Odysseus Heroic Qualities

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Joseph Campbell once said "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than himself." Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, depicts how a hero is a brave person, natural leader, and problem solver As the main character, Odysseus, navigates his troublesome journey, he uses his heroic tracts to get himself and his crew out of danger. Although everyone must face setbacks in their lives, the real heroes are those who can use their heroic qualities in times of need like oddyseus. Throughout “The Oddysey” Odysseus demonstrates his heroic traits of being a brave person, natural leader, and problem solver. At the beginning of the story, Odysseus clearly demonstrates his problem solving skills and bravery when he is trapped by the …show more content…

After Oddyseus defeats the Cyclops Polyphemus, he decides to stay and taunt the Cyclops, giving away his name. This action angers the sea god, Poseidon, who throws trials and tribulations at Odysseus' journey home. This is a clear example of a time where Odysseus' headstrong nature gets the better of him and his crew. Besides arrogance, Odydyseus also has an immense amount of curiosity which all gets the better of him on his journey. Even with warnings from the sorcerer Circe, Odysseus' curiosity leads him to the island of Thrinica. Here, Odysseus and his men kill the sun god, Helios, cattle which angers Helios into destroying Odysseus' ship and crew. Although curiosity can be good at times, Odysseus demonstrates the negatives of having too much curiosity. The last flaw that Oddyseus demonstrates is stubbornness. Even when Oddysseus is warned by the sorcerer, Cicea, to plug his ears with beeswax when approaching the sirens, Odysseus still decides to listen to the siren’s sound. Although Oddyseus, does narrowly avoid the allure of the sirens, this type of action is what puts Oddyseus’ life at risk. Although Oddyseus does have flaws and weaknesses, his positive heroic qualities still undoubtedly make him a

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