...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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...To most people, a hero would be described as someone who is physically strong, courageous and has risked or sacrificed his life for others. However, In Ancient Greece, a hero is considered a powerful clever man who is brave, courageous, has achieved many great accomplishments and someone who is favored by Gods. In the Greek society, a hero is a leader who not only has physical strength, but has mental strength as well. Odysseus, a famous Greek archetypal hero, demonstrates all these heroic qualities throughout the novel. "Finally, they decided to resort to a trick thought of by Odysseus...” Homer reveals Odysseus’ heroic characteristics through this quote by demonstrating how Odysseus can come up with logical solutions in life threatening...
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...Is Odysseus Is a Hero Or Not? Do you think Odysseus is a hero? Does Odysseus’s actions define and symbolize him as a true hero? A hero is somebody who strives for the greatest and shows kindness, integrity, motivation and leadership. Odysseus is not a hero because he does nothing out of the goodness of his heart. Although Odysseus fought in the Trojan war, he's not a hero because he is self-centered and ignorant. He did not demonstrate heroic qualities because he cheats, steals and lies and those are not ideal heroic qualities. In this essay I will be explaining some of the many examples of his ignorance and self centeredness and his disloyalty, risk taking actions that make him who he is. Odysseus is self-centered. He doesn't take people’s advice and assumes he's correct and everything he will do is going to end up being right. He was receiving advice from Circe about fighting Scylla and decided not to take it. Circe said that the crew must pass between Scylla, a terrible six-headed monster, and Charybdis, who creates a whirlpool that sucks whole ship's down into the sea three times a day. Odysseus neglected all advice he was given, from Circe and from other crew members. Also, he doesn't value other people's lives compared than his. He was strongly encouraged not to fight Scylla , and proceeded to try, considering the fact he risked all of his men's lives and had to pay a...
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...positive impact on society. A heroic person is someone who can help in the time of need and comfort others in times of distress. A current day example of a hero is 19 year old, Christian Gunter. Christian was a manager at the home for disabled vets in Arkansas. He saved all 10 vets from a tornado that tore right through the home 20 min after Christian saved all the vets. For someone to be a hero, there is no physical limitations that makes it necessary to be strong and wear a cape with tights because heroes are judged by their actions and nothing more. Qualities that I associate with a hero are vigilant, selfless, and the willingness to take risks. Homer from the Odyssey suggests that Odysseus is made a hero by exemplifying qualities of being bold, savior, and sly. However, the characteristics that Homer equates with Odysseus are not always required for someone to be considered a hero. In Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey, bold is a quality that makes Odysseus heroic. The act of being bold is the willingness to take surprisingly brave risks, which Odysseus demonstrates in his adventures. In the Adventure of the Cyclopes, Odysseus states that “we climbed, then, briskly to the cave. But Cyclops had gone afield, to pasture his fat sheep, so we looked round at everything inside.” This is an example of being bold because Odysseus and his crew are unaware of the contents inside the Cyclopes’ cave and entering his land without any signal to the “louts.” Odysseus is taking on a big risk...
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...November 18, 2012 World Literature I Odysseus and the idealist Don Quixote What is a hero? To be a hero means winning honor through competitive combat in ancient Greece and the middle ages. In those historic eras warriors, knights, and kings were honored the most. A hero was someone with a smooth fighting technique and would face death at any moment. Heroes were the people who would lead their armies, fellow knights, and comrades into battle and earned tributes for their courage and great deeds performed during their combat. In other light, the cowards of ancient Greece and the middle ages were considered a burden and were affronted. Throughout many books authors have explained different aspects of what it means to be a hero. Homer, author of the Odyssey, and Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, convey this characteristic frequently. In the Odyssey, Odysseus was a skillful fighter, but it was yet the proof Homer’s readers needed of his heroism. Odysseus also transpired characteristics of restraint and mercy. On the other hand, Cervantes’ character was not born a hero. He was fooled by chivalric ideas of heroism and sets out to reform the world along with his witty companion. Odysseus and Don Quixote are from two totally different eras, but both of them tried to conquer the world with their heroic acts. Not only their heroic acts made them well known, it’s also their imagination that makes them stand out. In comparison, imagination is what makes Quixote the hero, and imagination...
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...the Odyssey, Odysseus exhibits his most prominent heroic trait of courage, but unfortunately, also demonstrates the human characteristic of arrogance. Even though Odysseus is seen as a hero, he has bad qualities too. Odysseus has the two main qualities of courage and arrogance which he demonstrates while fighting the cyclops and traveling throughout the seas with his crew. Homer exhibits these traits all throughout the story by presenting Odysseus as a war like hero with no flaws, when further throughout the story you are able to see all of Odysseus most human like qualities. . Odysseus has many characteristics that he portrays all throughout the book of the Odyssey. A couple of his most prominent heroic qualities are courage...
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...kindness, and might. Odysseus from The Odyssey by Homer has many heroic qualities same goes to Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. While Odysseus has earned his place in being a hero, it is clear that Dorothy tops off the list with heart full of courage. It is true that Odysseus is a hero because he is courageous, determined, and mighty, however he performs those things in a stingy way. To begin, Odysseus is courageous. According to the text, “There was a loud hiss as the burning wood pierced the watery membrane” (Homer 27). While some people believe Odysseus is courageous because he stabs the cyclops in the eye,...
