Odysseus Heroic Qualities

Some modern heroes in our modern society include figures such as Malala and Gandhi, they are seen as heroes because of their admirable qualities such as humility and courage. The question is, is Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer's epic The Odyssey, a modern hero? Odysseus is a man on his way home from the Trojan war when he is strewn off course by the almighty Poseidon, and he must find his way home. Even though Odysseus displays traits of strength and intelligence he lacks major qualities such as honesty, humility, and loyalty which deviates him from a true modern hero.
Odysseus is not a modern hero because he lacks honesty, and this is shown through his choices made on his journey. Odysseus received a bag of wind from the god Aeolus, but he neglected to tell his crew what …show more content…
Odysseus displays excessive amounts of pride and narcissism throughout his journey, and just after he departs Troy he and his men decided to plunder Ismarus where he “sacked the city [and] killed the men ”(212). This reckless behavior has spawned from pride because Odysseus believes that he is so magnificently powerful that he can do anything. Humility is a key trait for a modern hero, and Odysseus lacks humility because he is excessively narcissistic. Next, after he makes his grand escape from Polyphemus Odysseus decides to mock the beast. To taunt Polyphemus Odysseus says “say Odysseus, raider of cities gouged out your eye,” loud with pride and he does this to make it known to Polyphemus that he believes he is superior, and this only hinders his journey and endangers his crew (227). Odysseus’ lack of humility only puts him and his men in dangerous situations which does not make him a modern hero because modern heroes are humble and kind, unlike Odysseus. Therefore, Odysseus is not a modern hero because his pride gets in the way of his better judgement and it takes him and his men on unnecessary