Characteristics Of Odysseus A Modern Hero

Can you be a hero and still have terrible flaws? In modern heroes, this is up for debate. For Odysseus in the Odyssey, he is good at what he does, but has flaws that would make him quite the opposite of a hero in a modern scenario. Often when we think about the modern hero, we think of them as being better than the normal human morally. This can be observed through their actions or deeds. As the story of the Odyssey progresses, we get an insight into who Odysseus actually is as a character. If the Odyssey was set in a modern society, Odysseus would not match the definition of a modern hero.

A trait of Odysseus that would demote him from being a hero in a modern setting is his hubris gets the better of him. “God Sake, Captain! Why bait the beast again? Let him alone!” (p. 574, l.448). This line tells the

“Odysseus’s arrow hit him under the chin and punched up to the feathers through his throat….” (p. 609, l. 1419). from the Odyssey, it describes that Odysseus made an extremely gruesome shot to kill Antinous, purposefully. If Odysseus was a hero, he would have only shot Antinous to kill him, not shoot him to make a gory scene for the rest of the Suitors.

“In blood and dust he saw that crowd all fallen, many and many slain. Think of a catch that fishermen haul into a half-moon bay in a fine-meshed net from the whitecaps of the sea: how all are poured out on the sand, in throes for the salt sea, so lay the suitors heaped on one another..” (p.613, l. 1533)

From this excerpt, the killing of the suitors is compared to a large fisherman’s catch. This being Odysseus’ doing, it is apparent that Odysseus killed many men, most of whom were practically innocent, his own people. Because of this, it creates another point that Odysseus could not be a hero, as Odysseus was killing many men who were involved only as accomplices of Antinous, in a bloodthirsty