Epic poems typically contain characters classified as heroic and strong. Odysseus is the main character in this epic poem. He is king Ithaca with a wife and a born son. Odysseus left his home to join in the Trojan War, but his crew was disloyal to gods causing his voyage to be longer than he bargained for. There three traits that Odysseus possesses, and they are the main things that bring him home. While Odysseus is both heroic and strong, he is also brave, responsible, and faithful Bravery shines through Odysseus and there are several accounts where he proves how much is within him. One case would be when he visited the land of the dead. Odysseus had to travel to a place where spirits go before they pass on to the underworld. Odysseus continued to go through with the ritual even though he was terrified of the spirits. Another time that he shows his courage is when he crossed paths with a Cyclops, which is a giant man with one eye who possesses an abundant amount of strength. When the men were trapped by the Cyclops, Odysseus continued to smart off to it by saying, "But you are mad, unbearable, a bloody monster! After this will any other traveler come to see you?" He knew the Cyclops could have crushed him any second. The fact that he still continued to sail across the sea knowing Poseidon was out to get him was very courageous. When he finally arrived home to Ithaca, he and his son, Telemachus, had to fight a houseful of suitors.He still fought them without mercy, although he was outnumbered. While there are several more accounts when Odysseus proved to be courageous, he also shows a great deal of responsibility. Heroes must be responsible in order for anything to get done. A can't decide that when he or she hear... ... middle of paper ... ...If it weren't for him, they would still fight much longer. After the men were past the walls, they started the battle. While fighting the Trojans, they started to retreat, but Odysseus yelled at them to keep fighting. Odysseus had faith in success, and they won because of him. No matter how many islands Odysseus had to travel to, he always had faith in Ithaca being the last one. Every hero should show bravery, faith, and responsibility. Homer wonderfully exploits these within Odysseus throughout the epic. Odysseus was never influenced b his crew and tried to set good examples for them to follow. Although none of the crew, but Odysseus, made it home, he still shows these traits at his house with his son. If Odysseus ever lost any of those along the journey, he would never have made it back to Ithaca. Homer shows that people must keep going no matter what happens.
Odysseus, of Homer's Odyssey, is an appropriate hero and ruler of Ithaca. He does not act irrationally but contemplates his actions and their implications. Odysseus is an appropriate hero because he embodies the values of bravery, intelligence, astuteness, and competency. Odysseus is an appropriate ruler for Ithaca by virtue of his hereditary right to kingship as well as his diplomatic skills, familiarity with his male subjects, discipline, and his impartiality and compassion. However, he is a character that does make a foolish decision. There is a rare instance when his pride supersedes his intellectual ability.
In homer's Odyssey the main character Odysseus is a person who only tries to help himself. Although he earns the trust of his men while in Troy, he loses it on his perilous journey home. Many times in the epic he manipulates others, commits foolish acts and is full of hubris. He tries to take shortcuts and as a result of this is men are killed and his boats destroyed. He plays with the lives of his men and he is punished for it. Odysseus is not a hero because, he is foolish, lacks faithfulness and is consumed by his Hubris and selfishness.
In Conclusion, I have laid out some evidence showing Odysseus?s strength?s, Bravery, and faith. Also I have given examples of his dependency of the gods. I don?t believe anyone would argue that Odysseus was not a great man. Although I argue that he was still only a man. Between all of his hardships and troubles I will grant that he never lost faith and never chose a fate other than home.
Another characteristic that Odysseus had to be an epic hero was that he was brave. Even though Eurylochos urged Odysseus to not go to Circe and leave the island without his crew Odysseus refused to. He responded to Eurylochos by saying “…as for me, go I must and go I will.';(p.117). Odysseus was a loyal leader, and even though he knew that he faced an impossible task, he went to Circe’s to bring his men back to safety.
Odysseus is a hero because he acts courageously while facing the many challenges he encounters. Odysseus’s shows great bravery when he engages in physical challenges. Odysseus daringly fights against the suitors, while significantly outnumbered: “For I must tell you this is no affair / of ten or even twice ten men, but scores, throngs of them” (XVI, 291 – 293). Even though Odysseus is facing hundreds of men, his bravery keeps him confident that he can win the battle. Odysseus must use his physical strength when Poseidon punishes him with turbulent waves: “Odysseus’s knees grew slack, his heart / sickened, and he said within himself / Rag of man that I am, is this the end of me?” (V, 307 – 309). Odysseus is exhausted from the torrential sea, yet refuses to give up because of enormous courage and his unwillingness to surrender. Odysseus must also cope with emotional challenges throughout his journey. His emotions are tested when he ventures to the underworld, Hades, and must confront his greatest fear, death: “From every side they came and sought the pit / with rustling cries; and I grew sick with fear. / But presently I gave command to my officers” (XI, 45 -47). Although Odysseus is deeply fearful when he comes face to face with the dead, his mental f...
