Odysseus was a very robust individual who was obligated to leave his kingdom of Ithaca to embark on a journey to fight the battles of Greek and win over Troy. To do this, he was required to leave behind his newborn son Telemachus, and his wife Penelope the Queen. The war lasted 10 years, and once the battle was over Odysseus and his fleet split and attempted to sail back to Ithaca. There, he was favored by Athena, goddess of handicrafts, learning, and the arts, and despised by Poseidon, god of the sea. His journey back home went off track and Odysseus eventually returned home after 20 years. Throughout the journey, Odysseus encountered many different situations in which he made some respectable choices, but the poorer ones landed him in a pit of trouble.
Odysseus made a remarkable realization when he rejected Calypso’s proposal to become immortal. She wanted to lay with him and keep Odysseus on her island for herself. Odysseus declined Calypso's offer without even the slightest hesitation, comparing his wife Penelope to Calypso, “I am quite aware that my wife Penelope is nothing like so tall or so beautiful as yourself. She is only a woman, whereas you are an immortal.” (Homer 62) Calypso’s desire for Odysseus forced her to speak words to frighten him. "Ulysses, noble son of Laertes…but if you could only know how much suffering is in store for you before get back to your own country” (Homer 62) Odysseus held to his realization to remain determined drove forward making a boat like raft from the washed up materials on the back of the Island.
Odysseus’ determination pushed him past the limits of normal men while crossing the seas. His journey led him through many challenges that most men would not bear to complete. His mindset...
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... a minimal appearance of Odysseus. The Iliad focuses on the necessary qualities to be a champion, and most of the plot is based on a love triangle that manifested into a war, which eventually caused Hector’s death. The Odyssey illustrates the death of Achilles and is based around Odysseus trying to get home after the 10 years of battle at Troy. The Odyssey constantly stressed the concept of what it takes to be a true hero. Being physically strong is not everything; a man needs intelligence, gallantry, and perseverance to be considered as a true hero. Both pieces of literature exposed battles and challenges that the characters fought to overcome.
Works Cited
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Homer, Robert Fagles, and Bernard Knox. The Iliad. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Viking, 1990. Print.
Homer. The Odyssey: Fitzgerald Translation. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print.
Homer. The Odyssey. Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Vol. 1. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1995.
Homer. “The Odyssey”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puncher. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 475. Print.
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Heroes: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkley: U. of California P, 1984.
In conclusion, Odysseus conveys the qualities of a true hero, He shows fortitude, bravery and he portrays qualities of management. Odysseus shows these qualities throughout the journey in which he faced many challenging people and places. However, Odysseus overcomes each and every one by having only one set goal: to get home. As long as he reached that goal, nothing could stop him. Like a true hero, Odysseus never lost these traits, no matter how bad of a mess he was in.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. R. Fitzgerald. Bedford Anthology of World Literature Book. Ed. Davis, Paul et al. Vol. 1. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2004. 487-579. Print.
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
After his near decade captivity and escape from Calypso, Odysseus faces many challenges in his attempt to return to Ithaca. Arguably, being held captive so long may have been a shameful period, although being a sex slave for a beautiful goddess wasn’t the worst thing imaginable. With the lack of help from and trust in the gods, Odysseus had heavy weight on his shoulders that would decide whether his fate would be shameful or honorable. A quote from Zeus emphasized this, “Odysseus shall come back by the convoy neither of the gods nor of mortal people, but he shall sail on a jointed raft and, suffering hardships, on the twentieth day make his landfall on fertile Scheria at the country of the Phaiakians who are near the gods in origin, and they will honor him in their hearts as a god, and send him back, by ship, to the beloved land of his fathers, bestowing bronze and hold in abundance upon him, and clothing, more than Odysseus could ever have taken away from Troy, even if he had escaped unharmed with his fair share of the plunder” (Odyssey 5, 30-40). The gods here place trust in the abilities of Odysseus, even though he would very much appreciate some help. Although Odysseus is mortal, he is comparable to immortal heroes due to his strength and leadership. A quality of his that is notable for a great leader was that he wouldn’t ask of his men something he wouldn’t do himself. At times though, he
Homer, The Odyssey, The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, ed. Maynard Mack, Expanded Edition, (New York: W. W. Norton, 1995), pp. 219-503.
Heubeck, Alfred, Stephanie West, and J.B. Hainsworth. A Commentary on Homer's Odyssey. New York: Oxford UP, 1988.
The Odyssey is an example of Greek history portrayed in literature. As in all Greek literature, the epic hero Odysseus answers a call to action, suffers through great confrontation, and returns with a better understanding of life. Greek stories such as, The Odyssey set the stage for today's modern action movies with epic heroes such as Indiana Jones, Frodo from the Lord of the Rings, and Western cowboys like Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger.
Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
Odysseus is a peculiar mix of both heroic and intelligent qualities that make him seem both human and supernatural. The Odysseus portrayed in the Iliad somewhat contrasts the Odysseus we see in the Odyssey. For the p...
Clarke, Howard. Homer's Readers: A Historical Introduction to the Iliad and the Odyssey. Newark, Del.: University of Delaware Press, 1981.
Homer. The Illiad. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces: Expanded Edition?Volume I. ed. by Maynard Mack. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995.