Andrew Son
Mrs. Slater
English 1
April 3, 2023
Odysseus Cannot Be A Hero
Poseidon keeping Odysseus away from his family would have saved all of Ithaca. Odysseus’s poor behavioral attitude of Hubris that both violates Greek values and modern standards shows how he should not be considered a hero. According to the Long Island Psychology Center, Atara Wertentheil explains that “arrogant thinkers are likely to have less adequate performance at work, in daily tasks, or in their personal endeavors” (Wertentheil). A hero’s strife to protect their fellow men has not been shown in most of the epic poem yet shows off violence to the people he loves most. In Gareth Hind’s adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, he illustrates how Odysseus is not a hero by today’s standards regardless of his heroic moments, as his arrogance often controls him and
…show more content…
Odysseus cannot be a hero due to his uncontrollable arrogance that harms others around him. For example, Odysseus endangers his men through their encounter of Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon, he boasts that “[the one that] put out your eye [was] Odysseus of Ithaca” (Hind 108). Odysseus used his arrogance to add onto a streak but would later regret his decision as he would be lost for eternity. By adding the unnecessary touch of inquiring that he was “Odysseus of Ithaca” instead of focusing on running away, it would cause his men to be endangered as the gods would now know the identity of the individual and curse Odysseus and his men on all his sails. Secondly, Odysseus’s nature of Hubris is when he sleeps with Circe after she releases his men from a curse that turned them into pigs even as his men said that they should leave (125). Odysseus ignores his men and his wife to sleep with Circe for satisfaction, something that would go against ancient Greek and modern values today. With Odysseus being delighted by Circe instead of
In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, the protagonist, Odysseus, portrays himself as formidable for guile in peace and war. His statement accurately portrays himself due to him often deceiving his enemies through his intelligent strategies in both times of calm, and conflict. Not only that but Odysseus is also seen as an epic hero. He displays strength, strategy, and fierce intelligence.
Michael Camby Mr. Martin English 1 10 February 2023 The odyssey essay Today I'm going to talk about why I think Odysseus is a hero. Have you ever found yourself in a very tough situation that you do not know how to get out of? Odysseus has had that happen to him a lot that you will read about in this essay.
Although people might say Odysseus isn’t a hero, people beg to differ. He has had so many heroic activities he has conquered and he has been smart about all of his adventures he’s
Odysseus’ desire to be well known as a hero occasionally overpowers his own common sense, leading him to dangerous situations that could have otherwise been avoided. Nonetheless, his fame is hardly diminished by these mistakes, as Odysseus always comes back to battle stronger than ever before. Throughout The Odyssey, Homer strategically portrayed Odysseus as a remarkable
Odysseus is Not a Hero The translated version of the story The Odyssey, also known as The Epic, is a story about Odysseus, king of Ithaca, spending ten years on a journey back to his homeland. During his trip home, Odysseus makes cowardly decisions that reveal he is not a hero. Odysseus is not a hero because he is selfish, greedy, and secretive. Odysseus is not a hero because he is selfish. When Odysseus is leaving Ismarus; the island of the Cyclops, Odysseus and his men are sailing away from the island after escaping the Cyclops cave by stabbing him in the eye.
In Book 9, Odysseus meets one of his first monsters, the Cyclops. The reader can tell that the Cyclops is a monster because the epic reads, “… but in one stride he (the Cyclops) clutched at my companions and caught two… beat their brains out, spattering the floor” (Homer 665). Odysseus also encounters temptations. One of which would be Circe; a sorceress and daughter of the god Helios (Heroes in the Trojan War). In Book 10, the epic reads, “Odysseus shares her (Circe’s) meat and wine, and she restores his heart.
Odysseus, the Overrated Hero An epic hero is defined as someone who is “the main character of an epic poem that tells the story of a grand quest in which they use their extraordinary or superhuman abilities to achieve great things” (dictionary.com). Although The Odyssey is an epic poem and Odysseus goes on a grand quest using superhuman abilities, divine intervention made all of this possible. All throughout Odysseus’ expedition in The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus goes on a voyage similar to the steps of the hero’s journey, but it ultimately prevents Odysseus from living as a true epic hero because of his profusion of hubris, him completely relying on the help the gods generously give him, and his selfishness to others. Although Odysseus’ confidence
Analysts debate whether or not Odysseus can be deemed an epic hero within the Odyssey. Arguably, it is presented in the epic poem that he obtains the skills and powers to persevere through trials issued by the Gods. Odysseus endures an escapade filled with challenging tasks and antagonists, and applies his natural heroic attributes to persist on his mission to get back home. With these abilities, he is able to take on all tasks thrown at him while returning to Ithaca after 20 extensive years at sea. Thus, Odysseus possess all the attributes of an epic hero.
In the epic poem, the Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus is represented as an epic hero. One epic hero characteristic that Odyesseuss displays would be his sheer bravery shown throughout the book. His first display of bravery would be when he volunteered to fight the trojans in the trojan war. Odyessus knew that this was a dangerous war to be a part of, however he was willing to put his life on the line to defend his homeland. Another example of this would be when he encountered the great Polyphemus.
Throughout Odysseus’s adventures he shows the reader his heroic qualities as we learn about his strengths, weaknesses, and other personality traits. The most important components of a hero are the journey they take, their leadership, and the change they show over the story. In the Odyssey, Homer illustrates how a hero isn’t just someone who defeats the villain to save the city, but rather something much more complex by displaying Odysseus as the hero. Heroes often
In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.
There are people who think Odysseus is a hero then there are those who hate him and think he’s a bad guy. One of their strongest claims may be that he cheats on his wife with Circe. But back then it was very common for a man to sleep with someone other than his wife,even though the women weren’t allowed to do it. That may be their biggest claim but they should know that it wasn’t uncommon back then. So they shouldn’t say Odysseus is a bad guy just for doing that one thing, they should consider all the good things he did before they say he’s a bad
Odysseus, a man who was known for his adventures, but do we really understand the attributes needed for an epic hero? The King of Ithaca had a very concealed past where it is hardly ever noted that his men were mistreated by their captain and all of Odysseus’ mistakes affected those around him. Odysseus, on several occasions did his men wrong and along his journeys, he became very willful and big headed. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus has several misfortunes such as losing all of his men and being stranded and not returning home for 20 years, but evidently all of these problems were caused by the mens lack of trust in Odysseus and Odysseus being too stubborn and full of pride. The crew had a very important job in the quests that Odysseus
The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.
The Odyssey by Homer is a book that involves the Journey of Odysseus and his men and the Obstacles they come across. The Odyssey portrays many themes including vengeance, hospitality, courage, bravery and more. Odysseus experiences some good and bad during his journey. He comes across people who help him, but also comes across creatures who hold him back. Odysseus is an Epic hero because of his quick thinking skills, bravery, and confidence for himself and his men.