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Odysseus As A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

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Menelaus states, “No one took on so much, went through so much as Odysseus.” The epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, is the story of an ancient war hero’s 10 year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus faces the wrath of the gods, and fights battles against many mythical creatures such as Polyphemus, and the his grueling mental battle with the sirens. Across Odysseus’s journey, he shows many characteristics of a hero such as his resiliency, and his tactileness. For example, Odysseus shows his ability as a tactician through his encounters with Gods and monsters, such as his seven year time span on calypso’s island. Also, Odysseus shows his resiliency numerous times during his journey back to Ithaka, especially when he is faced with difficult challenges such as the journey past the Sirens.
Odysseus expresses two main traits throughout the Odysseus that aids him on his quest to allow him to thrive as a hero. The first of these two traits consists of being tactical, meaning acting in an organized manner that is well thought out and enacted as planned. The main part in the poem when Odysseus expresses this is when he meets his son in “Book Sixteen” of The Odyssey. In the beginning of chapter seventeen, right after Odysseus stumbles upon his son for the first time in the long time. Odysseus and Telemachus are about to enter Odysseus’ house, but before they do, Odysseus quotes, “neither would I myself care to be kept here, lad. A beggar man

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