Heroes have always stood out in time as wondrous beings. In literature they possess certain special traits. These traits are ones such as courage, strength, selflessness and intelligence. Theseus an Athenian hero possess some of these great qualities,“...he was as compassionate as he was brave and a man of great intellect as well as great bodily strength” (133). Throughout mythological stories Theseus proves that he is a hero by going on many journeys, while still showing his humility to others and expressing his courage.
One of Theseus’ hero qualities is that he goes on many journeys each to achieve different goals. Theseus was the son of King Aegeus, but grew up in a small town with his mother. Once Theseus grew strong enough; his mother
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On his way to King Aegeus’ palace he would have to travel through very hazardous roads. Theseus came across three bandits who were known for terrorizing the Greeks who traveled through there, “He killed them all, however, he left not one alive to trouble future travelers”(124). Greece was very happy after Theseus courageously cleared the land of these bandits. Soon after King Aegeus proclaimed Theseus as the heir to the throne; he already has an opportunity to endear himself with the Athenian's. Every nine years the Athenians had been forced to sacrifice fourteen youths to the Minotaur. The year of the sacrifice had fallen at the time when Theseus had been proclaimed to be King Aegeus’ son , “[and] at once Theseus came forward and offered to be one of the victims”(125). The Athenian's valued Theseus’ courage without knowing that he also planned to kill the Minotaur. Confidence filled Theseus as he decided to look for the Minotaur in the labyrinth. When he finally came across the sleeping Minotaur he decided to attack it, “and with his fists-he had no other weapon-he battered the monster to death”(126). Great strength surged through him as he killed the Minotaur, finally freeing the Athenian's from having to sacrifice their …show more content…
In many mythological stories, heroes are described to be someone with great strength or someone who possess great intellect. These special characteristics help heroes achieve dangerous goals that require great strength and courage. Theseus stands out when compared to the other mythological heroes. He not only possess great strength, but he also intellect and compassion. By deciding to make everything equal in Athens, Theseus created a very prosperous city which stood out all throughout the world. Theseus proved his strength and humility by his actions when on dangerous quests. This is why after being part of so many great enterprises and adventures the Athenian's made up the saying, “Nothing without
he was brave enough to go, and find the Minotaur to kill him the people would rather be lost in a maze and be completely lost then to see minotaur. The Minotaur very powerful and he ate humans who had been shut into the labyrinth by King Minos. In the text it states that “It was powerful and savage, and it loved to eat the flesh of the humans who had been shut into the labyrinth by King Minos. They acted similar because they were all brave and took risks for other
This is because he killed his own children due to Hera driving him mad. In order to pay penance for his actions, he had to carry out ten labors, if he succeeded he would be forgiven and granted immortality. The order of the stories of Heracles on the Treasury of the Athenians are in this order from left to right: "Heracles and the Lion, Heracles and the Hind, Heracles and the Centaur, Heracles and Cycnus, Heracles and Orthrus, Geryon, and cows of
What qualities make someone a hero? Do they need to be brave? Or is cleverness more important? The Odyssey, written by Homer in 800 BCE, is an epic poem. In the Odyssey, Odysseus wants to return home to Ithaca however he faces several challenges and is blown off course.
“Three times from to dawn to dusk she spews it up and sucksit down again three times, a whirling maelstorm; if you come upon her then the god who makes the earth tremble could not save you.” This shows the merciless actions of revenge that takes place in the values of the ancient Greeks. Revenge was an important attribute, and was often exposed, but most importantly, the Greeks valued courage in a person or
Although Odysseus’ pride and arrogance got to his head and his decisions became self-centered, we can learn many lessons of intrepidity from his actions that he partook in. Odysseus is comparable to many of our highly thought of figures in today's society. Every hero, no matter how perfect and faultless, makes mistakes based on pride and
A hero is a person who is recognized or idealized for his or her outstanding achievements and noble qualities. The deaths of his men are the result of Odysseus’ weaknesses. The possession of the character trait, arrogance, does not help him in escaping, but rather puts him closer to danger. Another trait that ends up killing a number of his men is his lack of leadership skills, or rather the lack of respect and trust from his men. In some parts of this epic poem, Odysseus also displays the characteristic, foolishness, in which that also results in the deaths of a number of his men.
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.
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.
Some characteristics that contribute to being a hero include doing tasks that benefit others and being fearless, but the greatest characteristic is making decisions without the help of others. Again, Odysseus falls short of what he is expected to do. Throughout his entire journey, Odysseus did not make one decision without the help of a god and frankly, Odysseus would not be alive without the gods telling him what to do. “Then Skylla made her strike, whisking six of my best men from the ship.” Watching six of his best men get eaten by a six-headed monster could not have been easy for Odysseus because those men were the people that had kept him alive thus far.
If you were to think about a man with great abilities like being strong, courageous and intelligent, you could think of people you personally or like me, you could think of someone such as Odysseus. Odysseus fits the definition of an epic hero because he is quick thinking, strong and courageous. Odysseus is one quick thinking individual. He has gotten him and his crew out some some sticky situations with his clever plans. One of these plans were how to get away from Polyphemus, a cyclops who was the son of Poseidon.
He was the first human to kill the Minotaur and make it out of the labyrinth alive. Hercules was from Greece; however, Theseus was from Athens. Theseus always wanted to be the hero like Hercules. His mental state was in the correct place, but his physical state was not as strong as Hercules. It is constantly mentioned how unintelligent Hercules is.
Heroes are, “People who take risks despite fear”(Source 2). In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus faces many challenges that make him a hero. He battles monsters, goddesses, and enchantresses. Odysseus is a hero in the way that he uses his brain to think about and approach dilemmas. When he and his men are on the Cyclops’ island, Odysseus tells the cyclops that his name was Nobody.
Odysseus the Hero According to mythologist and professor Joseph Campbell, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Hero Quotes-Brainy Quotes).This applies to Odysseus because he risks his life to keep his family and soldiers safe. For Odysseus, being a hero is not by his effort, but by his wisdom bravery. When Odysseus stands up to a Cyclops, he exhibits bravery, and he also is a good leader in this position because of his ability to inspire his soldiers. By doing this he demonstrates heroic behavior when he acts courageous and uses his wits.
"This just means that all his strengths could also be a weakness. In conclusion, to be considered an epic hero they have to have these qualifications. An epic hero should have an outstanding wisdom, good strengths, and have to be brave and not afraid to do something that endangers their life. Odysseus had been really recognized for his good qualities he had that no other could have had besides him.
When Theseus’s close friend steals his cattle to test their friendship, Theseus hunts the thief down and finds out it was his friend. His friend asked for forgiveness, this is how Theseus responded: “I will submit to any penalty you impose. You be the judge.” Theseus, delighted at this warm-hearted action, answered, “All I want is for you to be my friend and brother-in-arms.” And they took a solemn oath of friendship.”