Odysseus As An Epic Hero In Homer's Odyssey

In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus is a strong warrior, physically strong and intelligent. A great epic hero who is the King of Ithaca, and was part of the Trojan War. The story begins when the Trojan War is over and he travels back to his home to get back to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. As he finds his way home from the Trojan War, Odysseus journey to Ithaca is prolonged through a major character flaw in which he cannot control. Through his journey back home, Odysseus makes poor decisions by falling into temptation, and thus people around him suffer from the consequences. Odysseus starts as a great hero, but we soon find out his heroism his character falls into the wrong of temptation when Odysseus and the crew when they visited the Cyclopes island. “As soon as rosy-fingered Dawn appeared, we explored the island,

The water surged beneath the stone as it fell, and the backwash like a tidal swell from the open sea, carried the ship landward and drove it onto the shore. But seizing a long pole in my hands, I pushed the boat off, and rousing my men ordered them with urgent signs to bend to the oars and save us from disaster”(Lawall)

Also resulting in Poseidon, the father of Polyphemus to get angry and seek revenge with Odysseus’s son. As well as tormenting Odysseus anyway Poseidon can do. Third allurement, when near to Ithaca, Odysseus gave into temptation when Odysseus and the shipmates did not avoid the allurement to open the sack he had been given by Aeolus. The cost for this was brutal, an awful tempest was discharged, men were blown to the ocean and the rest were blown back to Aeolia.

The temptations led to a longer more complicated journey “On his voyage Odysseus toiled and trekked for ten years before his journey brought him home to Ithaca.” (Colon)