...Odysseus: Hero or Not In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, Odysseus is a true thinking man’s hero. He faces many obstacles in his journey home from the Trojan War, with a curse from the sea god, Poseidon. Odysseus battles monsters, makes tough decisions, and fights with his integrity to get home, but through what some call “bad luck” and the size of his pride Odysseus finds himself in a pretty difficult predicament. However, like any other heroic tale, in the end he’s able to go home to his wife and son. The question is did he come back as a heroic legend or a selfish punk? Believe it or not, Odysseus is the demanding hero in this poem. Through tough decisions, sacrifices, and his humble attitude…at times; Odysseus shows the reader he is still a human...
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...In The Odyssey, an epic poem; the main character is Odysseus. In his adventures he shows that he is an astute, warm hearted and an agog hero. He has to make decisions that trouble him and his crew ,but the outcome is greater that losing all of his crue. Therefore he is a hero in trouble. Which means someone who has to make hard decisions and work very hard to save himself and the people and things around him. Odysseus proves he is an astute hero by a traitorous challenge of escaping the cyclops cave. Or being proving that he is agog by getting while passing thru the Sirens. Or warm hearted when he loses his men to Scylla. While Odysseus is on his voyage home he encounters the cyclops. One of the things that the gods expected from the people was that people should show courtesy to their visitors ; thus Odysseus and his crew except that the cyclops show them manners and great them. But the cyclops had another plan. He began by eating some of his men. Afterwards Odysseus offers the cyclops some wine to get on the good side of the cyclops, which was pretty ingenious. So the cyclops asked for Odysseus’s name and he said his name was Nobody so the cyclops he said he was going to save him for last. The he plotted a plan while the cyclops was drunk asleep and sheard his eye with a hot spear they made. They could not completely kill...
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...Odysseus is a character that has a remarkable amount of depth to him. Many of Homer’s characters are well-developed, even minor characters having a background and strong story. Odysseus is an epic hero by many definitions, stretching and branches out much farther than just the limits on English literature. Odysseus’s development allows him to be more than just a Mary-Sue, but to also have flaws and iradmirable qualities. To identify Odysseus as an epic hero, you first need to know what an epic hero is. An epic hero possesses traits such as strength, courage, nobility, a thirst for glory, and confidence. He values his crew and has a longing to get home, even after spending life in plenty with Calypso. He is nothing short of a genius, his intellect showing in situations such as with the Cyclops and the lotus eaters. However, not all of Odysseus’s traits are favourable. Odysseus’s longing for glory and recognition is a major part of his flaws. Odysseus’s jealously over Penelope also led to a loss of lives; with Odysseus killing each of Penelope’s suitors after her little challenge with the bow. He also has issues with giving into temptation, but his character grows and learns from those mistakes. (Such as having his crew tie him to the mast pole to keep him from falling victim to the Sirens.) Odysseus is an archetypal hero for characters in future epics. An archetypal character is the first of its kind; the foundation for others to be built off of. Odysseus was a well-structured...
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...Odysseus is extremely well known for his intellectual qualities. He was one of the greatest strategic thinkers of his time. Odysseus was a Greek warrior that lived during the time of the famous Trojan War. He was a prominent Greek warrior and kind of Ithaca, son of Laertes and Anticleia. However, it is also said that Odysseus is the son of Sisyphus. Well known for persuasion, strategic thinking, cunning, intellect and trickery. There are numerous stories where Odysseus displays his ability to think strategically. Many of these stories can be found in books such as The Iliad, The Odyssey and The Aeneid. These are but the major books that such stories of Odysseus’ ability can be found in; however, they are not the only transcripts. The first story that I will cover and probably the most well-known is the story of the Trojan horse. After the nine years of war between the Trojans and the Greeks a victory was still not clear for either side. Odysseus gets a brilliant idea; the Greeks will construct a giant wooden horse, load up on their boats and pretend to sail away. However, they would leave a group of Greeks inside the horse in order to open the gates of Troy for the rest of...
