“I am Laerte’s son, Odysseus./Men hold me/formidable for guile in peace and war” (Homer 488). It is evident that the author of the famous epic poem intended to portray the voyager, Odysseus, as a valiant and compassionate person. However, one may believe that he is a foolish man who delayed his own journey home. In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, is a hero because he always tries to keep his thoughts on home, he keeps his crew focused on the next task, and he is intelligent to win the gods’ favor. Odysseus is a hero because he never loses sight of his homeland during his tedious travels. This is evident by the statement, “Captain, shake off this trance, and think of home-... that made me feel a pang, and I agreed” (Homer 517). This clearly indicates that Odysseus is a hero, because even though he has not seen his home for 10 years of war, he still harbors a deep longing for it. Under the influence of Circe, a powerful goddess, Odysseus …show more content…
First, Odysseus spends eight years with other women that are not his wife. This is shown when, “And after she had sworn, and bound herself/I entered Circe’s flawless bed of love” (Homer 513). This clearly shows Odysseus’ infidelity. Even if he intends to save his crew, he loses a year’s worth of time with Circe, further delaying his trip. Another occurrence illustrating his irresponsibility is shown when, “Driven by hunger, they ignore Odysseus’ warning not to feast on Helio’s cattle” (Homer 529). On Thrinacia, the island of Helios, there is a herd of cattle owned by the sun god himself, along with obvious consequence if these cows are eaten. Nevertheless, the men kill and eat the cattle, angering the god and causing Zeus himself to throw a thunderbolt at the ship. Odysseus could be portrayed as a fool because of his unfaithfulness to his wife, and his inability to halt his crew when they do
Odysseus is not a hero because he cheats on his wife multiple times throughout the book. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew travel to Ismarus and harass and take the women there. As Odysseus said, “I then looted the town and attacked the people. We then took their wives and much booty.”(p.75). This shows that Odysseus is not a hero because he is disrespectful to women. Also in The Odyssey, Odysseus cheats on Penelope with Circe. Although it was under certain circumstances Odysseus still could have found a
Odysseus is a hero because he does things for other people. During his journey, Odysseus does many things to help his crew out. One example on how he helped his crew out is in book 9, “I shot back with my crafty way, ‘My ship? Poseidon god of the earthquake smashed my ship, drove it against the rocks at your island’s far cape…”(220, 318-320). This quote is from the part of the book where they get past the cyclops.
Spider-Man is your average modern day hero, he is a citizen who was bitten by an unusual and peculiar spider which gave him powers and abilities such as being able to shoot webs out of his hands and climb walls without the need of any equipment. And Odysseus is a Greek hero who was strong, heavily favored by the gods, and could take down any and all challenges he´d ever have to face. And if you ever compared the two you would see that both characters are extremely different. Why you would see this is because we know that Spider-Man is a modern day hero, but can we consider Odysseus as one. My answer to this would be NO. Society today would not consider Odysseus as a modern day hero because of many reasons. One would be that he doesn´t show
One big reason I believe Odysseus is not a hero is his actions. While he was on his journey back home to Ithaca, he showed a sense of entitlement. This shows how the way he treats others like his own crewmembers. In book 9 Odysseus blinded the Cyclops and he says his true identity, which leads to many hardships for him and his crewmembers. “Cyclops, you asked my name, and I will tell you: give me afterwards a guest gift as you promised" (book 9).
A major part of being a hero is trying to protect the ones you love from any harm, hurt, and danger. Odysseus, however, does not protect his family from harm because he leaves Ithaca for so long. In particular, Odysseus does not protect his wife from hurt when he cheats on her. Every minute of each day that Odysseus was gone, Penelope was mourning the absence of her husband, not knowing that he was deceiving her. Odysseus not only cheats on Penelope once, but twice. First, Odysseus is held sex captive by Calypso, a nymph goddess, on her island for many years. This means that at some point Odysseus had fallen for temptation. Odysseus then cheats on his wife yet again with another goddess named Circe. Although this affair does not last as long, Odysseus still sets
Homer portrays Odysseus as courageous and intelligent, with obstacles throughout the epic poem to paint Odysseus as a hero. Homer demonstrates Odysseus’s bravery with the use of the events of the epic to
The Odyssey by Homer, is a epic based off the actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes of a greek by the name of Odysseus. Throughout the story, Odysseus’ travels take him to new places on new adventures with no insight on what could happen next. Odysseus refers to himself, and is referred to a number of times, as a hero. Throughout the time of book 9 to book 12, there are many scenes throughout the story that portray the qualities Odysseus possesses that lead him to be given the heroic title. On the contrary, there are numerous occasions where Odysseus does things that might not be expected of someone seen as heroic. One of the first things that stood out to me starting in book 9, was Odysseus’ pride for his native land and where he comes from. Here, Odysseus states, “Nothing is sweeter than your own country” (Book 9, Line 37). This quotes shows how Odysseus is prideful of his home, Ithaca, and believes it to be the “sweetest sight” (Book 9, Line 31). Another scene that represents Odysseus’ heroic qualities is when Odysseus and his crew were being held by the cyclops, Polyphemus, and he comes up with an escape plan. During this, Odysseus states, “And I bade my comrades cast lots among them, which of them should have the hardihood with me to lift the stake and grind it into his eye when sweetsleep should come upon him.” (Book 9, Lines 328-329). To me, this portrays Odysseus as a quick thinker and a problem solver. In this situation, the problem was that him and
In homer's Odyssey the main character Odysseus is a person who only tries to help himself. Although he earns the trust of his men while in Troy, he loses it on his perilous journey home. Many times in the epic he manipulates others, commits foolish acts and is full of hubris. He tries to take shortcuts and as a result of this is men are killed and his boats destroyed. He plays with the lives of his men and he is punished for it. Odysseus is not a hero because, he is foolish, lacks faithfulness and is consumed by his Hubris and selfishness.
