Odysseus Heroic Qualities

In the epic poem The Odyssey the main character Odysseus shows many qualities of an epic hero. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, has a wife, Penelope, and his only son, Telemachus all struggle as Odysseus goes to war in Troy the day of Telemachus’ birth. Odysseus struggles and fights through obstacles that no mortal on earth has ever conquered. Odysseus demonstrates the qualities of a leader, speaker, and superhuman strength that every epic hero should have. Odysseus shows the characteristic of leadership many times throughout The Odyssey. Soon after leaving Troy, Odysseus and his crew find themselves on the Island of the Lotus Eaters. When three of his men lose their will to go home from the effects of the lotus, Odysseus takes action. “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest:

Back to the story of the Cyclopes, Odysseus himself pushes the ship from the shore back to the sea, “A giant wave that washed the ship stern foremost back to shore. I got the longest boathook out and stood fending us off.” (9.398-401) Odysseus got a boat back to shore with all of the men in it, showing his physical strength, but what about his mental strength? Throughout the entire adventure, Odysseus’ mental ability has challenged him, but he has always had a strong love for his wife. “Day after day mu longing quickens, and my company give me no peace, but wear my heart away,” (10.195-197) telling Circe that he needs to go home, back to Persephone. Then both his mental and physical strength challenge him when Circe tells Odysseus he must go to the underworld to get home. “Odysseus and his men visit the underworld, where the shades, or spirits of the dead, reside.” (12.Intro) No mortal man had ever come back from going into the underworld. With his superhuman strength as a mortal, Odysseus came back from the