Scylla

Unfortunately, to reach their home, they were forced to sail directly between these two dangerous hazards. Odysseus was left with a huge dilemma. Should he sail closer to Scylla or Charybdis? He chose to go closer to Scylla, and this showed how he could make major decisions under great pressure anticipating a succesful out come. If they had gone near Charybdis, all of them would have most likely drowned. Since they were forced to go towards Scylla, it was almost certain that six men would be snagged by the monster, but this would be better than everyone in the crew dying. Odysseus chose not to tell his crew of this risk though. He did this for the welfare of everyone. If he had told them, they all would have gone and hid under the deck, leaving the ship to be sucked in by the whirlpool. Odysseus did what he had to do as the leader. Even though this was deceitful, he only lost six men compared to everyone. This event highlights many of his heroic qualities, such as bravery, foresight, intelligence, and leadership.      All of these events obviously show what made Odysseus a great epic hero. Some of the characteristics that make up an epic hero are great fighting skills, intelligence, bravery, strength, and resourcefulness. Odysseus has shown all of these qualities, and was able to avoid the wrath of the Gods because he was a hero. He refused to back down to anyone. Odysseus kept on fighting for twenty straight years just to make it back home, and he…

considered a hero today because of the traits he possesses; selflessness, courage and cleverness. Being selfless is an important characteristic for a hero to have. This trait allows one to put others and their needs first. Welles Crowther and Odysseus share this trait. Welles Crowther saved multiple groups of people from the burning twin tower buildings on September 11, 2001. Welles put his own life on the line to save random people and that is why Welles is known as a hero. Like Welles,…

is courageous. Courage is not having timidity and meekness, but acting with audacity. Courage does not look like a shriveled plant, but rather a bird taking flight for the very first time. Acting with courage means doing what no one else dares to do. In book twelve, Odysseus asks Circe, in regards to Charybdis and Scylla,” Deadly Charybdis- can 't I possibly cut and run from her and still fight Scylla of when Scylla strikes my men?” (275.124-125). Circe warns Odysseus about the deadly…

He has a high level of intellect and has an abundance of courage. His intellect is shown as he is fighting the giant and courage when he enters Circe’s halls for the first time. He has flaws as well, he is overly egotistic and is sometimes overconfident. His ego is shown to harm him as he is escaping the giant and his over confidence got six of his best men killed when passing Scylla. These traits make up a hero because it gives the hero a fantastic trait, but a major flaw to let the reader…

Odysseus knew better because the cyclops put a stone in the entrance of the cave that was too big for the men to move. He ends up blinding the cyclops and loses a couple of men in the process. He then almost gets to Ithaca but his crew screws him over by opening a bag of wind and blowing them away from his home. He then encounters Laistrygones which are basically giants that wanted to eat Odysseus and his crew. They sink most of Odysseus’s fleet by throwing rocks at the boats. Odysseus also…

The two men consistently show acts of nobility throughout their stories. For example, as Odysseus and his crew reach the cave of Scylla and the whirlpool of Charybdis, the crew flew into a state of panic. Odysseus, seeing this, decided to “put heart into them,” (601). He encouragingly said, "Heads up, lads!” (609). Soon, the men bravely passed Scylla, oblivious to the men being snatched off of the deck. Without this nobility, most of the men may have not made it through Scylla. Because of…

Albert Einstein says that a man is defined by values rather than his success. Odysseus has many victories but he follows his morals religiously and does not break them regardless of desperation. Odysseus’s expedition was a treacherous trek that seemed near impossible. Odysseus had many opponents. One of them was Polyphemus (cyclops), the son of Poseidon, who trapped Odysseus and his crew in his cave. Another opponent Odysseus encountered was Calypso (nymph) who imprisoned Odysseus on the island…

Nymph, Odysseus has been on Calypso’s island for seven years when Homer explains: “The sweet days of his lifetime were running out in anguish over his exile, for long ago the Nymph had ceased to please” (79-81). Clearly stated in book one, Odysseus’s goal was to get home, so why would he stay here cheating on his wife for seven years? It seems that he did not have the courage to get home to his wife. That he did not have a desire or a plan to get home. Although the text says “over his exile”…

person his great friend was. Odysseus reminds Achilles of his great feats while alive and in death. Odysseus’s kind actions toward Achilles show some of his superior leadership skills. Another good leadership skill is the ability to compromise. This is an important skill for someone in charge of others or setting examples for others. Being diplomatic helps to negotiate favorable terms for both parties in a disagreement. Odysseus makes many compromises and choices throughout The Odyssey. He has…

propel the hero of the story to become an epic hero at the end of their journeys of self-discovery. Odysseus in The Odyssey recited by Homer was certainly not exempt from the title of ‘Epic Hero’ due to his skills and his sympathizable traits’ and his fantastical adventures. While some may say The Odyssey is a tale of Odysseus piecing his life together, Odysseus is an epic hero nonetheless for his divine physical and mental abilities, with a wide appeal for his traditional Greek traits such as…