Odysseus shows that he is very heroic throughout The Odyssey as he fights trouble after trouble boldly. CD For example, when Odysseus and his crew have the frightening option of either passing Scylla or Charybdis, Odysseus shows his fearlessness and choses to pass Scylla. CM When Odysseus passes Scylla without losing men he feels confident and undefeatable. CM This shows that Odysseus is always quick thinking and wise
War and time combined together have the ability to ruin someone’s life. Odysseus, who went through war and then spent years away from his family and home still managed to survive after all the experiences he had throughout these long years. He did this simply to get home to his family in Ithaca, his journey set in ancient Greece. Heroicness, among many other things, is often evident in epic heroes, an archetype that Odysseus fits incredibly well. Odysseus’s journey is filled with Greek gods and goddesses, helping Odysseus on his way home to his son, Telemachos, and his wife, Penelopeia. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus displays qualities of an epic hero, particularly through his journey, his interactions with the gods, and his hubris.
Odysseus (Ulysses in Roman) was one of the great Pan-Hellenic heroes of Greek mythology. Famous for his courage, intelligence and leadership he was most recognized through his resourcefulness and oratory skills. Throughout classical literature and through many authors Odysseus’ characteristics have changed as much as the stories that surround him. The epic and tragedy I will focus on in particular is The Odyssey by Homer and Hecuba by Euripides. The defining characteristics of Odysseus ranges widely as is shown in Homer’s The Odyssey and Euripides’s Hecuba. The figure of Odysseus in homers The Odyssey is the antithesis of the Odysseus in Euripides Hecuba due to their historical contexts and respective audiences.
Odysseus defeats great monsters with the help of his men and the gods. Homer added Greek mythology to the epic poem because that is the main belief of the people at the time. The people believed that the gods and the fates controlled what happened in their lives. Odysseus’s story reflects this belief. His accomplishments are based on the help of the gods, or what the fates wrote into his life. He defeated the monsters and overcame the struggle because that is what was supposed to happen in his life. Odysseus could make his own choices, but his journey is made easier when he listens to the gods and their
Strength and courage seem to go hand in hand. Alone the two are weak, but together they are nearly invincible. Even before the book takes place, Odysseus exhibits courage in being a war hero. Only the brave succeed so well in battle. In every trial that comes to pass, he shows courage to some extent. When Poseidon wrecks his ship, Odysseus cli...
The battered and wooden Trojan horse stood tall while the amber sky enclosed the large structure as the Trojan War had finally ended. The structured horse stood tall and proud once Odysseus’s crew had been renounced upon winning the war after 10 dreadful years of battle, as Odysseus was titled as a “hero” to his crew and to the people of Ithaca. Odysseus showed few heroic characteristics in the novel, however, the negative traits outweighed the good in his character. Odysseus is a villain in The Odyssey by Homer due to his excessive pride, disloyalty, and heartless acts and attitudes through the text. He retold many stories of his victories while glorifying his good deeds, and avoiding the elaboration on the mysterious and deformed aspect of his true character through his experiences on the sea, and in the palace. The waves created by the fury of Poseidon tracked Odysseus’s journey through 20 long years,
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.
Odysseus strengthens as a leader during his duration of travel with the Ithacan men, using his logic and problem solving skills showing signs of an effective leader. Odysseus manages to save the majority of his men’s lives by sailing closer to Scylla instead of Charybdis, “No, hug the the cliff of Scylla, take your ship/ through on a racing stroke. Better to mourn/ six men than lose them all, and the ship, too” (Homer
One of the most important traits displayed by Odysseus is his courage. Throughout his journey he has courage when fighting off monster,Gods, and other mythical things. One example of this is near the end of the story when he is about to fight off the suitors. He decided to fight off all of the suitors with mostly just his son. For him to kill of all the suitors just to get his house back is very courageous.Right before he attacks them all, he strings his bow and takes aim at Antonis, then shoots an arrow through his throat ”Odysseus’ arrow hit him under the chin and punched up to the feathers through his throat. Backward and down he went, letting
The challenges that Homer give the protagonist is all a test of character. Odysseus continues to pass the obstacles with flying colors, but his arrogance is the one flaw that is in dire need of correction. Some of the many challenges Odysseus overcomes on his voyage home is defeating the Cicones, surviving the Island of the Lotus Eaters, outsmarting the Giant Cyclops, saving his men from Circe, Traveling to Hades, passing between Scylla and Charybdis, escaping Calypsos’ Island and many more. Odysseus survives these obstacles and uses his smarts to escape near disaster. Often times he was the only one to survive these things and his crew often lost their lives due to their own stupidity. “‘We left the island and resumed our journey in a state of gloom; and the heart was taken out of my men by the wearisome rowing. But was our own stupidity that had deprived us of the wind.’”(P127 L75-79) Odysseus shows how he is an extraordinary man by being much smarter than his crew and the men that follow him. As a part of this stripping of Odysseus, Homer shows that Odysseus is a collective symbol of Everyman. On the one hand Odysseus is a great warrior, who is extremely intelligent, noble, and a great man. Although he has many god- like qualities he is still human. He shows that he is human and like every man, because of the fact that he still has major flaws. The