Is Odysseus a Hero? The hero’s journey is a route most heroes take. In all stories, there’s always a hero to save the day. A “hero” isn’t simply defined, rather a multitude of attributes goes into the making of a hero. Throughout Odysseus’s adventures he shows the reader his heroic qualities as we learn about his strengths, weaknesses, and other personality traits. The most important components of a hero are the journey they take, their leadership, and the change they show over the story. In the Odyssey, Homer illustrates how a hero isn’t just someone who defeats the villain to save the city, but rather something much more complex by displaying Odysseus as the hero. Heroes often …show more content…
Using his skills and good intuition, he saves his crew countless times. The first example of his excellent leadership is during book 9. “Nobody—that’s my name. Nobody— so my mother and father call me, all my friends” (Book 9 Page 148). This would trick Polyphemus to tell Poseidon, the god of the sea, to hunt down nobody. This would save his crew from being attacked by the gods. With this information, Poseidon will have nobody to go after. His leadership and excellent decision making was demonstrated here. Later in the story he faced a difficult choice, to tell or not tell his crew about the siren’s song. Odysseus was smart to neglect the details of what was approaching him and his crew. Instead of having his entire crew abandon him because they were afraid, he didn’t tell his crew. His decision resulted in the death count of his crew being minimized to six. Before the death of all his crew, he tried to stop them from eating Apollo's sacred cattle. However, his crew was plagued with hunger and couldn’t fight the urge to eat which resulted in their …show more content…
Odysseus authenticates his status as a hero using three key traits: the journey he takes, his excellent leadership, and his ability to change. Loses happened, and mistakes occurred. But, what kind of hero doesn’t make mistakes? They make mistakes, and they learn from them. The Odyssey teaches that a hero isn’t just somebody showered with heavenly power, or a warrior with an undefeated record in the arena. Heroes are complex, and the way they are portrayed in typical stories strays away from what a true hero is. They aren’t perfect, and no hero is, and for all these reasons, Odysseus is in fact, a
In The Odyssey there are many characters who could be defined as a hero. Odysseus is not one of these characters due to his loose morals leading him to be disloyal and have impulsive behavior. Throughout Odysseus’ journey home, he exhibits his loose morals as he is disloyal. Odysseus and Calypso make love one last time after receiving the news from Mt. Olympus that it is time for Odysseus to leave. Homer says, “And now, withdrawing into the cavern’s deep recesses, long in each other’s arms they lost themselves in love” (Homer 5.250-251).
There is a certain criteria that all Greek heroes must fit to truly be considered a hero. There are multiple heroes in Greek mythology, some heroic, some strong, and some extremely intelligent. Odysseus was a very knowledgeable hero, known for his skill in escaping the wrath of Poseidon with his many strategies. Odysseus may not have died a histrionic death, but he had a fatal flaw, suffered physically as well as mentally, was of royal birth, accomplished major feats, and fought for himself. He had many adventures like many other Greek heroes and slaughtered horrifying monsters to return home to his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus.
Although people might say Odysseus isn’t a hero, people beg to differ. He has had so many heroic activities he has conquered and he has been smart about all of his adventures he’s
Is Odysseus a Hero? A hero is someone that would fight for justice, do things other people won’t do to achieve it, and give equality to every single being on earth. In the Odyssey from the author Homer, we can see and share the journey of our main character, (Odysseus), as he lives incredible adventures in a trip that was supposed to be only a couple months but the trip turned out to be ten years long due to a curse that was set on him. He is a hero for some people and he’s not for other, it depends on what qualities you’re looking in order to be a hero. He is a hero even though he didn’t save anybody you can see he was smart he also was always worried about his men, he trusted every single one of his men and show leadership among them.
Odysseus cannot be a hero due to his uncontrollable arrogance that harms others around him. For example, Odysseus endangers his men through their encounter of Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon, he boasts that “[the one that] put out your eye [was] Odysseus of Ithaca” (Hind 108). Odysseus used his arrogance to add onto a streak but would later regret his decision as he would be lost for eternity. By adding the unnecessary touch of inquiring that he was “Odysseus of Ithaca” instead of focusing on running away, it would cause his men to be endangered as the gods would now know the identity of the individual and curse Odysseus and his men on all his sails. Secondly, Odysseus’s nature of Hubris is when he sleeps with Circe after she releases his men from a curse that turned them into pigs even as his men said that they should leave (125).
Although one might possess these qualities, being a hero means nothing if you cannot portray one crucial aspect: being a good person. Odysseus lacks this pivotal attribute.
Odysseus’ desire to be well known as a hero occasionally overpowers his own common sense, leading him to dangerous situations that could have otherwise been avoided. Nonetheless, his fame is hardly diminished by these mistakes, as Odysseus always comes back to battle stronger than ever before. Throughout The Odyssey, Homer strategically portrayed Odysseus as a remarkable
“A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown.” – Tom Hanks. In the story, The Odyssey written by Homer, there is an individual named Odysseus who has the qualities of a hero. There are many characteristics of Odysseus that give evidence that he is a hero, such as him being dauntless, protective, and devoted.
The Epic Hero Odysseus In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus shows determination and curiosity which demonstrates that he is an epic hero. Odysseus shows that he is determined to get home when he says, “ I grew sick with fear but presently I gave command to my officers” (Homer 388). He shows that he is determined to get home when he could leave The Land Of The Dead but he needs to talk to Tiresias. Accomplishing this task makes Odysseus heroic because he will do what it took for his men and himself to get home.
After reading the “Odyssey,” a lot of people raise questions about Odysseus being a hero. What is a hero anyway? A hero is a person, who is idealized or admired for his/her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Odysseus does fit in all the requirements of a hero as he fights in the Trojan war, he saves his crew from Polyphemus, and he saves his palace from the suitors. Therefore, Odysseus can be called a hero.
Odysseus is not a hero because he stabs Polyphemus in the eye and blinds him. Odysseus is still a hero because he is a leader. Moreover, after Odysseus and his men fight the Cicones, he orders ¨Back and Quickly! Out to sea again!” (Homer 984).
Odysseus’ heroicness proves that he is a hero. In the beginning Odysseus proves to be heroic when he states “Have we never been... In danger before this? Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits to find a way out for us?”, according to line 41. Odysseus’ heroicness reveals that he is a hero because he saved his men and got his men back home safe.
The question on some peoples mind are, is Odysseus a true hero? People should believe that Odysseus is not a hero. Based on story’s read, and evidence gathered, Odysseus is not a true hero. In The Odyssey Odysseus starts fights that shouldn’t even be started in the first place, he is not a very good strategist, and he also puts his men in danger and makes mistake after mistake. Odysseus has proven that he is not a true hero because he starts fights that shouldn’t even have been started.
Odysseus portrays those three heroic traits throughout his voyage home to Ithaca, which is why he is a hero. Odysseus is highly dedicated to his reputation and ego for the whole of his rocky and treacherous journey. From going up against a cyclops that is five times the size of him, to placing wax upon his crewmates’ ears to mute the singing of the Sirens, Odysseus is brave when he faces his fears and intelligent when he creates lifesaving tools from ship materials. A modern hero can be someone who saves a life or even sacrifices his or her own for someone else. Odysseus can be compared to a modern hero because he risks his own life to protect his crewmates.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus was a major hero of the novel. He had both heroic traits and human weaknesses. Odysseus defeated the Cyclops, defeated the suitors that were courting his wife, and overcome other challenges throughout the novel. A special trait that made Odysseus a hero was that he was a courageous