Is Odysseus A Hero

Odysseus: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Odysseus, he’s known as a war hero on his way back to his homeland, who ends up going on a ten year long journey due to unforeseen circumstances. On this journey, he encounters many monsters, many ladies, and we see his good side and his bad side. Due to the fact that he’s very noble and brave (and in an epic poem), that makes him an epic hero. He’s also a very famous archetype for The Hero.

Do you know any epic heroes that show heroic qualities? Some heroes that you might be thinking of would be Batman, Spider-Man, or even Thor; but those aren't the epic heroes I'm talking about. I'm talking about the real heroes the ones who don't need any powers to achieve anything. The type of hero that does not need to fly or shoot lasers out of it's eyes. One hero that would be considered an epic hero would be Odysseus; you might not know who he is, well he's a character that comes out in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Odysseus is an epic hero because he cares about his family, he is intelligent and he shows courage and because he shows determination. There was one obstacle where they fell into a cyclone and were stuck there Odysseus managed to get through it.

Jason Sierra Professor Williams 5 October 2014 Word Count: 752 Odysseus: An Epic Hero The definition of a hero is a person with supernatural abilities at performing specific tasks that normal people cannot typically achieve. In the epic poem called “The Odyssey” written by a poet named Homer, there is a character named Odysseus who contains these characteristics.

Odysseus is a typical example of a hero. He is able to pull off miraculous things to save himself and his crew seemingly without fail. The story of his journey is well known, and a great tale of his adventures. In the two parts we have read so far, we see what he is willing to do for his crew, and his intelligence and quick thinking in difficult situations. The first challenge that waits them is the island of Cyclopes. They begin by checking out the island to see if there is any danger, but they are caught. Odysseus then has to lie about the ship saying it had been destroyed. Then after his friends meet a terrible fate, he tells Polyphemus, the giant, his name is Nohbdy. After he stabs the cyclops in the eye, this leads him to say that nobody hurt him. After this Odysseus makes his escape, and is almost caught as they leave, so Odysseus taunts them, telling them his name and story. This is the end of act one. In act two they tell us of the island of Aeolus which ends up giving them a worthless gift, and then the land of Laestrygones, that destroy all of their ships but one. They then end up at Aeaea, and split up into two groups, one to search the island, and the other to watch the ship. The exploring group then gets trapped by Circe’s cunning magic. Following this news, Odysseus is offered help from Hermes for ways to avoid Circe’s magic. He then enters and tries to avoid the fate of his crew. Eventually he is told to bring all of his crew there, and he ends up

Is Odysseus a hero? Being a hero originally means “a brave person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.”. Odysseus was well known for being a hero. He has the qualities of being a hero in some situations but also has flaws which make him seem less of a hero at times. Being loyal, clever, and dedicated are examples of being a heroic person.

The concept of hero has been interpreted in many ways throughout the ages. Hero have gone from knights slaying dragons and rescuing the princess, to heroes who save the world with their supernatural-like powers, to a modern day hero who is someone who has noble qualities and is regarded as a role model. In the epic, The Odyssey, by Robert Fagles, the heroic Odysseus is a well known in Greek mythology. However, although Odysseus is the most respected, honorable hero of Greek mythology he is not a modern hero. A modern day hero is someone who puts their life on the line to save the lives of other innocent people.

For all the great strengths of these heroes it’s important to remember they’re still human. Humans are naturally flawed beings, in fact their exaggerated strengths seem to make their weaknesses more dramatic. These fatal flaws constantly get between the hero and reaching his goal contributing to setbacks, loss, and sometimes death. Odysseus’s fatal flaw is pride, usually in himself he lets his positive regard for his own abilities and wants get in the way of his decision making process. One example is his military leadership, he makes both very good and very bad military decisions in his time commanding men, Odysseus is, as Homer says,” polytropos, many-sided, mixed, multi-colored, piebald.

Odysseus portrays those three heroic traits throughout his voyage home to Ithaca, which is why he is a hero. Odysseus is highly dedicated to his reputation and ego for the whole of his rocky and treacherous journey. From going up against a cyclops that is five times the size of him, to placing wax upon his crewmates’ ears to mute the singing of the Sirens, Odysseus is brave when he faces his fears and intelligent when he creates lifesaving tools from ship materials. A modern hero can be someone who saves a life or even sacrifices his or her own for someone else. Odysseus can be compared to a modern hero because he risks his own life to protect his crewmates.

He took an unnecessary risk of listening to the song where he could have plugged his ears with wax. Heroes must be willing to take risks in order to help the greater good. Conclusion- Pride, curiosity and risk-taking are Odysseus’ flaws that are relatable to the common man. Odysseus is known to many as a courageous king that won the Trojan War and returned home to rule Ithaca but in order for him to complete these heroic actions he had to face many of his flaws. No one is perfect, but what makes a hero a hero is their ability to overcome their imperfection and help the people around them.

Who is a hero? A hero takes many forms, such as an allegorical hero, a tragic hero, or an epic hero. In the age of postmodernism, there are instances where a person can be both a hero and a villain. Odysseus is difficult to identify as a hero because of his many vices.

The greeks had a very set idea of what a hero is supposed to act like. Not very many people met their very high expectations. They thought of a hero as someone who showed honer and glory in everything they did. They also thought that a hero should be proud and clever. Odysseus was considered a hero to the greeks, because not only did he exceed in all of those things but he represented them effortlessly. He did this by honoring the greek god Athena throughout his entire journey, like a hero should, and achieving glory throughout his trek.

True Heroes A hero is a being that, at the end of the day, has done something others can admire. Odysseus, a Greek mythology hero in the Odyssey written by Homer, lacks many features I believe a hero should possess. In the Odyssey, Odysseus, after departing from Troy, set off on his journey home.

When people think of a hero, they think of people like Batman and Superman. Odysseus on the other hand, is his own kind of hero. At tough times through Odysseus’ journey to get back home, he still proceeds to go home with the same will and force to see his loving wife, Penelope. In his effort to get back to Ithaca, Odysseus uses all his force to protect his men from the dangerous creatures and bad guys of the world. Odysseus is the greatest hero of all time because of his care and safety for his crew, motivation to go back home, and loyalty to his wife Penelope.

Most people look up to Superman or Batman as superheros but do they qualify as modern day heros? According to Mike Dilbeck in the article “What Really Is a Hero, Anyway?” A hero is someone who voluntarily engages in activity to benefit others without looking for recognition. While on the other hand, the super heroes people look up to are the opposite of what a real hero is. A superhero is just a person with superhuman powers who uses them to fight off negative people. Odysseus, king of Ithaca, from The Odyssey by Homer was considered a hero of that time. Odysseus is not a modern day hero under any circumstances because of his actions and attitude.

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.