Odysseus From The Odyssey: A Hero

Decent Essays
Have you ever thought of what a hero was in this world. Let's start with the definition of hero. In Webster's dictionary, ¨A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.¨ But the real question is if Odysseus from the Odyssey would be a considered a hero in modern society. Based on the definition of a hero, Odysseus is a hero because he was very intelligent, he was stronger than most, and very brave and this all made him very admired by a lot of people.

Odysseus is a very intelligent man with a bunch of great ideas. For example when the Trojan horse got into the Kingdom of Troy, and they killed all the men and women in the kingdom of troy, Or when he tricks the cyclops Polyphemos be

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer later adapted into a play by Simon Armitage, is a narrative depicting the journey of the greek hero Odysseus back to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. His voyage spans twenty years, and throughout the course of his trip back home, Odysseus and his men encounter various obstacles that they need to overcome. Since Odysseus is essentially the leader of his crew, it is most often his responsibility to defeat the enemy and solve the problem at hand. At times, his actions could be classified as violent and unjust, such as him causing unnecessary conflicts with enemies and resorting to killing them. Nonetheless, Odysseus is still a war veteran, and has been exposed to this brutal style of solving issues for…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Heroes are people who are above average people who go out of their way to help other people like veterans, men and women who risked their lives so that we could be able to do the things we enjoy in life. Even veterans were around in Ancient Greece. Even Odysseus was a veteran he fought in the trojan war 3000 years ago, and in other times fighting to get back home to his family. A perfect example of a veteran is odysseus from the Odyssey. He travels all around greece on his way from the trojan war.…

    • 160 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Yes, according to the Hero's Journey Odysseus is indeed a hero. The first stage of a hero's journey is a call to adventure. This begins when Odysseus is called to the battle of Troy. After the invitation, there is the refusal of the call which is shown when Odysseus tried to stay with his wife and son instead of going into battle. In most of the book, Athena continued to constantly save Odysseus and helped him on the journey therefor completing the third step in a hero's journey which was having a mentor.…

    • 231 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer, Odysseus portrays himself as a hero. Would Odysseus be considered a hero based on the definition of a hero? A hero is a mythological or legendary figure of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability. The main characteristics of a hero is to help people for other people’s benefit, to be honorable, honest or trustworthy, moral, and to do things for the greater good. Comparing Odysseus to Iron Fist (aka Danny Rand), it is clear that Odysseus is nowhere near what a true hero is.…

    • 400 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus As An Epic Hero

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Odysseus clearly demonstrates the values important to Greek culture. For instance, cleverness is one of the characteristics he is most known for, outsmarting the cyclops is a great demonstration of cleverness;…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Your grandfather, Odysseus arrived at the swineherd’s house and reunited with his old friend, Eumaeus Eumaeus did not recognize him and only saw him as a beggar. Nonetheless, he welcomed Odysseus into his dwelling and fed him food and wine - remember son, we must welcome everyone to our homes, for we cannot anger Zeus, the host god. Eumaeus truly honored your grandfather and he talked on and on about his riches and his heroic journey to Troy. Even though he thought your grandfather will never return home he told him that he was still protective of his riches, and he was furious with your grandmother’s suitors freeloading of all the wealth and food you grandfather had.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus’s hubris is an advantage because it tricks individuals into viewing the almighty epic hero as more of an iconic and courageous figure. When Odysseus and his crew, cleverly fight off and get past the horrendous cyclops Polyphemus, Odysseus bravely taunts the beast to make sure he knows never to attack him or his crew again. In fury, Polyphemus pounds out to Odysseus’s boat, forcing Odysseus to get the “longest boat hook out” and begin “fending off” his crew (95-96). This act of fearlessness shows Odysseus’s crew that he’s willing to protect them for the future, even if that means sacrificing his own safety. Any other person would’ve taken that get out of jail free card, and quickly got off the island, waiting like bait for Polyphemus to strike again.…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus Research Paper

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Odysseus is the most powerful hero of the trojan war. He led his men to the best of his ability, but they caused their own downfall. Odysseus is a hero because he is a leader, strong, and smart. Odysseus is a great leader. He led his people through so many obstacles that they would have never gotten through if he did not help them.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anyone who is successful in completing a gallant and courageous act, can be considered a hero. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is an admirable hero because he uses strategy instead of strength to overcome several obstacles. Homer presents this in Odysseus’s use of deception, the route he chooses to get home, his choice of words and his use of disguises. To overcome a hurdle one may wish for a great deal of strength. Yet when Odysseus came in contact with a giant Cyclops, he never questioned nor focused on his lack of vitality.…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Heros In the book, The Odyssey by Homer, there are several reasons why Odysseus is heroic which is because he is brave, smart, and powerful. For example, Odysseus is heroic because he is brave. The author states, “Noman has attacked me, the Cyclops shouted back…” (Homer 27).…

    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hero In The Odyssey

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The idea of a hero is based upon one’s point of view. A hero is admired and idolized for their courage. Odysseus is a cunning king, a loyal crew captain, and he is dedicated to go back to Ithaca. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, who spent 10 years helping his close friend Menelaus in the Trojan war.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The ancient Greeks might have found these traits admirable because in every dangerous situation that Odysseus had to face such as the Cyclops, Sirens, Circe, and the suitors, Odysseus was always intelligent, courageous,and was strong. However in the Odyssey, Odysseus was also arrogant, and over self confident. This cause many deaths and struggle. The ancient Greeks might have found these trait admirable because it also made Odysseus more connected to the audience. It showed that Odysseus isn 't perfect and has many flaws, making it admirable because it allows the people to find a connect with the…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s The Odyssey, is not a hero. He shows many non-heroic traits by today’s standards, such as his unending arrogance and need to prove himself, his unfaithfulness to his wife Penelope, and his bloodlust and unjust killings. Throughout the book Odysseus shows these characteristics through his actions. He Insults a Cyclops, he stays with and sleeps with a nymph for seven long years and he slaughters many maids who barely did anything wrong.…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Tragic Hero: Odysseus As An Epic Hero

    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 11 Works Cited

    In The Odyssey, Odysseus has been separated from his family due to the Trojan War, and wishes to return. His son, now a grown man, is ruling his land and trying to stop suitors from marrying his mother and gaining power of the kingdom. “First by far to see her was Prince Telemachus, sitting among the suitors, heart obsessed with grief..” (Homer., Fagles, and Knox 81). Throughout the story, Odysseus encounters many situations. The last, and most famous, situation he was in was when he went in disguise into his own home, where his mother was going to marry whoever could shoot Odysseus’ old bow and arrow through 12 axes.…

    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 11 Works Cited
    Superior Essays