Compare And Contrast Odysseus And Beowulf

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” (Joseph Campbell). Heroes dedicate their lives to contribute to the general welfare of society. Most of the time, the obstacle seems to big for them to handle, but they overcome it in the end. A hero can be anyone in the world. A neighbor, a child, a firefighter, or a politician. Heroes are determined, they never do anything for personal gain, and they always fight for good.

    In the Odyssey, Homer beautifully illustrates Odysseus’ qualities that make him a hero. While reading the Odyssey, a reader learns of the hardships Odysseus and his crew face on their treacherous journey home from the Trojan War. They experience dangerous traveling conditions and terrifying monsters, and only Odysseus makes it out alive. This was a journey full of unfortunate events and learning opportunities. Odysseus proves he is a true hero by showing throughout his endeavors that he is clever in his actions, devoted to the people around him, and good hearted in all aspects of his life.

The Websters dictionary defines a hero as someone who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Heroes are ordinary people who find the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. They are the real heroes, and so are the families and friends who have stood by them. Maya Angelou stated, “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this world a better place for all people.”

Odysseus is heroic, courageous, outrageous, bold, fearless, manful, and valiant. Odysseus is heroic because he tricked the cyclops thinking that nobody was his name. Odysseus told his men to make a sharp spear and drop the spear in the cyclops eye so he can remove the giant rock and escape. Odysseus is fearless because him and his son killed the men that tried to take over his kingdom and marry his wife. Another thing is that Odysseus is bold because he made his son believe he was the father after the son did not believe him.

Odysseus is a hero because all he wants to do is go home and protect his family. There is many thing that can support this claim. There are many things that can prove otherwise. One reason for this claim is odysseus is smart, brave, and kind and another reason is he wants to go home and protect his family. Everyone thinks he is not a hero is he slept with circe there is a reason why that is not a strong reason that he is not a hero.

The description of a hero can be different among many people. Some may say a hero has to be courageous, smart, and strong, but they don’t talk about the flaws a hero may possess. Odysseus portrays very obvious flaws in the epic The Odyssey. When I look more into Odysseus’ flaws as a character, I do not see Odysseus as admirable.

A hero is someone who is revered for his or her exceptional achievements and bravery. Anyone who puts themselves before others not for recognition or an award, but because it is the right thing to do, is a true hero. In "The Odyssey," written by Homer is an epic poem about a man named Odysseus and his crewmates competing against the power of the gods to return to their homeland, Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he loses almost all of his men, but Odysseus finally arrives home, concluding his prolonged twenty-year voyage. Odysseus must battle the suitors that have taken his wife Penelope, and may soon kill his son Telemachus. Odysseus defies the suitors and wins his wife and kingdom back. Despite Odysseus' overconfident nature, Odysseus proves he is a hero by showing bravery and intelligence.

Tom Hanks once said, “A hero is somebody walks voluntarily into the unknow” (Hanks). In Homer's “The Odyssey”, Odysseus displays he is a hero. In the story Odysseus goes on a ten year journey with obstacles and eventually makes his way home to be reunited with his family. Many of the obstacles have shaped Odysseus as a character for the better. On this 10 year journey throughout the story, Odysseus shoes responsibility, loyalty, and wisdom, which are all traits that makes him a hero,

The concept of hero has been interpreted in many ways throughout the ages. Hero have gone from knights slaying dragons and rescuing the princess, to heroes who save the world with their supernatural-like powers, to a modern day hero who is someone who has noble qualities and is regarded as a role model. In the epic, The Odyssey, by Robert Fagles, the heroic Odysseus is a well known in Greek mythology. However, although Odysseus is the most respected, honorable hero of Greek mythology he is not a modern hero. A modern day hero is someone who puts their life on the line to save the lives of other innocent people. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ characteristics do not fit in the definition of a modern hero, he illustrates a naive and a arrogant epic hero.

An Epic Hero is a character who’s legendary or heroic actions are central to his culture, race or nation. Beowulf and Odysseus both share some of the seven hero traits; for example being superhuman, fighting monsters and going on a quest. They do not exhibit the exact same traits or in the same way, for example the intervention of the divine world, but they both demonstrate the qualities of an Epic Hero.

Everybody likes rooting for a hero. And throughout the evolution of storytelling, from stories written in stone to those in tablets, heroes have always played a huge role in the stories we tell. As literature evolved, and more legends and tales began to appear in different cultures, the idea of a traditional epic hero was established. Stories like "The Epic of Gilgamesh," and "The Odyssey," set the mold for this type of heroes, an influence that can clearly be seen when analyzing literature. In fact, most of these characters, regardless of the time and place they were created in, shared similar characteristics to the two kings. A huge number possessed skills that mere mortals didn 't have, which helped them defeat their "infamous" enemies. These

What qualifies a person to be called a hero? Officially a hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Most people think of a superhero, like Batman or Spiderman, or someone closer to them such as their mother or their life-saving doctor. Heroes tend to be the main character in a story. Beowulf and Odysseus are two famous epic heroes in the texts Beowulf and The Odyssey. They both go through the “Hero’s Journey,” and display many characteristics of a hero. Beowulf, however, better fits the qualities of an epic hero due to his unselfish personality, his fearlessness, and his nobility.

There are few fictional characters who so accurately depict the ancient archetype of a hero as Odysseus. In Homer’s The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Odysseus is departing from the Trojan city of Troy in order to reach his home country of Ithaca. Throughout the course of his journey, Odysseus is faces multiple challenges testing his leadership, vigor, and wit in order to prove himself to be a true hero. He accomplishes this by bringing about multiple heroic feats and upholding the impuissant and helpless.

The Odyssey and Ulysses were meant to be the same character written by two different individuals. Both individuals encountered obstacles at some point in their lives. Odysseus and Ulysses were both considered a hero in today’s society along with their similar characteristics. The heroic qualities and themes presented in both pieces of the literature work emphasized the similarity between the two characters along with their differences.

“If you can tell me who your heroes are, I can tell you how you are going to turn out. It is really important to have the right heroes.” – Warren Buffet. Many people are looking for heroes in wrong places, and misunderstanding the term hero itself. Strength, bravery, courage, and honesty are the things most people think when the name hero pops. Doing a brave task, being a doctor, being a rich person, or even having a certain name does not make you a hero. It is very hard to describe a hero but a simple description of a true hero is a person that is being true to himself, does things that has to be done no matter what the circumstances are, never afraid to do what is right, and gives the best sincerely. In my point of view, true heroes exist in our world, and they are needed to protect us from the society we are living in and ourselves.