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Examples Of Odysseus As An Epic Hero

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People usually say that gods are perfect and benevolent beings, but this is not always the case, some of those gods will actively stop you from achieving your goal. This is the reality of Odysseus from the Odyssey, written byHomer. In the Odyssey, Odysseus believes he does not need the gods, So in return the gods made his trip longer to prove that he needs them. On one of the islands he landed on, He blinded a Cyclops’ eye to survive, and because of that Poseidon cursed them. The question that is going to be answered is:Should Odysseus be considered an epic hero? Odysseus is considered an epic hero because he shares 6 of 6 traits for being an epic hero.He has superhuman abilities,he has a quest,He also angers a god, and he has supernatural …show more content…

An example of him using his superhuman abilities is when he and his men make a plan to get the cyclop drunk and then they hide under the sheep to escape (Homer 1219). When he gets advice from Circe, he only tells his crew about the sirens so they would not panic;because if they did panic they would get all of them killed. He shows bravery when he charges into Circe's palace without a second thought (homer 1218). He also shows bravery when he goes to introduce himself as nobody. He shows strength when he lifts the two heavy spears to attack scylla. He shows his superhuman abilities (bravery,strength, and intelligence) which is a trait of an epic …show more content…

When he is on polyphemus’s island, He says to polyphemus” cyclops if ever...Odysseus…Ithaca”(Homer 122); this quote shows that he is a prideful man. He also rushes into Circe's palace without any protection or precaution; this proves that he is also a reckless man. An example of him receiving supernatural help is when he is rushing to save his men, Hermes gives him a magic plant (moly) that makes him resistant to Circe's magic (Homer 1225). Also He got advice from Circe on how to beat charybdis, scylla and the sirens; Circe also tells to avoid the island where Helios cattle lives.(homer 1230-1233). Odysseus receives supernatural help and he shows his tragic flaws of pride and recklessness which is a trait of an epic hero(to have tragic flaws and receive supernatural

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