In Homer's Odyssey Odysseus is a character who, sometimes behaves like a proper hero and also as a very self-centered character at other points. He earns the respect of his men during the Trojan War by making good sound decisions and caring about the welfare of his men. But, in his adventure home Odysseus is definitely not taking the responsibility of a hero among his men. On almost any page you turn to in the epic, you can find some act of greed or foolishness coming from Odysseus. He plays with the lives of his men with no regard for the well-being or their families. Odysseus is not a hero because, he is foolish, lacks faithfulness and is consumed by his Hubris and selfishness.
In Greek literature of mythology, we have examined Odysseus. Students and scholars alike have held debates about Odysseus. The discussion is whether Odysseus was a true hero, as read in The Odyssey. There is abundant supportive evidence to verify all sides of the debate and opinions held about Odysseus. Odysseus had encompassed many qualities that I believe make him a hero. The qualities he embodied were mental strength, physical strength, and spiritual strength. I would like to advocate for why Odysseus was a hero.
Odysseus: a hero in every way. He is a real man, skilled in the sports, handy with a sword and spear, and a master of war strategy. Most of the challenges and adventures in his return voyage from Troy show us this even if we had no idea of his great heroic stature and accomplishments in the Trojan war. I found in my reading of the Odyssey that most of the trials the gods place upon him are readily faced with heroic means. These challenges are not
Odysseus portrays himself as anything but a hero throughout Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus goes through his life believing he is the best. He has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own, and he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods. Odysseus feels he is always the leader and no one can tell him otherwise. Odysseus should not be considered a hero because he portrays himself as a selfish man that failed his crew, and is controlled by his hubris.
Some may believe a hero is a person who fights evil and saves people. In reality, it is more than than that. A hero is someone who fights for what they believe in, they are courageous, fight for the greater good, and above all, would sacrifice their life to save the lives of many. For example, in The Odyssey, a hotshot is shown in the life of Odysseus. While many believe Odysseus was a great figure and leader, he was far from that. He failed his crew, and for one reason only, he was not the chieftain his men needed.
Odysseus is one of the greatest epic heros in the history of literature. The Odyssey, by Homer, is an epic poem, which depicts the journey home of Odysseus. Angering many gods, this voyage takes him through multiple obstacles, and ends up taking almost twenty years longer than it should've. Throughout his journey, “The Son of Laertes” must get his crew out of trouble multiple times. He uses his intellect and other strengths to do so, and never gives up, no matter the circumstance. Even after losing everything he needs in a storm worthy of the gods, Odysseus still never gives up, and gets himself out of trouble yet again. Throughout his entire journey, coming home from the Trojan War, Odysseus repeatedly uses many heroic traits to get himself and his crew out of many unfortunate situations. These heroic traits, how Odysseus uses them, and the steps of his journey all come together to illustrate that he is an epic hero. Odysseus characterizes himself as an epic hero based on how he almost perfectly follows the characteristics of an epic hero, gets his crew out of trouble multiple times, and follows the Hero's Journey.
In Homer’s, The Odyssey, I believe that Odysseus is a true modern hero. During his long and perilous journey home Odysseus shows many heroic qualities that help save his men from many dangerous situations. He first shows his Valiant behavior during the war in Troy, he cares about his crew and survives the war. He also deeply cares about the welfare of his men on their return trip to Ithaka. Odysseus is a hero because he is a courageous leader, a quick thinker and a modest man.