Joshua Virzi
Ms. Hicks
9 CP1 English
27 March, 2023
The Greek epic poem, The Odyssey, showcases the heroic journey of Odysseus, who is known as an "epic hero," a person of noble birth whose accomplishments are brought about by his traits and skills. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is an ideal hero and embodies various traits that define heroic individuals in Greek culture. This essay examines the heroic characteristics of our protagonist, the personal weaknesses that Odysseus must overcome, and ultimately, the importance of Odysseus' strength of character compared to the favor of the gods that he sometimes receives.
One of the primary traits that define Odysseus as a hero is his intelligence and nature. As Homer writes, "Odysseus’ sharpness of mind
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These characteristics are evident when Odysseus faces the dangers of the sea with determination to make it back home to Ithaca. As Homer writes, "Thus the hero agitated, wrestling with land and sea, / but even so, he persevered, hauling his heart into flight" (Book 5, lines 141-142). In Book 12, despite his crew's protest, he bravely sails them past the Sirens' song, Scylla, and Charybdis, which are known for their destructive nature. His display of courage and bravery on this journey showcases his heroism and his commitment to returning …show more content…
One of his main weaknesses is his pride, which often leads him into trouble. In Book 9, Odysseus reveals his real name to Polyphemus, which leads to him being cursed by the cyclops. In Book 10, Odysseus' pride causes him to lose most of his crew members when he decides to explore the island of Aeolus to see what gifts Zeus had given him. As Homer writes, "But I slept in the halls of Circe how else would / the steadfast Odysseus have seen the daylight?" (Book 12, lines 47-48). Odysseus' imprudence shows how his pride can sometimes cause him to missteps along his
He struggles with assuming the role of a hero when he ignores warnings others advise in good will. Odysseus shows the difficulties of managing the responsibilities and role of a hero. He also shows how difficult it may be; for he is unsuited to be considered a hero for the flaws he cannot
Odysseus shows characteristics of bravery, kindness, and intelligence throughout his adventure. Odysseus’ representation of bravery allows him to put other safety and well being before his own, and he doesn’t let fear hold him back from accomplishing great deeds. At one point in his adventures, he passes
Odysseus’s journey emphasizes the importance of staying true to ourselves, our goals, and our values in the face of temptation, even if it is difficult. It serves as a reminder that in order to achieve meaningful progress towards our goals, we must stay committed. In spite of the fact that Odysseus eventually conforms to Calypso’s temptation, Odysseus’s clear demonstration of his ability to resist Calypso’s abuse, and sustain his goal to return home highlight the strength of his character and his unfaltering commitment to his values. Odysseus remained true to his purpose to return home, even if it meant enduring the hardships along the way. By rejecting Calypso’s offers, he also puts his sense of duty ahead of his own desires.
Odysseus The Hero Imagine you are in the middle of the ocean and all of a sudden a giant whirlpool opens up and tries to consume you, what would you do? These were the types of challenges Odysseus faced and accomplished in The Odyssey. Written by Homer, during the early 7th century, The Odyssey, is an epic poem about the journey of Odysseus on his way home from the Trojan War. As Odysseus and his men travel back they run into multiple struggles including Lotus Eaters, Cyclops, and sea monsters. These challenges test Odysseus’s heroic characteristics as he struggles to get home to his wife and family.
The events that show how Odysseus is an epic hero really brings out his characteristics, for example; at the beginning of part I, the Trojan war had just ended and Odysseus is on his way home but the wind and the ocean carried him to a remote island Cicones. All the men were greedy and so the island fought back. Lots of the crew died but thanks to Odysseus and his ability to think fast, some were able to survive. But mainly, he had love affairs in order to stay alive and save his family and city so that showed that he has been willing to do anything to return home. Odysseus was showing strong-willingness and a little stubbornness when
In addition to being a heroic figure, Odysseus faced difficulties on his voyage, similar to what many people encounter daily. Majority experience hardships and obstacles that put their fortitude, wit, and moral fiber to the test. Like Odysseus, to achieve their objectives, they must endure adversity and suffering and struggle against insurmountable obstacles (Schein 23). This makes Odysseus' voyage more than just the tale of a hero; it is also the tale of all humanity. Odysseus' return voyage is significant because it teaches us important lessons about the value of qualities like bravery, resiliency, intelligence, and morality.
