Odysseus: The Hero In The Odyssey: A True Hero

Superior Essays
Hero is a word associated with a completely different type of being in our modern world. When we think of a hero our minds immediately go to the stories we were told as children such as superheroes like batman, superman, and wonder woman. All characters who have exceptional talents or powers to protect mankind. Unlike our heroes of today, who are made up, the heroes of ancient Greece that immediately comes to mind were very real to the people. The Odyssey by Homer does an exemplary job at defining “hero” through the long journey of Odysseus. Homer takes us through the ten year journey of Odysseus to his homeland and through Odysseus’ Homeric hero characteristics and the great obstacles Odysseus must overcome we identify what a true hero is. …show more content…
He further goes on to explain, “Homer used it to mean any “noble” or “well born” male, always alive,” (Powell 314). Odysseus fits into Homers definition exactly as he is the King of Ithaca. Not only is Odysseus a king and have noble blood but he also possesses other characteristics of Greek heroes. Odysseus possesses strength, a search for kleos, great intellect, hubris, and a need for nostros. We have seen time and time again heroes searching for kleos. Kleos is the Greek word for glory. All heroes are searching for eternal glory and for their name to be remembered forever for their great accomplishments and good deeds. Odysseus continually looks for his kleos in all that he does to help his people, protect his men, and get home to his family. We still know the great adventures of Odysseus today so even though he obtained his kleos his hubris, or excessive pride, hindered his journey towards this glory. All heroes have a sense of hubris, which is an excessive self-confidence that usually leads to enemies, especially the gods. In book nine Odysseus and his men get into a predicament where a Cyclops traps them. Odysseus and his great intellect devise a plan to escape and successfully does so. Instead of being humble and going on his way his hubris gets in the way as he yells back to the Cyclops, “if any man asks how …show more content…
He sets up multiple obstacles for Odysseus to overcome in order to achieve kleos and nostos. These obstacles are ones that not any ordinary man could overcome though. They require great intelligence and courage to complete. Odysseus displays his great intelligence early on as he was the man who so cleverly thought of the Trojan horse ploy and as we know this act of deception was very successful. In book nine we see Odysseus’ great intelligence as the Cyclops, Polyphemus, traps him and his men. They are in such a predicament and he comes up with a great plan to deceive the Cyclops and escape. When the Cyclops asks for Odysseus’ name he replies that it is “Nobody” (Homer 9.410). When the Cyclops is blinded no one comes to his rescue because he is yelling, “Nobody’s killing me!” (Homer 9.455). Now that the Cyclops is blind Odysseus and his men strapped themselves to the bellies of sheep so that when the Cyclops reaches down he only feels the fleece. This is very clever on Odysseus’ part and also shows his great loyalty to his men since he devices this plan to save them as well. If only his hubris had not blinded him. In book eleven Odysseus’ courage is exemplified in his journey to the underworld. Several other heroes have made this journey as well, such as Achilles, despite the great risk that he may be taken as prisoner and never return to the sunlight. He travels to the underworld by the orders of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    "There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” This quote by Ernest Hemingway demonstrates the essentiality of humility. The epic poem, The Odyssey, written by Homer, also makes evident the importance of this same concept. Odysseus leaves the Battle of Troy, and his great pride is evident through his actions. He barely survives after withstanding the wrath of Poseidon at the many islands he visits.…

    • 1174 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The Odyssey” is an epic poem that consists of 24 books and is told by the creator, Homer, during the ancient Greek times. All epic poems contain an epic hero, this classifies a specific person as the protagonist of the story that goes above the readers expectations. Odysseus is an epic hero because of his intelligence, bravery, and glory. Odysseus is an epic hero because of the intelligence that he displays throughout the poem. Odysseus shows his intellect by his ability to think under an immense amount of pressure.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the story The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is a self-centered warrior who feels as if he will never face defeat. Odysseus’ men are also selfish and constantly make decisions based on the well-being of themselves and with total disregard for others. However, throughout their journey amongst the many islands of Greece, they learn to be more humble and they realize that life isn’t always about winning. Odysseus and his men learn to be humble by making mistakes, having bad consequences, and feeling pain.…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Odyssey Guile Analysis

    • 1174 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In The Odyssey, Homer chronicles Odysseus' journey and how he demonstrates characteristics, that are essential to navigating challenges that also apply today. Even though Odysseus goes through countless challenges and tests, it is his character and actions that define him as a person and shape his journey. Homer reveals the three main defining traits that Odysseus demonstrates throughout the entire epic as honor, courage, and guile. These traits which we witness Odysseus use consistently throughout The Odyssey, are also traits that can be pertinent in our current lives. Having honor, courage and the ability to overcome obstacles is as valuable now as in Odysseus' time.…

    • 1174 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus: A Hero

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What makes a hero? To different people, in different times and cultures, a hero is defined in many different ways. To me, a hero is a man who consistently shows strength in many honorable traits, and does so to a superhuman degree. Someone who overcomes obstacles, while maintaining the remarkable character they are known for. Odysseus is a hero, because he is extremely brave, intelligent and powerful.…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Odysseus Hero Analysis

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited

    Throughout the story Odysseus does not take actions when his men are being killed or eaten so that he can live, like he did in the giant’s cave, when Scylla attacked and when Zeus struck them with a lightning bolt and the evidence that proves Odysseus takes these actions to protect himself reads, “why not/ take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back, / throw open all pens, and make a run for it? / We’ll drive the kids and lambs aboard. We say/ put out again on the good salt water! / Ah, / how sounds that…

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Essay During Odysseus journey back to Ithaca, he encounters many different challenges along the way. Odysseus approach to these numerous conflicts tells a lot about his character. Odysseus is a confident, skillful, intelligent and an arrogant man when he faces some difficult situations. When he visits the Cyclops, to learn if he was friendly or hostile, Odysseus showed confidence when the Cyclops ask who had intruded in his cave.…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This correlates with his determination to succeed. He is constantly willing to do whatever, even deceive, to be victorious. Odysseus always finds a way to prevail even when the odds are not in his favor. Going against the cyclops odds did not look good, but Odysseus found a way, demonstrating his determination. Another example his perseverance is his journey back to Ithaca.…

    • 431 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

    From sacrificing six of his own men to surrendering his self pride to the gods, Odysseus accepts the noble title and proves himself deserving of being a hero. He took on a journey in which he grew into himself and rid himself of the one thing that held him back all along; his hubris. At the end of the journey, Odysseus went from being a selfish, cocky leader to being a selfless, modest…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, the main character in this poem is Odysseus. Odysseus was the king of Ithaca and he was an incredible person, everyone in the town loved him as if he was in their family. In the beginning Odysseus and his wife Penelope have a child, but Odysseus’s time is cut short with the child since he had to go to fight in the Trojan War. During the story Odysseus won the Trojan war heroically by trickery. He escapes and hurts a cyclops and survived a horrendous storm.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus Is Not A Hero

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Homer’s The Odyssey, Homer shows how Odysseus is / is not a hero in many ways with some cancelling out the other. In the beginning of the story he fights in the the Trojan war half heartedly and sparring some of the civilians. He however boasts about his victory claiming he won the war without the help of the Gods angered Poseidon.…

    • 769 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

    Homer, author of The Odyssey, tells a lengthy epic of Odysseus. He is the protagonist of the tale, told to be one of the most heroic Greek heroes. Homer spares nothing while writing one of the most well known Greek stories, making sure Odysseus is portrayed as the amazing hero. The heroic attributes of Odysseus is described implicitly and explicitly. Some examples of how he’s been described as heroic is by his intelligence.…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent 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

Related Topics