Was Odysseus an epic hero? In Homer’s Odyssey, is a tale of Odysseus voyage back to Ithaca after the war against Troy. After the battle, Odysseus is faced with challenges that are life threatening to him and his crew. What daring challenge will he face on his journey home? As you read on you will learn how Odysseus is an epic hero. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus prove to be an epic hero to his voyage, braveness, and victories.
In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus prove to be an epic hero to his voyage. As his travels back to Ithaca. Odysseus has to make a long journey home which taken him ten years to get back to his home but, his voyage tested his skills and push him to his limits. “The ancient ideal for the journey is self-sufficiency. This requires
…show more content…
being resourceful, confident, and persevering. The successfully self-sufficient traveler/thinker gains freedom from both dependency and stagnation”(Belk 357). Odysseus confidence in his voyage helps prove that he is an epic hero. After the war with Troy, Odysseus confidence and curiosity grow more after their victory. “It is Odysseus’s famed curiosity that leads him to the Cyclops’s cave and that makes him insist on waiting for the barbaric giant”( Beers and Odell 760). His curiosity and confidence leads him to the cyclops on his voyage. His voyage leads him into more challenge that will test their braveness. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus prove to be an epic hero to his braveness. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is face with life threatening challenges on his journey home. Some of his challenge are the cyclops, Sirens, Scylla, and Poseidon, which will test his braveness. After facing the cyclops, the cyclops prayed to his father Poseidon saying “ ‘O hear me, lord, blue girdler of the islands,if I am thine indeed, and thou art father: grant that Odysseus, raider of city, never see his home: Laertes’s son, I mean, who kept his hall on Ithaca. Should destiny intend that he shall see his roof again among his family in his fatherland, far be that day, and dark the years between. Let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter day at home ‘ (Beers and Odell 770)”. After they left the island more life threatening challenges that tested his skills in combat with show how he is was an epic hero which proved that his was brave. If not he would have died and never have made his way home to Ithaca. After he won his battles lead to get glory. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus prove to be an epic hero to his victories.
After defeating Circe, Circe told Odysseus to go to the Land of The Dead. To know his prophecy which said “Great captain, a fair wind and honey lights of home are all you seek. But anguish lies ahead;the God who thunder on the land prepares it, not to be shaken from your track, implacable, in rancor for the son whose eye you blinded. One narrow strait may take you through his blows: denial of yourself, restraint of shipmates. When you make landfall on Thrinakia first and quit the violet sea, dark on the land you’ll find the grazing herds of Helios by who, all things are seen, all speech is known” (Beers and Odell 776-777). As are warned not to eat the cattle and if done so the ship will be destroyed and the men would die but, Odysseus would still be alive. If not have beaten Circe his men and himself would be still be turn into pig and never seen there home land again. Also their victory lead them to the land of the dead with is one of the eight things Odysseus had to do to be a epic hero was to travel to the Land of The Dead. Also his victory did not always have good effected on his travel. Since he defeated Polyphemus and blinding him. Odysseus was cursed by the cyclops since he prayed to his father and was answer. Which lead to trouble and life threatening
challenge. Was Odysseus an epic hero? Yes, all the challenges that Odysseus faced test his skills and braveness which his voyage and victories leads him to other battles. After all the challenges and battles,Odysseus has proven to be an epic hero.
The epic heroic journey of Odysseus was a story written in Greek. The story is a great example of the epic journey tale. Manny story's are based off of the epic of Odysseus. The hero Odysseus may be worthy for a hero for the Greeks by the extraordinary travels and the odds that he was up against. There is two different opinions if Odysseus was really a hero or not.
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.
A hero is a person with great strength or courage. Odysseus portrays a true hero in The Odyssey. He is the true hero of this epic because he has saved his men on many occasions using his cunning behavior and vast intellect. It shows he has the courage of a true hero.
man who did not let any mortal man, god, or goddess stand in his way
The question has been raised as to whether or not Odysseus, the hero of Homers The Odyssey, is an epic hero. An epic Hero portrays many classic properties, including being very strong and courageous. Odysseus is an epic hero, because he portrays many of these and other traits, such as having a goal that is foremost in his mind, and having descended into the underworld.
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.
In summation, Odysseus can be classified as an epic hero. Although he is not perfect it is only appropriate to acknowledge that his heroic qualities outshine any negative ones by far. Through his sharp intellect, modest humility, and unyielding leadership one is able to make the conclusion that Odysseus earns every right to the title of being a hero. He endured a difficult journey that lasted twenty years and in the end he became a better person. When a person goes through this kind of transformation and is able to overcome such a challenging journey, it is a matter of proper respect to call him a hero. By all means the Odyssey provides the perfect example of a person’s journey to become a hero.
