Heroic Code In The Odyssey

As time has gone on, there have been countless heroes. Any great warrior wants to leave a legacy that will last long after he’s gone and show future generations what it truly means to be a hero. Two major aspects that contribute to being a good hero are living by the heroic code and understanding the heroic impulse. The heroic code is the way of life that all heroes try to live by. It means that you have to be willing to place duty and honor before anything else and placing yourself in life threatening situations. While the heroic code is something for people to live by, the heroic impulse is an action fueled response. Similar to fight or flight, the heroic impulse is the moment when the hero of a story decides wether or not they are going …show more content…
Homer wrote two epics featuring two epic heroes, Achilles and Odysseus. While both of them are very similar in the stories they are featured in, they have some differences in their heroic codes and impulses. Achilles lives by the notion that the only way to be successful in life is to achieve eternal glory so he’ll be remembered for the rest of time. Odysseus still wants the glory but after the end of the Trojan war, the only thing that keeps him going is the promise of seeing his family again. Achilles is one of the only characters that has twin destines. He says, “two possible destinies carrying me towards death: two ways: if on the one hand I remain to fight around Troy town, I lose all hope of home but gain unfading glory; on the other, if I sail back to my own land my glory fails but a long life lies ahead of me” (9.502-506). Achilles has the full understanding that he could leave the battle field and live a long and happy life but without any sort of glory. Achilles decides to choose …show more content…
At the end of his journey, he has to fight Latinus to take final control over Rome. Aeneas has no desire to fight but since it’ll aid the creation of war, he will fight. It’s stated “Aeneas lifts his hand, rebukes Latinus, calling the gods to witness that his will was not for battle, but forced upon him” (12.637-640). Aeneas initial impulse was to not fight but since it was forced upon him he’s willing to go into battle. This battle forced upon him and to back down would appear weak so the only thing for him to do was go into battle and make sure that he came out victorious. Clearly the newer heroes don’t need to use violence as an option to solve all of their problems if it is not