Odysseus: A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

A hero can be defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Odysseus from Homer’s “The Odyssey” exemplifies this heroic definition. During his twenty year adventure fighting in the Trojan war and his ill-fated struggle to return home to his loving wife and son, he is given an opportunity to demonstrate this heroic character. What noble qualities does Odysseus display that prove his heroism? The first quality a hero must display is courage. Second, a hero must be intelligent and understand the workings of the world. Finally, a hero must be a leader, someone who can bring forth the best in others. On numerous occasions, Odysseus demonstrates his courage, intelligence and leadership

Odysseus is a leader that portrays both non-heroic and heroic traits throughout the story. These traits reflect his way of thinking and what actions he takes. These traits fluctuate from bravery to overconfidence. Nonetheless, the traits all contribute to the hero and as a result, they contribute to the story.

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is an effective leader in chapter twelve. A leader who has too much pride is now showing too much humbleness for what’s important by following all the things he has told to do to save his crew and himself. He does what he is told to do to save his crew and keep them safe. “ But now, fearing death , all eyes fixed on Charybdis now Scylla snatched six men from our hollow ship, the toughest, strongest hands I had, and glancing backwards over the decks, searching or my crew I could see their hands and feet already hoisted, failing, high, higher, over my head, look wailing down at me, comrades riven in agony.

Odysseus shows leadership by taking charge and bringing his men back to the ship. He uses intelligence to know that he should not tell his men about Scylla and Charybdis. Lastly, Odysseus reveals bravery when he goes into the Underworld. As Napoleon I once said, “True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life, in whatever shape they may challenge us to combat.” This quote means that to be true hero one must be able to stand tall and fight through any obstacle they are faced

When the word hero is spoken, many may immediately think of a character like Superman. Superman can fly and has extreme strength, allowing him to help his city. What truly makes Superman a hero is how he puts these skills to use with his outstanding personality qualities. Odysseus, from the Odyssey, also has overlapping traits of a hero. He is not gifted with supernatural capabilities but still put in an effort to help his men and community. Odysseus shows characteristics of bravery, kindness, and intelligence throughout his adventure.

Odysseus displays strong leadership when his men abide by his direction. Odysseus also cares for his men when he does not tell them about Scylla and Charybdis for their own good. “‘Now I say by hook or crook this peril too shall be something that we remember. Heads up, lads! We must obey the orders as I give them’”

A hero is someone who is revered for his or her exceptional achievements and bravery. Anyone who puts themselves before others not for recognition or an award, but because it is the right thing to do, is a true hero. In "The Odyssey," written by Homer is an epic poem about a man named Odysseus and his crewmates competing against the power of the gods to return to their homeland, Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he loses almost all of his men, but Odysseus finally arrives home, concluding his prolonged twenty-year voyage. Odysseus must battle the suitors that have taken his wife Penelope, and may soon kill his son Telemachus. Odysseus defies the suitors and wins his wife and kingdom back. Despite Odysseus' overconfident nature, Odysseus proves he is a hero by showing bravery and intelligence.

The OG Archetype Hero Ever since the story of The Odyssey was written, people have deemed that Odysseus was not an archetype hero. At first, you may not think he was. Odysseus was considered arrogant, irresponsible and unfaithful. Have not a lot of people been like that though? Odysseus has been heroic in many circumstances.

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Many people can agree that firefighters, policemen, and soldiers are heros. They all share similar redeeming qualities. Selflessness, bravery even when they’re scared out of their minds, and compassion. Saving people that they have never met, sticking to the moral code, and risking their lives for a greater cause. Whether it be saving one person, or saving hundreds. Usually nobody thinks about how these heroes in their everyday action, after a while they slowly become this heroic act. That is all people know about them and that’s all that they want to know. However, people who perform heroic acts aren’t always heros. In The Odyssey, Odysseus may have done a few honorable things here and there, but in this case he was not known for these. He

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