Odysseus As A True Hero In Homer's Odyssey

How would someone handle being away from home for a long time, not knowing if they would ever return? Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey, spends 20 years at sea while enduring many trials and tribulations that only a true hero could overcome. He encounters numerous obstacles on his journey home, some of them including monsters and gods. Most of his obstacles come from Poseidon, who he angers by blinding Polyphemus and priding himself for his accomplishment. In spite of his tragic flaws, Odysseus’s bravery, cleverness, and unwavering determination all contribute to portraying him as a true hero. In numerous points throughout the story, Odysseus performs many feats of bravery. For instance, after he tells his crew about Circe’s

In fact, when they reach the island of the Lotus Eaters, three of his men eat the Lotus flowers that cause people to no longer want to go home. The text states that Odysseus to the problem by, “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest: ‘All hands aboard; come, clear the bench and no one taste the Lotus, or you lose your hope of home’” (Homer 843). This proves Odysseus’s determination because by dragging them back to the ship, he shows that he will not let anything hinder him, not even his own men, from being able to go back home to his family in Ithaca. Like a true hero, he will use anything at his disposal to get past an obstacle and accomplish his goal. Soon after, Aeolus, the god of winds, aids Odysseus and his men by giving them a bag of unfavorable winds while leaving the west wind to blow their sails. According to the text, “Instantly, the winds rushed out, blowing them back to Aeolus, who refused to help them a second time” (Homer 858). This shows Odysseus’s determination because he continues his journey home even after losing all their progress. While many people may give up in this situation, only true heroes like Odysseus would possess the determination to keep going and return home. Later on, a lightning bolt from Zeus strikes Odysseus’s ship as punishment for eating Helios’s cattle, resulting in the deaths of his crew

For instance, he devises a plan after Polyphemus, a giant Cyclops with one eye, captures him and his men and trap them in his cave. The text states that Odysseus introduces himself to the Cyclops by saying, “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy” (Homer 848). His actions show cleverness because since the name sounds like ‘Nobody,’ when Polyphemus calls for help after the attack, his fellow Cyclops think that he says ‘Nobody’ hurt him, prompting them to ignore his cries. Without anyone helping Polyphemus, Odysseus and his crew can escape with less trouble. A while after escaping the Cyclops, Odysseus must find a way to sail past the Sirens, whose songs lure men to their deaths. After informing his men of the Sirens, he devises a plan and quickly puts it into action. The author states, “I carved a massive cake of beeswax into bits and rolled them in my hands until they softened… Going forward, I carried my wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears” (Homer 859). This demonstrates Odysseus’s cleverness because he comes up with a way for his men not to hear the songs, enabling them to move forward without any injuries or casualties. Near the end of the story, Odysseus arrives home to Ithaca and learns about his wife’s suitors overrunning his household due to the assumption of his death at sea. With the help of Athena, the goddess of war, wisdom, and