“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Campbell 1). When thinking of heroes, what often comes up on people’s mind are movie stars and professional athletes. But when thinking of heroes in all types of mythology, there are always some traits that are common or standout which help them complete their quest. In the myths, Lord of the Rings, Theseus and the Minotaur, and Savitri and Satayavan, the hero often possesses the traits of perseverance and the willingness to sacrifice, which helps them triumph in times of difficulty and endorses their ability to complete their quest. In the end, the hero becomes a role model for society, as their stories are used to teach people how to overcome obstacles and succeed in life.
Melody Beattie once said, “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” This is what Odysseus had to learn after he did not thank the gods for the Trojan war victory due to his pride. According to Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, “the Greek hero was born of royalty. The Greek hero was braver, taller, handsomer, stronger, than all else. He was liked universally. Songs of praise were sung about him.
The Epic Hero of The Odyssey The Odyssey is a tale of a great hero trying to get home. An epic hero. An epic hero is a courageous and honorable person. Homer’s character Odysseus exemplifies this in many ways. No matter what is thrown at him he never stops trying to get home, getting past a Cyclopes, the Lady Circe, and sirens.
However, I believe he portrayed inspirational motivation because of the love he had for his people. It’s also because of them that he overcame a speech impediment displaying his change management adaptability traits. His speeches wouldn’t have achieved perfection if it wasn’t for rehearsing his speeches over and over. According to “the book,“Churchill”, by Ashley Jackson, he was so passionate about motivating his people he adjusted himself to change with the times of war. His ability to overcome and manage change would resonate and help deliver Britain to victory.
Obstacles make heroes’ perseverance stronger. Numerous stories display treacherous situations in which the protagonists use determination to survive. The Odyssey, written by Homer in the Archaic Age, captures a leader’s, Odysseus, hardships and will-power to keep going. Similarly, The Martian, a film adapted from Andy Weir’s book, exhibits Watney’s strong perseverance to continue on his journey, no matter the extremity of the problems he experiences . Although both epic adventures highlight creative problem-solving and questionable decision-making, Watney’s crew shows greater loyalty because of the friendships shared.
An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem or a movie. Some epic heroes include: Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson movie series), Odysseus (Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey), Shrek, Harry Potter (Harry Potter movie series), Aragorn (Lord Of The Rings), and many more.Some similar traits between these two characters is that they are both brave and believe in the people helping them through their conquests. Ironically, though their conquests were different and, the different challenges they had to go through. For both characters, their motivation was personal: they were fighting to return or to save the person that they love. Odysseus’ main motivation was to return home to his wife - Penelope, while Percy had to face a more dire quest
Odysseus’s Traits Throughout the Odyssey, the main character Odysseus goes on an epic adventure with his focus being to get home to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. He faces many obstacles dealing with characters such as the Cyclopes, Poseidon, Aeolus, Athena, Helios, Calypso, Zeus, Hermes, Scylla, and Circe. Odysseus’s men are some of the most valuable people to him throughout the Odyssey. He always puts himself in front of danger for them to protect them even though they all died from an unexpected turn of events soon before he returns home. When Odysseus comes home he greets his twenty year old son and straightens things out on his homeland, Ithaca.
Despite the seemingly contradictory nature of this statement, both can be true considering that the times when he needs a god’s help are when another god created the problem in the first place. On the other hand, Odysseus is capable of saving himself when higher powers are not involved in creating the problem. Odysseus is constantly praised by others in the story, yet rarely seems to live up to these expectations. Odysseus is praised by Zeus, the single most powerful god, calling him “Great Odysseus, who excels all men in wisdom” (1.78-9). Odysseus is also praised by mortals, such as Menelaus, a king.
• I’ve learned in this unit, three universal characteristics of a hero. One characteristic is some type of special powers not necessarily things like super strength or Flying but hospitality and friendliness or the will to help others could be considered special powers or something even greater to save the day. Also, hero's lineage is often noble or linked to the gods meaning their family history is a heroic one. Lastly Hero's tending to be adventurous and strong they and often times are born this way. 2.
Was Odysseus a hero? The answer is yes. Odysseus from The Odyssey by Homer is a hero because even though he is arrogant and prideful, he is loyal to his family and men, and he is clever. Odysseus is definitely arrogant and prideful, which conflicts the general definition of a hero. For instance, when Odysseus was trapped in Polyphemus’ cave, he devised a plan to get him and his men out safely.