trying to accomplish a certain task, such as returning home or rescuing a lover from Hades. In every case, these heroic tales would always end with tragedy; the hero would be killed by a jealous lover, go mad, or have a loved one taken away from him. However, one Greek hero existed whose story did not end with tragedy: Odysseus. Homer's The Odyssey is unique among all other Greek myths in that it is the only story in which the hero does not meet a tragic end; why

In the epic poem The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus displays the epic hero. An epic hero is given certain qualities. These qualities make the person (usually male) seem larger than life, he or she embodies the values from their culture, he usually goes on a journey that consist of a series of trials, has an ego, and is able to persuade people with his conversation. This description describes Odysseus exactly, but leaves out one major detail, which are his internal battles. Odysseus is very emotional, and he never tries to hide it.

Young Odysseus was a powerful and respectful child. Mainly because he possessed so much power at a young age. He once had to fight a boar, and overcame, and here’s that story; child odysseus was about 7 when one day while walking through the woods, he was approached by a boar. At first, he attempted to reconcile with the boar, but to no avail, the daunting animal still appeared adamant to attack and kill Odysseus. Not at all frightened by the rampaging destructive animal, he did get slightly anxious when more slowly but surely began to appear. And within almost seconds, he was surrounded by nearly thirty boar, all with anger in their eyes and all expressing a passion for death. Odysseus knew real men could get themselves out of a situation

Epic hero is characterized by being the one taking place between gods and humans. He must have distinctive qualities, which make him first among equals, he is the leader, devoted to his mission and loyal to gods, he is also mortal and, therefore, is not fully in control of his life and fate. Homer’s Odysseus represents a classic version of such hero. However, his distinctive qualities illustrate him as a character of special kind: “the man of twists and turns” (1.1). This paper will explore the uniqueness of Odysseus’s nature as an epic hero as well as what exemplary and unexpected traits of such hero he can be identified with.