For the Ancient Greeks, Odysseus was seen as a great hero. Also known as Ulysses to the Romans, was a very important character in Homer’s The Odyssey. He was the father of Telemachus, and spouse of Penelope. He was the great King of Ithaca. The Ancient Greeks perceived Odysseus as a hero due to his intelligence, his capabilities, and how the ancient beliefs of heroism distinguished him. Odysseus’ intellect helped create a hero image for the Ancient Greeks.Throughout the story Odysseus continuously uses his intelligence and manipulation to get himself out of trouble. For example, In Book Nine of The Odyssey, Odysseus is telling a story oh how The Cyclops asked Odysseus his name and he replied “Nobody-that’s my name”(9.410). Odysseus and a …show more content…
Odysseus faced and over came many challenges, he rarely if ever failed. One example of Odysseus’ success is when he preformed in athletics. Ancienthistory.abc-clio.com points out, “Odysseus proves the consummate allrounder in competitive sports off the battlefield: he ties the enormous Ajax in wrestling (Il. 23.700–37), beats the youngsters at the sprint (Il. 23.740–92); and, in the Odyssey, outperforms his Phaeacian hosts with the discus before boasting of equal prowess in archery and spear throwing (8.186–233).” Ulysses also showed off his versatile capabilities and success when he overcame challenges. As said by Ancienthistory.abc-clio.com, Some of the challenges Odysseus faced include: “…sirens, giants, one-eyed cyclopses, storms sent by Poseidon, multi headed monsters, and raging whirlpools.” Overcoming and defeating these types of challenges were impressive and heroic to the Ancient Greeks because it showed off Odysseus’ great variety of abilities. Another one of Odysseus’ impressive capabilities was fighting. Ancienthistory.abc-clio.com states, “ And in Odyssey 22, he outdoes all of the great heroes when…Odysseus slaughters- like a mortal Apollo. Odysseus was so powerful and was such a strong fighter he is compared to “a mortal …show more content…
Odysseus fit perfectly to the early ideas of the heroic. The Ancient Greeks believed heroes to be honorable, noble, strong, and intelligent. Odysseus showed these qualities when Calypso offered him the chance to be immortal. Though the offer tempted him, Odysseus declined. The fact that Odysseus declined something that most people would kill for, shows he is honorable and loyal to his family. It shows he would rather go back to Penelope and Telemachus, the people that need him, rather than stay alive forever with a “bewitching nymph”. In addition, Odysseus followed many of the “qualifications” the Ancient Greeks had for war and glory within heroism. Ancienthistory.abc-clio.com states, the Odyssey insists that Odysseus—aided by his patron Athena, goddess of victory (Od. 13.386–88)—masterminded the stratagem that doomed Troy: the Trojan Horse.” The Trojan horse was a plan that helped the Greeks defeat the Trojans in the Trojan war. The Ancient Greeks saw Odysseus as a war hero as he highly influenced the Greeks win in the war. Futhermore, Odysseus was seen as a role model to the Ancient Greeks. Ancienthistory.abc-clio.com says, “heroes generally enshrine within themselves qualities people generally admire.” Odysseus impressive qualities were seen as a goal for the Ancient Greeks, they wanted to be more like him. Odysseus was a hero the ancient Greeks for multiple reasons. He was a
Being able to conquer Troy, have the god Poseidon against you, and dealing with many life threatening things on your long journey home are all things Odysseus overcame. Odysseus is an epic hero for making the long journey home and defeating monsters along the way. Epic hero's typically have larger than life qualities, are extremely skilled fighters, and are natural leaders. They can be smarter than everyone else and stand alone. In this essay, the three traits that will be focused on for Odysseus are having larger than life qualities, being smarter than everyone else, and being a skilled fighter.
The Greeks have many great stories of heroes including Odysseus. In The Odyssey, Odysseus goes on a quest and encounters-many challenges along the way. Odysseus goes through rough times, but he is not alone. Athena helps Odysseus with his decision making and making plans to get out of troubling situations. Odysseus is a hero because he displays the traits of a hero. Odysseus is a natural born leader, skilled fighter, and a problem-solver.
It goes without saying that Odysseus’ quick thinking saved he and his crew’s lives more than a few times. on the island of the Cyclopes, Odysseus and his men were trapped inside a cave with a huge one-eyed beast named Polyphemus. Our hero came up with a plan to escape unscathed, save for 4 of his men who were eaten, and even had an uncanny foresight to avoid getting trapped inside the cave. Another example is when he was faced with the evil witch Circe, who had turned his men into pigs. With a little divine help, he managed to avoid being turned into one himself and even save his men. Another instance of this trait is when Odysseus finally returned home after 20 years to his homeland. Instead of rushing back into his home, full of suitors who would likely chop him in half, he waits and devises a plan, with Athena’s help.
Odysseus is everything Greek society values. He is courageous warrior that overcomes all obstacles thanks to his intellect,
In movies, books or video games, there is always one character that takes the role of hero. Whether it is someone that is powerful like Superman or smart like Sherlock, they all have one thing in common, they all have strong mind. The ancient Greek epic poem by Homer, Odyssey, has many adventurous stories of Odysseus returning to Ithaca from the Trojan war. Physical strength, knowledge and loyalty, all three of the characteristics shows that Odysseus is much more of a hero than villain.