This epic hero has been through so many challenges and adventures to get back home in Ithaca. He had to face many monsters and creatures on his journey. Odysseus was a great example of a epic hero he was clever and brave person for faceing all of his challenges throughout the story. In the story Odysseus does something to save his men for being taken by the sirens, I carried waxs along the line , and laid it thick on their ears” (Homer 710-718). This is a great example of how Odysseus cleverness saved some of his men from being taken by the sirens.
In the Adventures of Odysseus, the narrative points to the fact that even those individuals who appear to be untouchable or immortal have fundamental flaws and that pride and hubris make them vulnerable. Odysseus is a famed warrior who has been away from his home for 19 long years due to the Trojan War and a troubled journey home. His adventures include fighting a mighty Cyclops, outwitting the sorceress, Circe, and traveling to the land of the dead. When the Gods finally smile down on him and help him find his way home, he faces more hardships, for there are many suitors of his wife that would kill him if they knew who he was. Throughout the story Odysseus shows strength and fortitude through his hardships, but again and again his pride leads him
In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.
His first trait is being exceptionally skilled continued with cleverness and bravery. Despite Odysseus’s challenges he proves himself a hero because of the actions that show him as skilled, clever and brave. Odysseus is exceptionally skilled in many ways aiding him from each challenge to the next. When Odysseus is trapped in the cave with the Cyclops he decides to us his skills to make a stake to blind the monster, “[He] hewed [the stake] again to make a stake with a point at the end.” (Homer.
In “The Odyssey'' by Homer, an epic poem, the main character Odysseus travels with his men trying to return home. But, they run into many inconveniences. Throughout this journey, Odysseus shows bravery, loyalty, and intelligence. Which causes him to be considered an epic hero. One of Odysseus’s many heroic qualities is bravery.
In part one of Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus uses his epic hero qualities to help him out on his quest to get back home to Ithaca. He’s shows superb intelligence when fighting the cyclopes in “Book 9.” That’s a quality of superhuman intelligence that Odysseus possessed all throughout his entire journey. Another epic hero quality that helped Odysseus was help from Greek gods and goddesses. In part two of Homer’s Odyssey, Athena helped out Odysseus when he got back to his home land.
Odysseus portrays those three heroic traits throughout his voyage home to Ithaca, which is why he is a hero. Odysseus is highly dedicated to his reputation and ego for the whole of his rocky and treacherous journey. From going up against a cyclops that is five times the size of him, to placing wax upon his crewmates’ ears to mute the singing of the Sirens, Odysseus is brave when he faces his fears and intelligent when he creates lifesaving tools from ship materials. A modern hero can be someone who saves a life or even sacrifices his or her own for someone else. Odysseus can be compared to a modern hero because he risks his own life to protect his crewmates.
Naturally, he has much to be proud of: his sexy and loyal wife, his bravery, and his victorious battles from the Trojan War and beyond. However, his arrogance creates a weakness in his character that negatively impacts himself and the people around him. The evolution in Odysseus’s personality turns him from an arrogant flaunter to a humble man, and demonstrates that the strifes he encounters during his journey home is not simply new experiences, but also his beginning of a profound revelation. Starting from the middle of the mountain, Odysseus’s new transformation will allow him to soar to the top with eagle
You must be made all of iron" (279-80). While Odysseus is a strong man and a hard worker, it is always better to be on his good side, as he can be very temperamental( third source). We see that he has a temper multiple times throughout his journey, but the most prominent time, perhaps, is when he has the suitors killed when he returns to Ithaca. In conclusion, Odysseus is a hero because of his many great qualities.