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...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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...courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities”. Odysseus was shown as a hero in The Odyssey because he was the main character. If The Odyssey did not portray Odysseus as the main character then I would still think that Odysseus would be main male heroic figure. Odysseus was a person who was praised by most people such as the swineherd, Eumeaus. Odysseus was a “male character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize.” according to OED. The reason we should sympathize to Odysseus because he was away for many years and he did not get to see his wife or son for over ten years. Odysseus is considered very heroic in the story so he uses an alias identity to go places with the help of Athena. Odysseus is considered a hero because he was loyal, brave and clever throughout his journey to home which is Ithaca. Odysseus and his men stop at an island when they were travelling. They went in a cave and found food and fell asleep....
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...Heroes come in many ways, shapes, and forms. The character Odysseus is indeed one of them. The story “The Odyssey” is an epic poem written by the author Homer. The main character in the story is named Odysseus, King of Ithaca. In the story, King Odysseus leaves from the land of Ithaca, to far lands across the ocean. On his twenty- five -year journey, he encounters many monsters, frightening creatures, gods, goddesses, and more. This story tells many life lessons that can be learned and followed. Odysseus is definitely a heroic figure in this epic poem. Throughout the story, Odysseus faces many troubles, hardships, failures, and worries throughout the story. Because of the many brave actions and characteristics Odysseus shows throughout the...
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...obstacles.” Throughout time, a hero has represented an individual who sacrifices himself for a cause greater than themselves. Odysseus the protagonist from The Odyssey faces many hardships for his country returning home from the Trojan War. Martin Luther King faces a similar struggle through his fight for the equal rights of African Americans. In addition to the evolution of society, the definition of a hero has evolved, valuing different characteristics. Despite the obstacles both men face, through comparing Dr. King and Odysseus, one can see that contemporary society values selflessness,...
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...Penelope, Epic Heroine During Ancient Greece, when women were seen as property, Penelope, Odysseus’ wife in The Odyssey, stands out as a woman beyond that claim. In Odysseus’ 20 year absence, she reigns over Ithaca, creatively staves off suitors, and raises a son, Telemachus, all while being faithful and devoted to him. Many of these obligations are not unlike what modern women grapple with. However, what sets Penelope apart is that she is accomplishing them at a time when women were seen as property and unable to have reigning duties. "The hero is the man or woman who has been able to battle past his personal and local historical limitations” (Campbell). Because of Penelope’s success in the face of adversity, she is a true heroine. Although inundated with suitors, she maintains her heroic loyalty to Odysseus in his absence. Contrastingly, her cousin, Clytemnestra, is unfaithful to her husband, Agamemnon, while he is fighting the Trojan War alongside Odysseus. Penelope knows that it is not conventional or acceptable to remain unmarried if one’s husband is considered dead, but her deep love and devotion to Odysseus keeps her inventing new means to avoid marrying any of the suitors. Because she is born to a prince and holds the royalty title, and anyone she marries will become King of Ithaca. For that reason, Penelope does not have to fear the same fate as Andromache, Hector’s wife in The Iliad. Hector was of royal blood, but Andromache was not; therefore, upon his...
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...interpreted in many ways throughout the ages an Odysseus is one literary hero that stands the test of time. There are many heroic traits that makes Odysseus in The Odyssey a hero even in today's world. The first trait that makes him a hero is Odysseus is hubristic which is one of his flaws. The next trait is he is stro In the Odyssey Odysseus portrays many traits that make him a hero such as his flaws. In multiple books he shows how hubristic or pride he is especially in book nine at the cyclops island. When Odysseus and his crew first arrived on the island Odysseus picks out a dozen of his best fighters to scope out the island. They find one of the cyclops caves and de themselves at home and “built a fire, set...
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...and are able to sympathize with others. Odysseus, from the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, is a man who obtains these hero-like qualities. Unfortunately, he has been away from home for ten years due to the many obstacles he encountered on his journey back to his home island, Ithaca. In this story, he shows hero-like traits to many people. He defeated the cyclops, Polyphemus, from trapping him and his men, slept with the enchantress Circe, he is able to pass the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis who blocked his and his men's path home, encountered walking corpses in the Land of the Dead to meet Tiresias, and cried for his dog,...
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...there is a physical and psychological space and difference between them, like Odysseus and Telemachus. The reader is able to gain greater insight into the nature of ancient Greek society by analysing these father-son relationships for their complexities and circumstances of their familial ties. With each father-son relationship shown, Homer offers a unique perspective about the roles that were available to both father and son. Book 1-4 Throughout the Telemachia, we learn that Telemachus has been forced to grow up without the influence of his father and has been directly affected by Odysseus’ absence. When he confides in Athena under the guise of Mentor, he proclaims that he does not have solid proof that he is in fact Odysseus’s son and doubts that he is still alive. However, the dialogue between both Athena and Telemachus initiates Telemachus’ spiritual development. So, when the pre-economy of Odysseus and Telemachus re-uniting is fulfilled – Telemachus will be in the position to assist his father in killing the suitors and to restore the natural order in the Ithacan society. Telemachus first asserts his male privilege by ordering Penelope from the public rooms of the palace, indicating to the suitors of his intention to assert his claim to his father’s throne, showing the beginning of his transformation by addressing Antinous. Book 6 & 7 Through Homer’s presentation of Nausicaa, Odysseus is reminded of his son back in Ithaca, which causes him to possess paternal...
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