Odysseus: The Characters Of A Hero In The Odyssey

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“Amongst the qualities a hero should have, I would include determination, loyalty, courage, perseverance, patience, focus, intrepidity and selflessness,” once said by Ricky Martin. The image of a hero was developed throughout the course of history. As the years went on, distinctive traits were added and changed to the overall image. However, the first portrayal of a hero was originally portrayed by Ancient Greece which is known for their discoveries about the world and their beliefs. Inclusively, the term hero fits into the category of beliefs; throughout the Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus faces a series of events in which his actions and reactions to them portray who he is. In other words, the first portrayal that comes to one's mind when they reflect on these actions of the great Odysseus is the word “hero”. The reason to this is because of the various traits exhibited by Odysseus such as bravery, selflessness or caring, and intelligent or cunning. Inclusively, the traits Odysseus exposes throughout the book fit the description of a hero both in Ancient Greece and in our current days; this reveals the changes of the archaic and present culture.
There are numerous events that lead us to have one perspective of Odysseus.
Clearly, he has the possibility of reacting to these encounters in his journey in different ways (which he did) though it always lead to the same thought: a hero. Additionally, another reason to this is shown by the traits he exposes which, according to the ancient greeks, falls into the category of a hero. Likewise, this interpretation of Odysseus leads to a portrayal of the thoughts of the ancient greeks which shows that the Greeks believed everybody had to be treated with respect and care (as shown in the law of xenia) and also that one must be brave and intelligent to be useful or obtain an honor in society regardless of their social

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