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...true hero is action and perception, a hero is nothing without the people they inspire. Think of Odysseus and how he is illustrated as a hero for the entirety of The Odyssey. He was called a hero by those he fought alongside as well as the people he networked with in Ithaca. But to some others he was quite a villain, like Poseidon who felt hatred towards him for the slaying of his son Polyphemus(IX.584-597). While Odysseus was at sea (for three years) he was depicted as both the hero and...
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...During both of their adventures, Krakuer and Odysseus both face hardships. Some of them are similar, but they aren’t the same. They have both face guilt, upset about their peers, and they are both feelings selfish for similar but different reasons. Odysseus set out with 6 ship full of men to fight a war, his plan was to come home to his wife and son to his village. Similarly, Krakauer set out to summit the highest mountain in the world, Everest. Both Krakauer and Odysseus have faced situations, whether it’s controlling gods or weather difficulties. Along their way, they both had some of their peers who had died. Odysseus had lost his men, and Krakuaer had lost his men and his guide. Both men felt guilty that they had survived; but their peers had not. They wanted their people there with them to celebrate their victory, but they were not there. Both men were grieving, but in different ways. They both cried. But Odysseus had kept moving forward because he wanted nothing more than to see his wife Penelope. But, Krakauer, had used drugs to cope with it, and had...
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...Along with cunning, Odysseus and I are both confident. Odysseus shows in confidence in the story countless times. Such as dealing with times where we have to be clutch or watching others be clutch. The time I realized Odysseus was a hero was when he confidently thought of a plan to defeat the cyclops even when he was feeling “a pressure on our hearts, in dread of that deep rumble and that mighty man” (902). This is a tall task to face especially when the cyclopes are so much taller than you and your men. It baffles me so much that Odysseys can just stroll up to a man eating cyclops and totally trick him with ease and no crumbling to fear Another time when I thought he was so confident was when the suitors were trying to shoot Odysseus’ bow though the rings....
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...Odysseus is an exceptional hero who holds a number of traits that make him so. Some of these being his courage, leadership qualities, and his sharp intellect. He also possesses negative qualities, as every moral does, like his unfaithfulness and his overbearing self pride. His journey back to his home and family in Ithaca from the Trojan war is a long and treacherous one. On this journey he has shown these traits and proved his heroic ways. A few positive traits that Odysseus holds are courage, leadership qualities, and an immensely sharp intellect. On his journey he encounters many horrific monsters, such as the 6-necked Scylla in book 12. He steers his ship directly at this creature knowing that 6 men from his ship will be slain. He is also a very strong leader. He proves his leadership by saving his men, who had been turned into pigs, from the enchantress going by the name of Circe. He does this, in book 10, by facing her and threatening to kill her. The last...
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...Odysseus, the Epic Hero You think of superheroes like Superman, Batman, or Captain America; they are strong and defeat the villains, while saving other people; or you think of average heroes like firefighters, who save people’s lives who are in trouble. There are also epic heroes, like Odysseus, in “The Odyssey”. Epic heroes are larger than life and undergo a dangerous journey. The hero normally encounters conflicts as he battles forces of nature, gods, and other beings. Epic heroes have the archetypal characteristics like being cunning, courageous, daring, and having strength and knowledge. Odysseus had to fight many dangerous creatures during his 20 year quest back to Ithaca, like the Lotus Eaters, the Sirens, the Cyclops, Charybdis and Scylla while displaying the archetypal traits of an epic hero. When Odysseus faced the Lotus Eaters and the Sirens, he showed the epic hero character trait of intelligence. The Lotus Eaters tried to get Odysseus’ men to eat the sweet lotus flowers which made them want to stay forever and never return back home to Ithaca. Odysseus used his knowledge of the flower, after seeing three of his other men not come back after trying it, and made his men not try it, and continued sailing. If Odysseus did not tell this to his crew, then they would have possibly stayed there forever, the quest...
