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Odysseus: The Great Hero In Homer's Odyssey

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The Great Hero AG
Most people believe Odysseus was not an admirable because he was arrogant, selfish and dishonest. Odysseus was an admirable character because he is loyal, clever and brave. One way Odysseus was admirable was because he was loyal. Odysseus shows his loyalty towards his men when they encounter the Lotus Eaters. After Odysseus and his men had arrived to the Lotus Eaters island Odysseus sent three of his men to search the island. Upon waiting many hours for them to return to the ship Odysseus set out to find them and bring them back. Finally Odysseus found his men in a grotto with the Lotus Eaters. "I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under rowing benches and all called the rest: 'All hands …show more content…

The first way he showed his cleverness when the encountered the Cyclops. Since the Cyclops trapped Odysseus and his men in the grotto with him using a boulder that only he could move, Odysseus had to think of a way for them to sneak out, so he used his cleverness to think up a brilliant plan. They would tied three rams together and each man would hide under the middle so Polyphemus, the cyclops would not see them escaping. First they had to poke Polyphemus is the eye with a wooden spike so he would move the giant boulder blocking the way. Luckily his plan worked perfectly. Another way Odysseus shows his cleverness is when he rescued his men from Circe. In order to save his men, Odysseus had to climb up a huge mountain in Aeaea "home of the enchantress and goddess Circe. Here a party of twenty-three men, led by Eurylochus, goes off to explore the island."(673, Summary). Once again his men disappear and just as he is about to set off to find them, Eurylochus comes running back to the ship in a hurry. "Blinding tears welled in his eyes; foreboding filled his heart. When we were frantic questioning him, at last we heard the tale: our friends were gone…."(674, 580-583). Odysseus frantically leaves the ship determined to save his men as he began to climb the huge mountain to reach Circe's hall. Finally he reached the top anxious to take his men back with him once he had convinced Circe to turn them back to men. Eventually she did, indeed and they were on their way again at

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