Odysseus: An Archetype Of An Epic Hero

Odysseus has been a very known character throughout Greek mythology. He has always been a great hero that is admired by all of the people around him. And, like any hero, he had many qualities and flaws. All of this and more makes Odysseus an archetype of an epic hero. The definition of an epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. This definition describes Odysseus. Odysseus in The Odyssey is an epic hero because he is always getting himself out of trouble and being a brave character in troubled times. Odysseus is also admired for his great achievements by his crew, by his friends, family, and even by his enemies. He is constantly being affects by grand events like the Cyclopes …show more content…
All of this makes Odysseus an epic hero. Like every hero, Odysseus has both qualities and flaws that make him such an admired character. His qualities include things like bravery, cleverness, intelligence, charm, etc. He shows these qualities multiple times throughout his journeys in The Odyssey. For example, he shows his bravery and cleverness when he was in the Cyclopes cave by giving the Cyclopes ambrosia wine, which made him be thirsty for more and more and never be satisfied. Because the Cyclopes was never satisfied, he drank three bowls of the ambrosia wine which got him drunk, at which point Odysseus said to the Cyclopes, 'Cyclopes, you ask my honorable name? Remember the gift you promised me, and I shall tell you. My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy'. So, when Odysseus stabs Polyphemus in the eye, and when more Cyclopes came to see what was going on, Polyphemus said, 'Nohbdy, Nohbdy's tricked me. Nohbdy's ruined me!' which, to the other Cyclopes, made it seem as