In the intricate and complex epic poem, “The Odyssey”, Odysseus’s main goal was to reach his home, Ithaca. Even though all of his thoughts were turned towards his family and home, he learns many lessons along the way. Odysseus's greatest learning experiences were in his journey, not his destination. The quote “the experiences of the voyage itself were more meaningful for Odysseus than his arrival home,” truly depicts that Odysseus’s experiences and confrontations with others throughout the journey contributes to his moral values and life lessons.
The epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.
As seen throughout The Odyssey, a hero is perceived as a person who achieves great success never before seen and whose legacy lives beyond their years. Since The Odyssey was written around the eighth century BCE, the people that we view as heros in present day tend to embody different traits than the heroes of that time. Even though the word, “hero” does not have one specific definition, a hero is generally categorized as someone who is idolized for their bravery and does anything necessary to defend their people. Although Odysseus embodies the Homeric ideals of heroism in that he accomplishes triumphs that others have not, his successes are the product of divine intervention and his actions were primarily selfish; therefore, he is not a true
Epic poems typically contain characters classified as heroic and strong. Odysseus is the main character in this epic poem. He is king Ithaca with a wife and a born son. Odysseus left his home to join in the Trojan War, but his crew was disloyal to gods causing his voyage to be longer than he bargained for. There three traits that Odysseus possesses, and they are the main things that bring him home. While Odysseus is both heroic and strong, he is also brave, responsible, and faithful
Odysseus has proven himself in accomplishing this task through multiple encounters with different protagonists like poseidon and other mythical beasts. These encounters makes odysseus crave the Ingress of Ithaca and make him more bitter about being conscripted into the battle of troy. “But come, all of us here put heads together now, work out his journey home so Odysseus can return.” (). This quote is a good example from a third person source stating that odysseus is clearly in trouble and he needs all the help he can get to escape the situation. From Odysseus’ perspective, he is also having a very difficult time dealing with this situation. “Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me? I fear the goddess told it all too well, predicting great adversity at sea and far from home.” (Homer book 5. 309-312) This quote not only shows how confident Odysseus is about his travels but how vulnerable he is and how easily everything he’s been working toward could be disrupted on ended at any time. Odysseus is a very confident, strong, and clever person. In fact, Odysseus’ cleverness is a big part of why he was able to survive the hero’s journey. “My name is Nohbdy: mother father and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy.” (Homer Book Nine. 394 – 399). This famous scene from the Odyssey is part of the pattern building on the level of brilliance
In Homer's epic The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus attempts to complete his journey home from Troy. On his way home, however, he angers the sea god, Posiedon, who curses him to travel for ten years on the sea, to loose all his men, and to return on a stranger's ship. During the ten years, Odysseus overcomes many hardships, and visits unique destinations in the world along the way. Each place has several symbolic meanings and themes that are found even in today's society. During his journey, Odysseus will attempt to find his place in the world and make a name for himself, make difficult leadership decisions pertaining to his men, and tries to overcome the natural curiosity and greed that is in man's mental makeup.
The majority of those who read The Odyssey consider the protagonist of the story, Odysseus, a hero. On many occasions, however, Odysseus makes decisions beneficial to himself alone. For example, when Odysseus and his men find themselves on Polyphemus's island, Odysseus's actions are self-centered and at the expense of his men. This can be said for most of Odysseus's actions in the story, as his main objective is to reach his home. Having his men by his side when he returns seems a trivial thing to him. Odysseus could be considered a hero, but many of his actions say otherwise. Due to the many unfaithful and self-centered decisions he makes in the story, Odysseus is not a hero.
Odysseus was an extraordinary man. He was blessed with the favor of the Greek gods, and had a brilliant mind which was shown time and time again throughout the narrative. Early Greek culture placed heavy emphasis on war, and the wealth and power that would come from winning a battle. From these battles arose epic war heroes who surpassed all obstacles in order to defeat their enemies. Odysseus joined with the ranks of the war heroes during the Trojan War, when his brilliance led him to the idea of gifting the Trojans with a gigantic wooden horse with men hidden inside in order to divert the Trojan soldiers from realizing they were being attacked. It was Odysseus himself that led his men to victory and saved them from perishing. Odysseus was also shown to be an extraordinary man by being a mortal who was allowed to travel to and from Hades, where he saw and spoke to his deceased mother, friends, and other war heroes. It was in Hades where he learned that every man will die no matter how great and that stupidity alone can lead to any person’s demise. When Odysseus returned from the gates of hell he spoke to his men about what he had seen. As he spoke his men were “held by the spell of his words [and] they remained silent and still” (148) because Odysseus was given insight into death that was a mystery to every mortal man. Consequently, his godly favor and brilliance were both causes for his