In “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus is portrayed as a hero who got lost at sea along with his men on his way home to his island Ithaca from the Trojan War. On their journey home, they travel to many places and anger many beings including gods. Throughout this, Odysseus is seen as a great hero who is strong and intelligent but also arrogant and greedy. Many people view as a terrible hero because of these flaws, however, Odysseus is a great hero because of his intelligence and strength who can overcome any obstacle. For instance, Odysseus quickly came up with a plan to escape Polyphemus’s cave while on Cyclops Island. In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus said, ‘Cyclops, try some wine. Here’s liquor to wash down your scraps of men’(655). Odysseus offers the cyclops wine to get him drunk in order to escape. Also, …show more content…
the way he offers the wine is very persuasive showing how intelligent in his plan to escape. Another example is when Odysseus tells Polyphemus that his name is “Nohbdy”. In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus said, ‘My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy’(656). By not telling his name, Polyphemus cannot ask people about Odysseus and no longer be able to find him. In other words, Odysseus is extremely intelligent by coming up with a plan to escape and not revealing his name. Likewise, Odysseus also possesses immense strength being able to survive Zeus’s wrath. In “The Odysseus”, “...Zeus let fly a bolt against the ship, a direct hit...and all the men were flung into the sea. All that night I drifted…”(Homer 677-678). Odysseus is the only one to survive after getting struck by Zeus and drifts through the ocean the whole night, which shows just how strong Odysseus is. Another instance is when Odysseus completes Penelope’s challenge to string his bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe-handles. In “The Odyssey”, “...so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow...flashed arrow from twanging bow clean as a whistle through every socket ring…”(Homer 695-696). All of the suitors could not string the bow, but Odysseus could and shot an arrow through the twelve axe handles showing how much immense strength Odysseus has. Although Odysseus possesses immense strength and intelligence that make him a great hero, he also many weaknesses that make him a terrible hero.
One example is his greediness for wealth like the time he demanded gifts from Polyphemus. In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus said,”We therefore humbly pray you to show us some hospitality, and otherwise make us such presents as visitors may reasonably expect”(655). This shows how greedy Odysseus is by trespassing someone’s home and demanding gifts. Odysseus is also very arrogant bragging about his name boasting how great he is. In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus said,"But I would not listen to them, and shouted out to him in my rage, “Cyclops, if anyone asks you who it was that put your eye out and spoiled your beauty, say it was the valiant warrior Odysseus, son of Laertes, who lives in Ithaca”(660). This shows how arrogant Odysseus by revealing his name and his home allowing Polyphemus to find him and hunt him down. While all of these reasons are horrible, that doesn’t make Odysseus a terrible hero it only makes him a bad human being. Odysseus is a great hero because he can overcome any challenge with his strength and
intelligence. In conclusion, a hero is someone who has the ability to overcome anything. Odysseus meets all of these requirements being both strong and intelligent. While he is arrogant and greedy making him a terrible human being, this makes him a great hero by making him desire more challenges to overcome. This is why Odysseus qualifies to be the hero for his strength and intelligence.
In Homer’s the Odyssey, Odysseus has many different qualities that classify him as a hero. He is brave and courageous as shown when he murdered all the suitors who were disrespecting his property even though he was outmanned by them. Despite this, he is by no means all brawn and no brain as he shows his intelligence and cunning numerous times during the epic. A few example of this would be when he was able to blind the one-eyed Cyclops while the rest of his crew didn’t know what to do. Odysseus in many ways is similar to a flowing river, because whenever there is a problem (dam in the river), he would first try to go through it, but if he can’t he would then find a way ar...
Odysseus, during his long journey, exhibited many heroic qualities including bravery, strength, and determination. He was determined to return to his family after hs journey, and he bravely fought to stay alive during the cyclope situation, as well as other situations, and showed strength by being able to battle the cyclopes in self-defense. However, Odysseus was also obnoxiously arrogant about his victory and was actually very selfish throughout his entire story; he almost did not leave his town to help with the war because he did not want to leave to protect his family. Although Odysseus exemplified heroic qualities, this does not make him a true hero.
Cyclops's Cave needing the supplies to get back to Ithaca and he needs to know which way is Ithica. It is also rude to just take the host’s things, without introducing yourself. Also, Odysseus needs to get rid his house of the suitors, because the suitors threatened to kill himself and his son. They also would have come back with greater armies and then killed Odysseus and his heir to get his land, wealth and power. Another example is found when Odysseus’ ships travel to Circe’s Island he did what he did so the witch would turn his men back to humans and release them. Examples of his moral and ethical decisions can be found throughout his journey and that is what makes him a moral and ethical
A hero is someone who would sacrifice himself for others, someone who is selfless and caring. Odysseus from Homer’s, “The Odyssey” does not have these traits. Throughout the book, Odysseus displays many negative character traits that show he is not someone to be admired or treated like a hero. He is too proud, he does not listen, and he constantly puts his needs before that of his men.
