Why Is The Odyssey Considered A Hero

What makes someone a hero? Is it the adventures they go on, the traits they possess, or how popular they are? In The Odyssey, Odysseus embarks on one huge adventure to save his people, but barely gets back home. The struggles on this journey have proved whether Odysseus is in fact a hero, or just a fool who got lucky. Although literary scholars of The Odyssey have argued that he is not a hero, closer examination shows that he is a hero because he met the ultimate goal of defeating Troy, bravely led and sacrificed for his men, and escaped multiple enemies.

    Most people think of a hero as a strong, superior, good-looking person that could never make a mistake. However, in a story called The Odyssey, a connection to real life reveals imperfections to be common in heroes. Each person has their low points and highlights, regardless of their “rank”. The author and epic poet, Homer, exemplifies our main character, Odysseus, to take on this idea of a hero throughout his writing. The time period took place in Ancient Greece, allowing Greek culture to relate to the poem. Different aspects of such culture and history may have influenced the works and creativity of Homer as well. A major point includes The Trojan War because it focuses in on Odysseus’ journey to bring Helen back home by devising a plan to destroy warriors in the city. Acknowledge this factor when reading The Odyssey, for not only evidence of heroism, but also other major points of archetypes, in which the device reflects the insights of readers in modern time and what is seen from Ancient Greek culture.

The Odyssey is the epic that has been read time and time again, by varying ages, digging its way into our hearts, becoming an instant classic. Odysseus and the adventures of his homecoming create a much different tale than Homer’s other work, the Iliad, provided. The epic is not about bloodthirsty men trying to get their hands on kleos anymore; it is about the homecoming of a man who uses his wits, not his weapon. In the Odyssey, the characters balance – Homer provides contrasting characters to show the readers the traits that Odysseus holds and how it builds his character development and even those who are foils to him. Odysseus’ own son, Trojan War

What does it mean to be a hero? People have been asking this question for a while now and people ended up with different opinions. Take Odysseus for example. He was a king and leader to his men. Though he doesn’t wear a cape or have super powers, his followers still see him as a hero. Why? I personally think that being a hero means inspiring people and pushing people to be their best selves and this is what Odysseus had achieved during his troublesome journey.

One of the oldest, yet most famous works in literature is the esteemed myth called The Odyssey. This epic, or long, narrative poem, was written by Homer, a blind poet, around 650 B.C. and has truly withstood the test of time. The story focuses around a Greek named Odysseus and his troubles after the long war that took place between the Greeks and Trojans, known as the Trojan War which lasted ten years. The tale is written in three distinctive parts, part one being about Odysseus’ wife and son back home, part two centering around Odysseus’ travels that occurred in the ten years it took him to reach Ithaca, his homeland, and part three, concentrating on Odysseus after he gets home and dealing with the changes that have happened in the twenty years he was gone. Religion was a huge factor in ancient Greeks’ lives and shapes much of the poem through the influence of the Greek Gods.

As the gods intervened and helped the humans during battle, not one of them displayed any acts of heroism. When her son Aeneas was seriously injured, Aphrodite tried to save her son, but was hurt by Diomedes. Dropping her son, “the goddess fled the front, beside herself with pain./ But Iris quick as the wind took up her and and led her from the fighting…”(V. 396-398) A mighty, deathless god taken down by cut on the wrist does not fare well for a heroic tale, no matter how good her intentions were. Yet, the soldiers like Menelaus, who was pierced by an arrow, quickly returned into the front of battle to lead his men once his wound was healed - unlike Aphrodite, who stayed on Olympus, protesting about the humans’ abuse. In addition, Ares also

Homer’s famous poem, the “Iliad,” is one of the most powerful pieces of literature which narrates the Trojan War from beginning to end. Moreover, this essay will focus on analyzing Homer’s ancient stories about the Trojan War and how movies, such as, “Troy,” have mercilessly altered and wrecked the essence of the epic poem. It will be argued that the film depicts a severely inaccurate chronological sequence and imprecise setting. Besides the mentioned, this writing will begin by scrutinizing the events in both the movie and the poem, and mentioning various archaeological evidences to testify their existence. Summarizing, there will be supported statements that will unveil the truth about Troy.

