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Odysseus: The True Hero Of Homer's Odyssey

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Even though people typically believe that the main hero of Homer’s the Odyssey is Odysseus himself, the true hero of the Odyssey is Penelope. Even though her entire story isn’t told in the epic poem, you can still tell that she went through struggles and trials just as her husband Odysseus did. Along with going through trials, she comes up with witty ideas in order to overcome them. She is very clever, and she also plans long-term. She is loyal to Odysseus and faithfully waits for his return. Many will claim that Odysseus is truly the hero of this story after all. He is the main center of focus throughout the entire poem, and he helped win the Trojan War with his wooden horse idea. He cleverly tricked the Cyclops, which got him and several other men out of the cyclops’ grasp. He also tried to warn his men of the dangers that would overcome if they killed the cattle on the island. …show more content…

While Odysseus was on Calypso’s island living with another woman, Penelope was at home trying to fight off suitors and being loyal to her husband who was supposed to be making his way home. Penelope is clever much like Odysseus is with the Cyclops. It had been twenty years since Odysseus had left and the citizens of Ithaca wanted a new king. The suitors were trying to marry Penelope and take over the kingdom because it presumed that Odysseus had died. She said that she would choose a new king when she finished her tapestry that she had been crafting for a while. Every day, Penelope would undo her work in order to not have to marry anyone other than Odysseus. When Penelope realizes that the beggar is actually Odysseus himself, she comes up with an idea. Whoever can string Odysseus’ bow and shoot through twelve arrows will be her new husband. She also raised Odysseus’ son as a single mother and tends to her kingdom at the same

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