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odyssey as an epic poetry
the epic hero the odyssey
epic poem Odyssey
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Many great authors and poets have used epic heroes in their writings. One can generally find epic heroes in epic poems, which are extremely long poems. One of the most known epic poets is Homer with his great example of Odysseus. Epic heroes like this must have a couple of different trials. Generally, epic heroes have to face a long journey, have a major personal fault, and will face devastation at least once. Due to all of the hardships that epic heroes must face, they must have certain characteristics in order to deal with the ordeals they are put through. There are also other epic heroes such as Perseus, Hercules, and Jason, and Beowulf. These epic heroes, just like Odysseus, face the same challenges in their epic poems. These poems are …show more content…
Odysseus is a character who was basically kidnapped from his home and family by a goddess who had fallen in love with him. He was able to escape and slowly make his way home. However, the journey home was far from easy in Odysseus 's case, as the odds have been rarely in his favor. Naturally, the ordeals that epic heroes must face are things that would most likely be the death of another character. They are lucky just in the fact that they generally live through all of the hardships they are faced with. Some examples of Odysseus luck are when he was blessed with the help and guidance of another goddess. This goddess leads him to other people who would help him, disguised him, and protected him through many different issues. There were other times that other people just happened to be in the same area as Odysseus, who were kindhearted enough to help him out. These are all fantastic examples of how epic heroes can be lucky in their survival. This can generally be discussed because the good things that happened to them wouldn 't have otherwise occurred without the help or luck granted by someone
In conclusion, Odysseus deserves to be called a hero because he displays courage, employs cunning, and contains humility instead of hubris. Odysseus is not always fearless, but he has the courage to fight off his fear and do what he has to do. Also, Odysseus’s cunning is able to get him out of tough situations by having him think on the spot. Lastly, Odysseus realizes his faults, one of them being that he didn’t think the gods were higher than him and that they have more power than him. Altogether, Odysseus’s journey has changed his life for the better and he is recognized as a true hero.
Often through great literature, there is an epic hero. In the Odyssey, Homer tells the journey of one man’s journey home from the Trojan War. The protagonist of the epic poem Odysseus is often regarded as a great hero. However, Odysseus is not quite the glorious soldier that people often see him as. Odysseus shows that he is an antihero through his pride, disloyalty, and bloodthirstiness.
For a character to be an epic hero, he must possess four characteristics. These four characteristics include the following: (1) he must be high born, (2) the hero must have human weaknesses, (3) he must be brave,and 4) he must be clever. In The Odyssey, Homer’s character Odysseus was an epic hero because he possessed all four of the characteristics.
Is Odysseus, the main character of Homer’s The Odyssey, really an epic hero? An epic hero embodies several heroic traits such as; having superior or super-human strength; being intellectual and courageous; and being a strong and responsible leader. An epic hero struggles and is overwhelmed with difficulties. An epic hero is on a quest of self discovery, war or some sort of goal. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is on a quest to return home to Ithaca after ten years of war in Troy. Odysseus, during his quest, is forced to venture through a merciless Cyclops, angered Gods, deeply obstinate Goddesses, the underworld, and determined suitors that are after his wife Penelope. Odysseus surmounts over these obstacles and returns home safely with courage, intelligence, superior strength, brave leadership, and also performs brave deeds.
Odysseus, the protagonist of the Odyssey by Homer fits the outline of an epic hero because he is courageous, quick-witted, and a natural leader. Odysseus isn’t only known for his muscles, also his clever mind. He is one of the great heroes that possesses both brains and brawn. He is also a hero with outstanding skill and bravery. It is no wonder why many teachers refer to Odysseus as a powerful hero. I believe Odysseus is a hero because he is clever, can overcome obstacles, is very brave, a leader but like all great heroes, he has his weaknesses.
