Trials And Tribulations In Odysseus's Journey To Ithaca

Odysseus of Ithaka. Some historians have argued for years that he is a noble hero, and others say he is just a man trying to get home from many hardship and challenges, however Odysseus is the definition of a hero. During Odysseus’s journey it becomes evident that Odysseus is a hero like the legends say, he meets all the criterias of being a hero such as being brave, smart, fighting against evil, and protecting others from danger. For generations people have been correct to honor the great Odysseus, for his actions along his adventures. Although there has been some evidence that points to Odysseus not being a hero, this essay will give three reasons why Odysseus should be respected as a hero. The first reasons why Odysseus is a hero is because he risks his life for crew multiple times throughout the story.

Odysseus is a typical example of a hero. He is able to pull off miraculous things to save himself and his crew seemingly without fail. The story of his journey is well known, and a great tale of his adventures. In the two parts we have read so far, we see what he is willing to do for his crew, and his intelligence and quick thinking in difficult situations. The first challenge that waits them is the island of Cyclopes. They begin by checking out the island to see if there is any danger, but they are caught. Odysseus then has to lie about the ship saying it had been destroyed. Then after his friends meet a terrible fate, he tells Polyphemus, the giant, his name is Nohbdy. After he stabs the cyclops in the eye, this leads him to say that nobody hurt him. After this Odysseus makes his escape, and is almost caught as they leave, so Odysseus taunts them, telling them his name and story. This is the end of act one. In act two they tell us of the island of Aeolus which ends up giving them a worthless gift, and then the land of Laestrygones, that destroy all of their ships but one. They then end up at Aeaea, and split up into two groups, one to search the island, and the other to watch the ship. The exploring group then gets trapped by Circe’s cunning magic. Following this news, Odysseus is offered help from Hermes for ways to avoid Circe’s magic. He then enters and tries to avoid the fate of his crew. Eventually he is told to bring all of his crew there, and he ends up

Odysseus went through many obstacles throughout his journey. For example, the Lotus eaters who gave Odysseus and his crew the intoxicating fruit of the lotus. Polyphemus the one-eyed cyclops that Odysseus stabbed in the eye and the Cyclops asked the gods to punish him. As Odysseus went through his journey, Poseidon made it very eventful because of what he did to his son Polyphemus. The most important obstacle that affected his journey back home to Ithaca was seduction. Circe, the Sirens, and Calypso were the main seductresses and causes of temptation.

In the book The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, is a man who is loved and respected by many. In the beginning of the book, we learn that Odysseus has left on a journey and, since it has been many years since his departure, many people assume that he has passed. On his journey, he portrays his many traits, not all of them being good ones either. Some of his good traits include his cunning, bravery, and hard work ethic. On the other hand, his negative traits are his excessive pride, immense curiosity, and rather large temper.

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

When a person goes through a trial, he or she faces a challenge and their characters are revealed through their actions as they try to overcome it. In the movie, The Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, leaves his queen Penelope on the island and goes off to battle in the Trojan War. Victorious after fighting in ten years of war, Odysseus announces that he conquered Troy alone, without the help of the gods. His hubris angers Poseidon, the god of the sea, who decides to punish him by making his return to Ithaca nearly impossible. This punishment brings forth many trials for Odysseus and his wife, Penelope. Throughout the trials at sea and on unknown islands, Odysseus utilizes his guile, remains loyal at heart to his wife, and displays bravery and courage. However, he is also very arrogant; but later, he develops humility towards the end of his journey. Over at Ithaca, with trials at home, Penelope shows resilience, loyalty to her husband and shrewdness.

After escaping from Polyphemus’s cave, Odysseus, and his crew were looking for their ship. “Oh, Captain!” exclaimed the worried men that stayed on the ship. “Are you alright sir, where have you been?”

Odysseus was a Greek soldier who suffered a great journey just to be reunited with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus. Throughout his journey Odysseus displayed many traits characteristic of epic Greek heroes. These traits, which were valued by the Greeks and defined Odysseus as one of the epic heroes, included: wit, pride, loyalty, faithfulness, and strength.

The skills Odysseus shows in fighting, navigating the seas, crafting, and many other things, help him on his long journey home. After 10 years of voyaging home, Odysseus finally succeeds and makes it to Ithaca. On one of his attempts to go home, he ends up stranded on an island with a Cyclops. Odysseus and his men end up trapped in the Cyclop’s home, and the only way they get out is by Odysseus’ craftiness. He decides to stab Polyphemus, the cyclops, in the eye with a wooden stake. Since Odysseus had told Polyphemus earlier that “Nobody---that’s my name,”(Homer 223.410) none of Polyphemus’ brothers came to help him when he started screaming that “Nobody” was attacking him. Another time when Odysseus was very skillful was when he goes back to his home, and he disguises himself as a beggar. When he pulls back the rags, he is described as “Odysseus master of craft and battle.” (Homer 439. 1) He then fights and kills all the suitors in his home in Ithaca with some help from his son. Before the long journey home Odysseus was one of the most respected and important military advisors and leaders . In the end, his skills and craft aid him in finally getting home to his wife and son.

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.

Odysseus is a hero. In my opinion a hero is someone who fights for what they believe in and fights for others. A hero gives his life to save another person no matter what the risk. Odysseus fought for what he needed. He fought for his wife, and his child. He fought any bad guy who came along just with a bow and arrow. He did what he needed to get to the end alive with his men and saving people on the way, even if that meant making some mistakes. Odysseus needed to be a hero to get back to where he did in the end. In the end because of his bravery and loyalty he got back to his wife and stuck all the way through the tough times. Odysseus is a hero.

Odysseus was a man who showed great courage and intelligence throughout The Odyssey. Going through the twenty long years of fighting battles that no ordinary man could, he showed signs of perseverance, leadership, bravery, and concern for his crew. Against his will, he was thrust into a series of multiple voyages and adventures that could have killed him and his men, but he fought his way home. On these adventures, Odysseus always put others first and outwitted enemies that were far more powerful than he was. Showing signs of bravery, he always stood up to the fight, and never failed to meet a challenge. With these examples given, it is clear to see that Odysseus is labeled as an epic hero.

“The man of twists and turns believes that he has escaped all of his woes! As simple as that; the great Odysseus seems to have overcome all obstacles blocking him from returning to his lavish life. Well not so fast, mortal!”  shrieked the immortal Poseidon, outraged after witnessing Odysseus and his son emerge victorious from the bloody battle against the suitors.

Odysseus, man of pain, in an attempt to disguise himself, acts like a complete stranger in front of Athena to the island that he himself once rained, after Athena tells Odysseus that the island is Indeed Ithaca.The lovely news has Odysseus “Heart Racing” and it has him “filled with Joy” but quickly realising the significance of celebrating he stops himself.(13.285 & 286). “Ithaca……. Heart Racing, Odysseus that exile filled with joy to hear Athena, daughter of storming Zeus, pronounce that name. He stepped on native ground at last and he replied with a winging word to Pallas, not with a word of truth--he choked it back, always invoking the cunning in his heart: “Ithaca…… yes I seem to have heard of Ithaca, even on circe's broad island far across the sea and now I’ve reached it myself”(13.285-292).

Back in ancient Greece there were many storytellers and these storytellers loved to come up with great tales of men against mortals and mythical creatures. Many of these stories were about Odysseus. There were many stories of the brave Odysseus and all his men as they set foot on there long journeys. These stories of great Odysseus were told by travelers and quickly spread throughout the world. Homer, a great poet of their time, collected many of Odysseus’ stories so they could be told all in order.