Homer's Odyssey: What Makes A Hero

The question raised by homer when evaluating a hero is first what makes a hero? A hero is someone who demonstrates substantial quantities of courage or outstanding achievement. Furthermore, a hero is not someone who does heroic things for no purposes or just for the sake of doing something, they do things because they are obligated to do them, also a force greater than them wills them to do so. A hero takes a risk knowing the danger in addition to embracing it, a hero is as brave as they are strategic, they look death in the eye and death blinks. A person like this must be a mortal, someone who endures pain, feeds on it, is forged from it. Odysseus is great because he is rough, tough, and full of suffering that fuels him to be great. He doesn’t

He also reflects true suffering and struggle. Homer compares feasting and suffering very closely to show that struggle results in something deeper than the result of feasting. The significance of struggle is that you take everything head on despite the fact you could fail. The foremost reason Odysseus is unmatched is because he has no need for nice things, only need for destiny/ things of relevance. Not only does he commit countless heroic acts in situations of high pressure where he could die, he also never loses faith. He continues to believe in Ithaca and dreams of his queen and never loses sight of his goal despite the years and many distractions. Odysseus takes risks, an example of this is in book IX, when he enters the Cyclopes cave not knowing what’s inside. He does many things throughout the epic that seem to lack judgement, but later show he always had it under control. Another quality that supports Odysseus being a hero is that he is blessed by a god, meaning they notice something great or godlike in him. Lastly the most important aspect of his heroism is that he isn’t a textbook hero, unlike Hercules, Odysseus embraces his flaws and mortality which makes him stronger. One key thing that aids his journey is, Odysseus does not escape his struggle and immerse himself in feasting and partying, he experiences only what he is supposed to in addition to nothing that isn’t relevant. Odysseus is able to improve himself, ultimately