Odysseus, the epic hero blessed with great strength, intellect, and wit demonstrated that he was recognizable through his human error and flaw. Throughout the epic, Odysseus was well aware of his faults and did what was possible to control himself. His journey was a torment of temptations which he needed to overcome and each one of them challenged him to stay true and increased his will. While some of the temptations were just obstacles and others controlled his destiny, each one defined Odysseus. Odysseus evolved from a flawed man into an epic hero, overcoming his submission to temptation and receiving the ultimate glory he deserved.
In every epic story, the center of attention will be on the epic hero. Usually all the epic heroes have some kind of special power, which keep them different from other characters. Later on, their epic journey these powers, help them to win the glory, which make them epic heroes. In Beowulf, Beowulf is truly an epic hero, because of his wisdom, strength and bravery.
The main character of the Odyssey, Odysseus the King of Ithaca is given a complex personality to an extent where it is hard to identify whether he is a true hero or not. True heroism is only achieved when a person achieves certain qualities that portray heroism. Odysseus is not a hero based on the standards of merciful, selfless, and gentle because of his actions of sacrificing his men, killing the suitors and being ruthless throughout the Odyssey. Along with many others qualities these three are helpful and necessary in a hero. A hero must be willing to do service for others and put the needs of others safety and protection before his own. Odysseus does not even come close to matching these qualities because he is a person, who only serves of himself, and he sacrifices his allies to achieve his goals and often he takes action ruthlessly.
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 first characteristic that makes Odysseus an epic hero is that he answers a call to action. Odysseus answers two calls to action in The Odyssey. His first call is to go to Troy with Agamemnon and rescue Helen even though his son Telemachus has just been born and his wife Penelope doesn't want him to go. Odysseus does not have much of a choice due to the promise he and the other men made when Agamemnon won Helen's hand in marriage. Odysseus' second call to action is to get home to his family after the war in Troy despite all of his confrontations on his journey home. Odysseus does not give in to temptation and not return home, he continues on his journey so he can reclaim his wife and island.
The next trait that shows Odysseus as an epic hero is his intelligence. While on his Grand journey to get back to Ithaca, he gets caught in many situations where using brute strength is not enough to get out so he must rely on his intelligence to
Odysseus obviously presents these traits in the way that he is able to escape and defeat Polyphemus. His crew looks up to him as an honorable leader and trusts him with their lives, and he feels the same way toward them. Homer constructs a perfect example of a strong protagonist and Odysseus’ cleverness of his little scheme evidently creates a feeling of success and accomplishment for him and his crew. This is only one example of many different occasions that Odysseus is rightfully claimed an epic hero. A similar condition arises when Odysseus has to block out the song of the Sirens, a threat to sailors, when he and his crew pass by their island. He urges his crew to “tie me up, tight as a splint, erect along the mast, lashed to the mast, and if I shout and beg to be untied, take more turns of the rope to muffle me” (lines 695-698). True heroism is displayed in this scene by the way that Odysseus is able to sacrifice his strength or sanity and trust his crew in order to fulfill their goal of passing the Sirens. Through Odysseus’ achievements, Homer forms an incredible epic hero that is able to draw the plot of the
The epic hero is often the person who has shown outstanding superhuman abilities no other can achieve. A hero is also a person who has conquered a very difficult obstacle or challenge in their early lives. In this case Theseus’ first obstacle was to be able to get the sword and shoes his father had placed under a great stone.
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.
Picture this: a hero of great legends who travels to the underworld and back to get directions to his home from a blind prophet. It sounds like quite an impossible journey, but that is exactly what makes Odysseus all the more fascinating. The Odyssey, an epic poem orally transmitted by Homer, a Greek poet who wrote The Iliad, had to contain some variety of attributes that Greeks valued in a person. That one embodiment of what the Greeks found intriguing in a character is Odysseus. Odysseus is known as what is called an epic hero. An epic hero is a protagonist of a story that represents the most important attributes of a civilization. Odysseus, being based in ancient Greece, is the embodiment of intelligence, loyalty, and strength.