Relativism In The Odyssey

There is a relativism to what may be called heroic. What may be admirable from one perspective may not be admirable from another. Be that as it may, from a general historical account of what Odysseus has represented throughout history as a character, he is one of the quintessential heroes of the western canon. The concept of the hero's journey comes from Odysseus. Whether or not you morally agree with Odysseus's actions and motivations, he has represented the archetypal hero in terms of the cycle of events that he goes through. But aside from that, lets just look at the question of Odysseus's heroic status from the point of view of whether or not he is someone to admire? We can see that he makes mistakes, like getting his crew killed at sea

His motivations are still identifiable perhaps as being wholesome, in that he misses his home, he loves his family, and he wants to take care of them. Furthermore, let's not forget that he has forsaken being an immortal just to be with his family. And so, he finally arrives back home, and then pretends to be a hobo, and then proceeds to commit mass murder on his wife's suitors. This is perhaps one of the biggest qualms people have with Odysseus. Was the mass murdering necessary? Couldn't he have just scared them away with some choice

In the Iliad we have Helena, who is primarily an object of desire. In the Odyssey we have Athena, who is actively moving along the plot. The Iliad has Athena too, and Aphrodite in some meaningful moments as characters and as means for the plot progression, but there is more female action in The Odyssey by what I think is a substantial margin. Penelope, I think too has a more depth, and more action in the story than say Helena in the Iliad. Helena herself in her cameo seems like a richer character somewhat. She's like this real housewife of Sparta coming out with a glass of wine, and perhaps on some “ludes” talking with Menelaus and Telomachos about the Trojan