Odysseus Is Not A Hero Essay

Many people know about Greek mythology and its epic stories about gods and heroes. A well-known character in one of the stories is Odysseus, the main character in the book “The Odyssey”. Many people debate if Odysseus is a hero or just a selfish king that only looks out for himself. The people that claim he is not a hero overlook many of his skills and heroic achievements. I believe Odysseus is a hero and will explain why. He is a loving father and husband and is away from his home for twenty years, and his only motivation to get back is to see his wife and son. He went on his long journey because he was told to go fight the Trojans and conquer Troy. He left with twelve ships full of soldiers and even though he fights the Trojan War, fights …show more content…
They also say he’s a hypocrite for not liking the thought of his wife cheating on him. To which I would say would you want your Wife/Husband to be unfaithful just because you were to save your men? I sure wouldn’t, but back to the whole “murdering innocent suiters” argument. These are people that have been trying to take his wife who he adores since the day he left and take all his wealth that he rightfully owned. What is he supposed to do, give them a hug? I personally think he could have probably handled this situation better but he’s a hero not a god give him a break, they got what was coming to them.
I have personally thought about Odysseus and his story for a while observing his actions and saw what he did perfectly and what he could have done better. Some people hold Odysseus to a standard that is frankly just unrealistic for any mortal. Yes, he made many mistakes and made a few decisions that he shouldn’t have made for his own gain, but you cannot deny all the heroic and amazing things he did on his journey that make him a