Homer’s, The Iliad, is an ancient Greek poem that opens up ten years into the Trojan War. The protagonist is Akhilleus, the greatest warrior of the Achaean army. His rage and quarrel with Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, condemns the Achaean army to catastrophe. The epic poem preludes to the origins of the Trojan War as Paris, prince of Troy, was lured by Aphrodite and broke the Greek Alliance by seducing Helen, wife of King Menelaus, and abducting her to Troy. The book, “Literature of the Western World, Volume I, The Ancient World: Through the Renaissance,” portrays the Greek gods loftier to human beings through their power, beauty and immortality. Contradictory to Yahveh, the Hebrew God, they did not follow a set of principles which

“The Iliad” is an epic poem by the ancient Greek poet Homer, which is based on the significant events surrounding the Greek siege of the city of Troy. The poem is suggested to have been composed between 750 and 650 B.C and was set in Mycenaean Greece during the Bronze Age. In this period, Greeks believed their goddesses and gods often came on earth and there were humans with godlike powers in Greece. Evidently, Homer mentioned on several occasions in the poem about gods and goddesses coming on earth, acting, and influencing actions. Homer uses a lot of themes in poem but one of the most prevalent themes were the individuals quest for glory and honor.

The Iliad and The Odyssey are two of the most well-known poems produced by Greek thought. Both of these texts are most frequently credited to Homer, though in recent years there has been a conclusion reached that states that both of the texts were written by different authors. In fact, some people agree that The Odyssey seems to have been written by a woman. This fact in itself is one of the main reasons why Achilles and Odysseus are so incredibly opposite. However, for every difference that they possess, their similarities prevail, which is further proof that both of the texts came out of the same time period, written under similar circumstances. Within Homer’s texts The Iliad and The Odyssey, Achilles and Odysseus possess traits that make them appear to be nearly identical at times and complete opposites at others.

Homer centers the two reactions to war, glory, and grief, mostly around the two most celebrated warriors of their respective people, Hector, and Achilles. Through his narration, the audience is aware of the character’s

The stories provide an important insight into early human society, and illustrate, in some respects, how little has changed. Even if The Iliad itself seems unfamiliar, the story of the siege of Troy, the Trojan War and Paris’ kidnapping of Helen, the world’s most beautiful woman, are all familiar characters or scenarios. Some scholars insist that Homer was personally familiar with the plain of Troy, due to the geographical accuracy in the poem. Homer’s real life may remain a mystery, but the very real impact of his works continues to illuminate our world

Barry Strauss highlights one of the greatest wars fought in all time in his book The Trojan War: A New History with his narrative skill and swiftness in interpreting a good antiquated tale of indignity and deception. The book re-studies Homer’s well-known work, the Iliad, along with the cycle of epic poems, examining evidence of the Bronze Age from the Mediterranean to the Near East. Homer’s description of the Trojan War truly did take place due to the archeological evidence found in the 1980s. It has reinforced that around 1200 B.C.E., the city-state of Troy once existed.

The work of Homer was very important to the Greek Civilization; it gave the Greek a structure of personality to follow. It is assure that The Iliad’s roots reach far back before Homer’s time. Homer focused several characteristics of how their ancestors behaved and such behavior was to be passed on to the new generations. In The Iliad, Homer emphasized the role of the gods in the daily events, and how every happening was based of the desires of the gods. Homer also focused on the warrior characteristics, not just of the Argives, but also of the Trojans and how they were ought to be brave, courageous and show fearlessness in the face of the enemy.

The ancient Greeks and Romans contributed to western civilization in many different forms of literature and architecture. Both of these cultures produced a variety of literary works which are still studied today. One of the biggest contributions to literature was from the author known as Homer. Homer was known for two of ancient Greece’s most epic poems, The lliad and The Odyssey. Both of these poems have had a profound impact on western literature and continue to influence teachers and authors today. “The lliad and The Odyssey have provided not only seeds but fertilizer for almost all the other arts and sciences in