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...assistance. Odysseus displays all of these characteristics within The Odyssey. Odysseus is the son of Laertes and Anticleia and the king of Ithaca. He ruled over his kingdom with his wife, Penelope. When he is gone, many of the suitors wish to take his place as the king of Ithaca. He performs deeds of great strength and courage throughout his journey home to Ithaca. He is a fair captain to his crew and attempts to make sure they all get equal shares of whatever bounty they find. He defeats...
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...psychologically plausible. Odysseus has been gone for 20+ years, it's okay for Penelope to have lost hope in her husband coming back and finding a new king. Does it seem plausible in general? No, being able to shoot an arrow through 12 axe handles does not show skill and leadership to be a king. Once Penelope sets her competition, Antinous tries to delay it so they can sacrifice to Apollo, the archer god. “Gibe the bow a rest for today, leave it to the gods - at dawn the Archer God will grant a victory to the man he favors most.” Before Odysseus, Telemachus almosts succeeds and wins Penelope’s competition. However Odysseus “shook his head and stopped him short”, and instead he takes the bow and wins the competition. Telemachus orders Eumaeus to “Carry on with the bow, old boy.” to give the bow to...
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...What would you do if you were away from home for a long period of time just to come home to other men trying to steal your wife. This is what both of our main characters, Odysseus and Everett, had gone through. Both of these classic pieces of art have so much in common but yet are so different in the audience's point of view. Even though they are so different, they still share the same theme. In this paper you will learn; the similarities within the themes and characters, differences in settings and historical view, and a short glimpse of what the Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou are all about. The Odyssey is a story about a man named Odysseus and his journey home. His journey begins after a dark time called the Trojan War. He endures many hardships along the way. During his journey, several suitors attempt to take his family and everything he owned. His wife, believed he was deceased and was never going to return. In O Brother Where Art Thou, the story is about a man called “Everett”. In this story, he travels home to get to his wife and children. During the whole story, he is with his buds Pete and Delmar. Along the way, they meet a man named Tommy and continue on their wild adventure. This is very similar to that of The Odyssey....
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...Wouldn’t it be cool to learn about a character who is hubris and caring at the same time? Yes it would be cool so lets talk about it, but first let me explain the purpose of the essay, the purpose of the essay is to try to get people interested in The Odyssey, and to teach about the greek mythology legends. The book is called The odyssey by Homer and the book is called Oh Brother Where Art Thou by the director named Joel and Ethan Coen which is also the writers of the movie as well. Odysseus is very caring and loving especially on Calypso’s island when Penelope and Odysseus were hugging. Another reason on how Odysseus is showing that he is caring and loving is when him and Penelope are also crying while they are hugging. In the movie...
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...Waiting for grade I believe Odysseus is not a hero in modern day standards because heroes in modern day standards wouldn't make decisions such as Odysseus does in the odyssey. Odysseus makes some bad mistakes and confrontations most heroes today would prevent and avoid. Most heroes today have made mistakes but Odysseus has made many. Is Odysseus a hero using modern day standards? No, but in some ways he can be. I strongly believe that Odysseus is not a hero in today's standards because he was not very worthy to his men and/or team this is demonstrated when he encounters the cyclops, Polyphemus for example. This is shown when Odysseus basically watches a couple of his men get eaten by this gargantuan beast and doesn't try to slay it. Afterwards he does stab it's eye with a giant log but he didn't do anything directly after the dreadful murdering.they get away and even after he has blinded the cyclops, he is taunting it on his way off of the island and puts his men in even more danger because Polyphemus is hurling boulders at the ship and nearly hits it multiple times....
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...In this essay I will be comparing Odysseus and John McCain. While Odysseus displays hubris and John McCain is humble, both are great leaders because they are loyal and determined to improve their countries. Odysseus is filled with hubris is hard headed. McCain is more humble less likely to gloat and less likely to crack under emotional pressure. They both have some common traits but also opposing ones. McCain is obviously not as strong as Odysseus but Odysseus is obviously is not as stable as McCain mentally. Odysseus is a loyal hard working person. He may be full of himself but he still is a leader and he is still a strong man that cares greatly for his country and his people. He is by far the strongest physically at least. Odysseus is brave...
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