Odysseus, An Unconventional Hero Depicted in The Odyssey

An Unconventional Hero

According to Greek mythology, a hero is one who values glory above life itself

and honorably dies in the battle during his prime period of his life. After the gods and

demi-god of Greece, heroes probably are the most admirable figures in society. However,

Odysseus seems to defy the conventional definition of a hero. He is overwhelmed with

tremendous obstacles and difficulty, often beyond that a normal man could endure but he

determines to stay alive rather than die young. Achilles states in Book 11 “I’d rather

be a hired hand back on earth…, | Than lord it over all these withered dead”(Odyssey

11.510-512). Achilles’ statement appears to solidify Odysseus’s determination to live and

enhance Odysseus’s right decision for not following the heroic conduct. Nevertheless,

Odysseus is the most reputable hero among the Achaeans in Ithaca. He is thus the

representative of an unconventional hero. In the Odyssey, a hero is perhaps one who

undergoes life with anguish and suffering but manages to stay alive using his quality of

intelligence and craftiness rather than relying on strength alone and die with great kleos

but in a young age.

Metis, a Greek term meaning cunning, intelligence, and proficiency with speech,

is demonstrated through Odysseus’s many exploits and presents him as a distinctive hero

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differing from others who simply use their brute strength to overcome their tasks. Books

9 to 12 are probably the most famous part of the Odyssey. The stories in these books are

recounted as fantasy and flashbacks by Odysseus to the Phaeacians. The wanderings of

Odysseus not only seem to give the readers knowledge about...

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...nderings through Book 9 to 12 without divine favors and

eloquent flow of words simply enhance the idea of metis inherent in this attribute.

Furthermore, Odysseus’s disguise emphasizes his identity as a different kind of a hero,

one who is willing to embrace the humiliation, but he appears to turn the humiliation

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imposed on him by his enemies as in the case of the suitors into a strategic defense

against them. His ability to maintain the disguise with his craftiness shows his control

over his impulse and over the feeling he has for other characters. Therefore, he gains

advantages over others and manipulates their foolishness into his personal exploit. Unlike

other heroes whose lives are brief, Odysseus, by his mastery of intelligence, outwits

almost every character in the narrative, will live to an old age.