Examples Of An Epic Hero In The Odyssey

Strength is one characteristic that Odysseus exhibits. One scene that displays this is when Odysseus, disguised as a poor man, bends his old bow. "He bent the bow with little difficulty. With his right hand he grasped the string and let it

Odysseus loves his family, homeland and men at arms, all of which are lost to him. He values these things and people greatly and so it is only natural that the story depicts him as emotional when relevant memories are

There are many examples of Odysseus' physical and mental strength throughout his journey home to Ithaca. Odysseus' character is a hero, he uses brains, and whatever is available to him. He specifically shows these characteristics in the trial of The Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, and Scylla. Odysseus shows many examples of mental and physical strength throughout The Odyssey.

Odysseus is very strong, but because of his pride, he feels the need to be virile and show his strength consistently.

Odysseus:Courageous or Cowardly? Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” features a very larger than life sort of character known as Odysseus he is a general for Ithaca. He is the king and ruler of that land. He fights in the trojan war and then gets lost at sea on the way back home.

In The Odyssey written by Homer the main protagonist, Odysseus, learns many things about himself on his journey back home and reveals the truth that mankind can be easily manipulated by someone who seems more powerful and or intimidating. Odysseus has a troubling time getting back home to his wife and kingdom when the god of the sea, Poseidon, does almost everything in his power to stop him from doing so. Along Odysseus’s journey he has to face many obstacles and he learns to display three main traits of bravery, wittiness and perseverance which he uses to get home safely and avoid the dangers of threatening people and or things that get in the way. Odysseus proves himself to be full of bravery, which he exhibits during a fight with a cyclops:

What would you call an epic hero? Someone who saves the world by defeating the villain? No matter what it is, there's a hero in every story. Odysseus is a distinct kind of epic hero. In the Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus displays heroic qualities such as bravery, intelligence, and perseverance.

One of Odysseus’s most well known traits is his ability to use his wits to conquer challenges that stand in the way of him and Ithaca. Out of the many examples strewn in the epic, the tale of the Cyclops is the most obvious situation that clearly depicts the main character’s sharpness. In this scene, Odysseus and his men are trapped and must escape the Cyclops, Polyphemus. After they have already struck Polyphemus in the eye, ruining his vision, the men tie themselves to the underbelly of the rams in order to sneak out when the animals are sent to the pasture. In the text it states, “Blinded, and sick with pain from his head wound, the master stoked each ram, then let it pass, but my men riding on the pectoral fleece the giant’s blind hands blundering never found.” This excerpt conveys that Odysseus’s astute plan worked efficiently because none of his crew was noticed by Polyphemus. Odysseus was able to flee the Cyclops, which is respectable considering he used his brains rather than brawn.

An epic hero is a protagonist whose life is a series of well-marked adventures which typically change the hero into a better, more refined person. These heroes are typically characterized by courage, strength, honor, and the hardships they endure and eventually overcome. An epic hero can even be known to risk his or her life for the good of others. Gilgamesh and Achilles are perfect examples of what an epic hero truly is. They are both able to become successful despite their flaws and go on to become powerful men.

One of the major themes of Homer’s Odyssey is the importance of cunning over strength. This also happens to be the case with Odysseus and his long ten year journey home from fighting in Troy. Odysseus uses his intelligence over strength to ‘fight’ through tough times and bring himself home to Ithaca. Odysseus uses his intelligence when he has his men tie him down while passing the Sirens, so he himself will be able to hear their beautiful song, but not be entranced by their singing. He also uses cunning to escape from the Cyclops’ cave without being harmed. He then uses his cunning by storing away all of the armory, shields, and knives from the suitors so he is able to kill them easily.

One of the biggest traits Odysseus shows throughout the story is his bravery. The whole story Odysseus shows his courage. Taking every mission knowing there could be death; Odysseus still did not give up. Odysseus did whatever it took to make back to Ithaca for his wife and son. Odysseus showed courage by outsmarting the Cyclops. Odysseus went to the land of the dead just to bury a dead shipmate with no fear. But Odysseus showed his every bit of bravery when planning and fighting against the suitors. Odysseus set up plans to kill all the suitors with only 3 people with him. Odysseus refused to back down from the suitors so when the time came he was prepared. When all the suitors were killed Odysseus and his family had finally reunited. After 20 years of Odysseus bravery had all paid off. That’s why I think Odysseus shows he has lots of bravery throughout the story.

To most of society, a hero is one who is courageous, honest and acquires worthy qualities. There have always been heroes whether they are not here today, a modern day hero or a hero in literature. Those who advocate for the cause they believe in are heroes, they are able to use their own platform for people who are not able to. To most, people who are courageous and inspiring are seen as heroes especially when describing an epic hero. An epic hero are usually people in an epic poem awarded for their achievements and have strong and noble qualities. A hero shows great courage and strength like Beowulf, Michael Brock, from The Street Lawyer, and Michelle Obama who are great inspiring advocates that have gained trust from the people they advocate for.

A hero is someone who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Homer created the character of Odysseus, the epic hero who possess the qualities of being hubris but in the long run makes a bold attempt to do the right thing.

In Odysseus’ most famous adventure, he defeats the cyclops, Polyphemus, by using wit and trickery instead of only using brute force. Odysseus realizes early on in the encounter with the cyclops that he needed to remain anonymous to avoid any revenge from the gods, so when Polyphemus asks for his name Odysseus tells him that he is nobody. Odysseus makes the cyclops drunk with wine until he falls asleep, then he blinds him while he is defenseless the cyclop’s vulnerability to blind him without starting a battle. By doing this, Odysseus protects both himself and his men and ensures that they have the ability to escape the cave. This encounter demonstrates how Odysseus differs from other heros in homeric literature. Instead of attacking the cyclops immediately to win the battle against him by violence, Odysseus patiently waits until the safest point for the small, yet impactful, attack against the opponent he faces.

Odysseus was determined to return home to the island of Ithaka. His men were worn down following the brutal Trojan War. Despite their desires to return home the men often times could not resist temptations detrimental to their potential homecoming. Throughout Homer’s The Odyssey, there are countless occurrences in which Odysseus or his men encountered temptations. The mental weakness of the warriors causes them to succumb to these obstacles, directly affecting their time away from home and the likelihood that they eventually return. Odysseus is not an exception to this common trend throughout the story. Odysseus’ figure and strength resemble that of a man with no weakness, however, his inability to resist temptation contributes to the Greek warriors’ never-ending journey home. Unlike his counterparts, however, Odysseus learnt from his past mistakes. As the journey carries on, Odysseus becomes aware of his temptations while his men continue to fall victim to theirs. His strength to correct his blunders from earlier in the plot is an attribute solely applicable to him. The men of Greece that he travels with do not combat their temptations despite being negatively affected by them time after time again. Although Odysseus was a mortal, he was a god amongst men. He was stronger both mentally and physically to all other men. His ability to see through every action separated him from the others.