Homer's Odyssey: A Classic Hero

A hero is an extraordinary person, but when being compared to another hero, they may seem flawed. In the beginning of time, heroes are known for certain qualities even if some qualities are flawed and or non-existent. Such cases like King Odysseus, from the Odyssey written by Homer thousands of years ago, demonstrates the flaws of a hero from the olden time. Although an epic hero from the Trojan War, Odysseus has many flaws that are portrayed through his journey home after the war. On another note, a more recent hero who demonstrates modern day heroes to be less flawed is Helen Keller, who is a victim of the serious flu that made her blind and deaf at the age of nine months.

What makes a hero, why are Spider-Man, and Superman some of the most epic superheroes of all time? Modern literary scholars of The Odyssey have argued that Odysseus is a hero. Although closer perlustration shows that he is not a hero because he came back from war with no men, he’s selfish, a hypocrite, and he killed innocent people. The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus and his journey to and from the Trojan War. And the story of his family and their life in Odysseus’s absence.

There are multiple motifs and themes in the book The Odyssey. This book, written by Homer, is an epic. In this epic, Odysseus’ demonstration of leadership and skill proved that resilience and not giving up eventually leads to success. The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus trying to go home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. His leadership helps him and his crew eventually return home to their families.

The epic hero Odysseus, in the epic The Odyssey, shows a lot different traits, but the most evident and important is the intellect. One of the situations in which Odysseus exhibits intellect occurs when he meets the Cyclopes Polyphemus. Polyphemus imprisons Odysseus and his men, but Odysseus tells him that his name is “Nobody” so when he contrives how to blind him and the Cyclopes yells to his brothers that the “Nobody” blinds him, his brothers don’t come to help him.

People are only able to find success when they adhere to their values. This is shown in The Odyssey when Odysseus uses his value for cleverness to escape Polyphemus. When Polyphemus asks what Odysseus’ name is he tells him it is Nobody. Later, when Odysseus and his crew attack the Polyphemus he shouts so loud that other Cyclops come over and ask what or who is ailing him. Polyphemus responds, “Nobody’s killing me now by fraud and not force” (5.455).

George Washington completely shows the heroic traits of bravery, cleverness, and determination by leading his men similar to Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey. First, Washington has the trait of bravery when he led his troops and he stood in the front towards the oncoming enemies. This trait is similar to Odysseus because he took risks to achieve his goal. For example, Odysseus also has the trait of bravery when he reasoned with the Cyclops and when he stood armed on his ship during the encounter with Scylla.

The Odyssey is often cited as an epitome of the hero’s journey and the monomyth. The hero of the story, Odysseus is on a 10 year battle homeward from the Trojan War to see his wife and son again. With the help divine intervention, Odysseus is able to return home and save his wife from the evil suitors who have continuously tried to win her. One could easily argued that Odysseus is an exemplar of the hero, but there is another story: Odysseus is the opposite of a hero and is not worthy to be called such. He is the villain where the gods are the hero.

Physical attractiveness and physical ability have been held to a very high standard for thousands of years, and are still being viewed as an important societal value today. Men are said to place more importance on the physical attractiveness of women than women do on the physical attractiveness of men (Mazur 281). Men may place more importance on physical standards of women, but in the myth of Polyphemus the Cyclops from Mythology and the tale of King Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh men were being criticized for their looks or honored for their physical prowess. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the myth of Polyphemus both enforce the unspoken social rule of being a prime physical specimen, whether it be due to physical capability or physical

Odysseus: A Hero The classic and epic story of Odysseus and his travels, titled The Odyssey, has touched humankind since it was first told in the eighth century. Over this time, people have debated endlessly about whether or not the main character could be classified as a typical hero. Odysseus did some things that could make him seem dishonest or unethical, but does that disqualify him from being a hero? Overall, the narrative portrays a character this is not inherently flawless, but he is an inspiration, as well as someone who can persevere through challenges, and is simply trying to do what is best for everyone, therefore embodying a quintessential hero.

The fight between Odysseus and the archetypes is a continuous struggle; a struggle that occurred for ten years. This epic is known to all as The Odyssey. It originated orally from Homer, the most famous epic writer known to man, yet translated by Robert Fitzgerald. The Odyssey is about this mortal named Odysseus whom is trying to find his way home. He has to overcome many different challenges, along with archetypes.