When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.
There are numerous heroes throughout “The Odyssey,” but none of them are as significant as Odysseus. “The Odyssey” is a narrative poem written by Homer (around 800 and 600 BCE) to show the numerous adventures and experiences Odysseus goes through. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus a prominent Greek epic hero is on a quest to return back to his home in Ithaca; to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. Just like real life, not all heroes are picture-perfect; they all have imperfections. In this case, Odysseus is sometimes insolent, and discourteous; but he is still considered an epic hero because of the many heroic qualities he endures. Odysseus proves himself to be an outstanding hero in various ways such as showing loyalty, intelligence, bravery, strength, and courage which are all some of the most momentous qualities found in a hero. If a true hero can prove they are a true hero, makes them a true hero.
In Homer's Odyssey Odysseus is a character who, sometimes behaves like a proper hero and also as a very self-centered character at other points. He earns the respect of his men during the Trojan War by making good sound decisions and caring about the welfare of his men. But, in his adventure home Odysseus is definitely not taking the responsibility of a hero among his men. On almost any page you turn to in the epic, you can find some act of greed or foolishness coming from Odysseus. He plays with the lives of his men with no regard for the well-being or their families. Odysseus is not a hero because, he is foolish, lacks faithfulness and is consumed by his Hubris and selfishness.
Odysseus’ character , as seen in the Iliad, is much like that of a Homeric hero. A hero in Homer’s world entails many attributes other than physical strength including, but not limited to, courage, honor, respect, intelligence, and good morals. Throughout The Odyssey, some of these character traits are illustrated, and some are slightly changed.
The Character Odysseus in Odyssey "Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it was first composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so is because of the hero, Odysseus. Odysseus was one of the first Greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as his muscles. Indeed he is a man with an inquiring mind, and he is also a man with outstanding prowess and bravery" (123helpme.com/assets/3603.html). "We also must not forget that he is a top-notch athlete which only adds more to this seemingly insuperable character.
Odysseus: a hero in every way. He is a real man, skilled in the sports, handy with a sword and spear, and a master of war strategy. Most of the challenges and adventures in his return voyage from Troy show us this even if we had no idea of his great heroic stature and accomplishments in the Trojan war. I found in my reading of the Odyssey that most of the trials the gods place upon him are readily faced with heroic means. These challenges are not
“Men hold me / formidable for guile in peace and war (Homer 488).” The quote in the beginning of Book 9 perfectly sums up Odysseus because he does indeed fulfill what he states. Odysseus is a hero that would be known for his effectiveness in war and, generally, his great ability to overcome other troubles. He cleverly maneuvers his crew eventually back to their homeland surmounting many perils that any other person could not. He never loses hope and he never lets it get in his way. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because Odysseus is loyal to his crew, he is a clever and intelligent man, and he is a courageous soldier and leader on the voyage back to Ithaca.
Odysseus portrays himself as anything but a hero throughout Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus goes through his life believing he is the best. He has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own, and he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods. Odysseus feels he is always the leader and no one can tell him otherwise. Odysseus should not be considered a hero because he portrays himself as a selfish man that failed his crew, and is controlled by his hubris.
Odysseus, the crafty ruler of Ithaca is not a hero because of his lack of many important heroic qualities. One of which is his lack of mercy and because of that he can be considered more of an anti-hero instead of a hero. At the middle of the chapter Odysseus’ Revenge, Homer tells of how Odysseus showed no mercy to the Suitors, even though they begged for it and the citation that shows how merciless he is reads, “Spare/ your own people. As for ourselves, we’ll make/ restitutions of wine and meat consumed,/ and add, each one, a tithe of twenty oxen with gifts of bronze and gold to warm your heart./ Meanwhile we cannot blame you for your anger/… Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, / all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold / put up by others, would I hold my hand. / The will be killing until the score is paid. / You forced yourselves upon this house. Fight for your way out, / or run for...
In conclusion, Odysseus displays the good and heroic characteristics of cleverness, bravery and strength throughout his actions in response to the challenges he faced in The Odyssey. Like any great heroes in literature, Odysseus does have some character flaws, such as pride and violence. But his good characteristics makes him a hero to root for and agree with, despite any flaws that he has.
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The