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Who Is Odysseus An Epic Hero

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Epic heroes are featured in literature throughout history. Most notably, the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer is about Odysseus, an epic hero. He is the king of Ithaca who goes to fight in the Trojan War. After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns home, although through many obstacles. Once in Ithaca, Odysseus kills the suitors who plague his wife, along with all other disloyal subjects. He fits the definition of an epic hero, which is an admirable character who displays courage while working towards a noble cause. More specifically, Odysseus is an epic hero because he makes complex and important decisions, has supernatural help, and is associated with beautiful women.
Foremost, Odysseus is an epic hero because he makes many important …show more content…

The men eat the lotus plant, which drug them and steal their memories and desires of returning home. Instead of leaving them, Odysseus “brought them back, back to the hollowed ships…forced them, hauled them under the rowing benches”(9.110-112). This decision saves the lives of those three men, and informs the rest of the crew to abandon the island and never return.
Later in the journey, Odysseus’s crew lands at the cyclops Polyphemus’s residence. After getting trapped in his cave, Odysseus devises an ingenious plan to blind Polyphemus and sneak out under the protection of rams. Much later, Odysseus chooses to sacrifice six men to the monster Scylla, which saves the rest from the whirlpool Charybdis. Additionally, Odysseus makes vital decisions in the Trojan War, which were brought up in a story by King Menelaus of Sparta, such as pulling a surprise attack from inside the Trojan Horse, and covering the mouths of his companions when they were tempted to leave. Lastly and most prominently, Odysseys makes the complex and important decision of planning and executing the massacre of all of the suitors in his palace. He knows doing this will have significant repercussions (e.g. the suitors’ families will try to exact revenge), but he decides that it is best to kill the suitors and all other disloyal subjects. In summary, Odysseus makes many consequential decisions that lead to him being an

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