Odysseus has many trials throughout his adventure. The Homeric usual hero is what he is set up as but unlike most of them he redefines himself. Homer’s creation of Odysseus as a dynamic character through the stories within stories and conflict explores the importance of the evolution of characters despite his apparent hero status within Greek culture Odysseus displays a strong hubris in the first parts of the Odyssey which would fit his reputation as the famous war hero he is. This turns to become a burden on him, he is determined and cares for his men yet his selfish and arrogant behavior cost him those men.
History is full of heros but, what makes these people heros. Is it their bravery on the battlefield, the honor they give to their family, or their intelligence. Much of this is true in the time of ancient Greece. Although Grecian heroes give the gods some credit for their gifts they are often concerned about bringing the glory and honor upon themselves or their family; however, Biblical hero's want to bring honor and glory to God. Odysseus is a hero to the Greeks but not from a Biblical standpoint because of his arrogance toward his intelligence, perseverance, and courage.
Homer was the author of the Odyssey and conveys Odysseus as a great epic hero, but there is an underlying lesson to these conflicts in the Odyssey that he goes through that not all pay attention to. Welcoming strangers into your home is frightening yet they do it all the time. What's even more frightening is not letting someone into your home who is disguised as a god and could be testing you. One can only hope the people they welcome are good ones, but this did not always happen. The theme of the Odyssey is loyalty and Xenia.
Odysseus believes that his words are final and his actions are always right and just, but he often lets his ego take over his rational thinking, causing harm to his crew and tampering with the gods’s plans. His team could have returned home safely for it is the wish of Athena and the other heavenly gods who sit next to her in Mount Olympus, but Odysseus takes it to himself to anger and blind Polyphemus, the monstrous son of Poseidon, loved by his father but hated by the people, thus sabotaging their entire plan. After being blinded by the heroine, Polyphemus throws giant pieces of rocks at Odysseus's ship, almost destroying them all at once. But instead of retreating for safety, Odysseus continues to taunt Polyphemus and “[calls] out to the cyclopes again, with [his] men hanging all over [him] begging him not to”(Book 9, 491-492). His sense of pride and arrogance makes him neglect the pleas of his men even in these dire situations.
From the beginning Oedipus was destined to fulfill a terrible prophecy, but through particular events that follow the steps of the Hero’s Journey, Oedipus becomes a powerful king of Thebes, only to be destroyed by the prophecy that should have ended his life as a child. The Hero’s Journey typically leads to self-confidence and power, however; the Hero’s Journey of Oedipus leads to his tragic demise. The Hero’s Journey lays out the steps of Oedipus’s future actions, which create suspense, fear, pity, and other emotions that captivates the audience. Similar to many famous stories, Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles in 430 B.C., follows the Hero’s Journey path, which is evident in Oedipus’s departure, initiation, and return.
In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is the protagonist and shows many characteristics of being a brave hero, but he often makes many mistakes throughout his journey due to his hubris. He left home to fight in the Trojan War and showed great leadership along the way. On top of leaving Ithaca, he also left his wife and child behind. He got lost on his journey home which caused him and his crew to encounter multiple dangerous situations.
Heroes can range from the well-known Superman to Harriet Tubman during the American Civil War, to the very parents that get you up in the morning. Despite who the hero may be, heroes are said to display selflessness, humility, and integrity. Specifically, epic heroes are expected to also illustrate loyalty and devotion. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is depicted as the bigger than life epic hero of the epic poem that has had such an overwhelming impact on Western culture. However, his character flaws and the byproduct that are their consequences negate his heroism.
Odysseus Essay: Odysseus of Ithaka. Some historians have argued for years that he is a noble hero, and others say he is just a man trying to get home from many hardship and challenges, however Odysseus is the definition of a hero. During Odysseus’s journey it becomes evident that Odysseus is a hero like the legends say, he meets all the criterias of being a hero such as being brave, smart, fighting against evil, and protecting others from danger. For generations people have been correct to honor the great Odysseus, for his actions along his adventures. Although there has been some evidence that points to Odysseus not being a hero, this essay will give three reasons why Odysseus should be respected as a hero.
In the Odyssey, the god Poseidon is the main force against Odysseus. As an example, “But all the gods pitied him except Poseidon; he remained relentlessly angry with the god like Odysseus, until his return to his own country.” Poseidon throughout the Odyssey despises Odysseus. Plainly we can see how similar the conflicts
Philip Zimbardo's statement stays true in The Odyssey by Homer. In the book Odysseus, the king of Ithaca has to leave his family to fight in the Trojan war. He leaves behind his loving wife, Penelope along with his newborn son, Telemachus. Unfortunately, even after the Trojan war Odysseus faces many hardships and troubles returning home to Ithaca Throughout all hardships, Odysseus proves himself as a hero in The Odyssey. For starters, Odysseus is a hero because he shows many leadership like qualities. First, Odysseus shows leadership qualities when he is among his crew, men helping him get home.
Throughout the story, Odysseus demonstrates his courage that ultimately allows him to survive. One of these moments was during his journey back to Ithaca, where he faces a race of man eating giants called the Cyclops. Odysseus originally stops his ship there to relish a feast while on his journey back to Ithaca, but while doing so, out of curiosity explores the island. Soon, he finds a deserted house and decides to wait of the owner. The owner was unknowingly one the Cyclops, named Polyphemus.
Strengths, weaknesses and conflicts. These are the struggles the leader Odysseus has to face. He is a great leader and a great husband. Odysseus has many strengths. He is a leader that's is extremely cunning and intelligent.
In Book 23 of “The Odyssey” Homer uses imagery to show Odysseus’s moment of glory after wiping out the suitors. Odysseus was found, “...in the thick of slaughtered corpses;/there he stood and all around him, over the beaten floor,/ the bodies sprawled in heaps, lying one on another... /How it would have thrilled your heart to see him-/Splattered with bloody filth, a lion with his kill” (23. 48-52). The slaughtered corpses made the scene visually appealing, emphasizing Odysseus’s victory at last against the suitors.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus and Telemachus are two heroes that go through tests to try and complete their quests. At the beginning of the book, Odysseus is a Trojan war hero who has been away from home for a war that lasted ten years. It takes him another ten to get back home. Telemachus is Odysseus’s son. Telemachus believes that his father will never come back until Athena tells him to go and try to find any information about Odysseus’s whereabouts.