Odysseus is considered a hero because he risked his life. He did that by protecting his men through their journey, which came along with supernatural threats. He then also shows his hero traits on the journey back home, he is determined and is very clever.
Odysseus is not your typical Greek hero. Greek heroes like Achilles and Hercules used purely their physical advantages and enormous strength to overcome their challenges. Odysseus however, in addition to his god-like strength, used his wits and mental horsepower -- which needless to say he had a lot of. This allowed him to get out of some very sticky situations. Odysseus primarily used thought, patience, and clever tricks to overcome obstacles thrown in front of him and his men. In the Epic Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus used his brains to take a Cyclops’ sight and escape its clutches, defeat the powerful witch Circe with garlic, and destroy tens of suitors attempting to steal his wife Penelope.
Odysseus displays many strengths. He shows leadership by constructing his people,”Thus with distinct precaution I prepare/ My people”(Homer). Odysseus is a true hero because he has the traits of being cunning and intelligent. He fought bravely in the Trojan war, and had good military strategies. “Me only she permits those strains to hear” prevents how strong Odysseus is (Homer). Although Odysseus has many strengths, but because he is human he has many weaknesses.
Every epic story has an epic hero. All of these heroes, throughout all of literature, share three vital traits. These are what make heroes, well, heroes. Odysseus, the main character and hero of Homer’s The Odyssey, was on a perilous quest to get home and back to his family. Without his intelligence, without his courage, and most importantly without his determination, the great Odysseus never would have achieved such a goal. These three traits have immortalized him in fame forever and have led him to his family.
Odysseus has proven himself to be quite heroic With many events and characteristics. With his cunning resourcefulness, outstanding bravery, and excelling strength and fighting tactics it’s hard to not consider him a hero. The Characteristics that odysseus showed throughout the story are still valued today. But these characteristics are shown in different ways today. Resourcefulness and quick thinking are still highly valued today whether it’s in a job or out on the street having good wits can help you go extremely far in life. Dedication and determination are important things to possess in today's world it helps getting far in life and is something many people want to have. Bravery is also another important characteristic to have whether it’s the bravery to stand up for something you believe in or whether it’s being able to face your problems no matter who or what they are. Strong and fighting tactics aren’t as important as they were in the odyssey they can still come in handy and is something valuable in the military.
Usually,epic heroes share common character traits such as bravery,courage,and strength.In Homer’s Odyssey, it is my belief that Odysseus is heroic mostly because of his strength and ability to fight. For example,When he returned to Ithaca he completed the task the suitors were given and took back his place as king of Ithaca. Odysseus and Telemachus fought all the suitors and killed each and everyone even when they fought back. Even though some people may argue that Odysseus is not heroic,I continue to believe that he was a hero because of the many times he fought for what's right and for the bravery and strength he had.
What traits classify a Greek hero? Trustworthiness? Selflessness? What about being plain faithful to the people that they are supposed to be protecting and the ones that are called family? These, are some very important traits that are found in all Greek heroes, right? Well, Odysseus might be an exception to those things. He was away from his kingdom for 20 years. Away from his wife and his people. In a span of 20 years, Odysseus traveled the sea trying to get home, with many detours along the way. What happened during these “detours” is the reason that Odysseus, the main character from the poem The Odyssey, by Homer, can be seen as an inferior Greek hero.
One of the many traits that Odysseus had was that he was a person over very high significance and a significant birth family. He was very well known and loved on his island. He was the king of Ithaca, where everyone knew him. He was born in the royal family to the previous king and his wife. He inherited the kingdom and became king before he had to go and fight for Troy. Another of the many traits Odysseus embodied was cleverness and craftiness in complicated situations. Odysseus is most famous act of cleverness and craftiness was for his encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus. When Odysseus and his crew were caught by the cyclops, they waited for it to fall asleep. Then they only blinded him, rather than killing him, so he could still open the entrance to the cave and they could escape. When Polyphemus asked who blinded him, Odysseus responded “Nobody,” so Polyphemus couldn’t tell anyone who actually did it. Then, as Polyphemus opened the door, Odysseus and his crew disguised as sheep so they could
Wisdom is the number one characteristics of an ideal hero. Wisdom is what separates Odysseus from other heroes like Achilles and Hector. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus encounters battles, monsters, and gods. Each of these placing a wall in is path to getting home. But none of them end up stopping Odysseus from doing so.
Odysseus, one most prominent men in Greek history was admired for his victory in the Trojan War. Additionally, he was recognized for his ten-year voyage back home to Ithaca. On this expedition, Odysseus had encountered many obstacles and the way that solved them revealed a lot about his character. Odysseus was praised by many but loathed by others. This brings up a controversial topic: Was Odysseus considered a hero? A hero is defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. There are different perspectives when it comes to this but with the help of Homer and The Odyssey, there is evidence that proves that Odysseus is a hero. Traits including Odysseus’s loyalty, intelligence, and audacity were what defines Odysseus as a hero.