“ A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Is the definition of a hero.In modern society, Odysseus is not a hero. Odysseus should not be considered a hero in modern day because he is not a good leader,Odysseus also does not have a good heart like heros should, and he was disloyal to his wife. One of the reasons Odysseus is not a hero is because he is selfish and does not care about other people's lives. In the Odyssey, Odysseus let's six of his men get taken by Scylla. In the story Scylla and Charybdis, at line 810 it says “ Then Scylla made her strike, whisking away six of my best men from the ship.” When Odysseus and his crew were on their way to Ithaka, he does not tell his crew how long they will be staying on each island. Odysseus also does not tell his crew about what lies ahead of them. Odysseus’ crew getting taken by Scylla shows that he is selfish in the story at line 810 it says “... and caught the sight of their arms and legs, dangling high overhead. Voices came down to me in anguish, calling my name for the last time.” That shows he is selfish because he does not try to save his crew. Odysseus not telling his crew how long they will be staying on each island is an example of him not being a good leader. If they …show more content…
When Odysseus was away from his wife, he slept with Calypso. That shows he is disloyal because he was cheating on his wife, and he was taking more time to get back to Penelope. In addition to him sleeping with Calypso, he also slept with Circe. Again that shows he is being disloyal to Penelope because he was cheating on her and taking longer to get home. When he slept with Circe, he stayed with her for a year. Even though Odysseus was disloyal, Penelope stayed loyal to him despite the fact that she thought he was dead. Odysseus was disloyal to his wife and that shows that he is not a good
If Odysseus where to be using modern day standards by being a hero. He would be more of saving things than to harm them. Odysseus is a old hero and if he were to be in the new days. His actions would have put him in prison or in jail. Odysseus is a Greek hero that traveled and fought many challenges for over twenty years.
Did you know, Odysseus had slept with other women just to get home to his family! In the Odyssey, by Homer, there were two women who he faced during his journey home, Circe and Calypso, who had “compelled” him to sleep with him so he could finally leave. After all this happened, Odysseus was informed that 6 of his men were to die. Well, he never told them their destiny which was of them to die. He did all this because he didn’t want his crew to back out so he could get home.
Odysseus had been instructed by Circes to travel past the Sirens which is a very dangerous task. Odysseus did not back down and showed bravery and leadership when he fearlessly said “We must avoid the voices of the otherworldly sirens” and directed his crew to keep him “upright at the mast, wound round with rope” in order for them to safely pass (Homer, 306). On the other hand, Odysseus showed selfishness toward his crew, burdening them with too much work than they could handle. Odysseus' crew told him “You are unfair to us, Odysseus. You may be strong; you never seem to tire; you must be made of iron.
After reading the “Odyssey,” a lot of people raise questions about Odysseus being a hero. What is a hero anyway? A hero is a person, who is idealized or admired for his/her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Odysseus does fit in all the requirements of a hero as he fights in the Trojan war, he saves his crew from Polyphemus, and he saves his palace from the suitors. Therefore, Odysseus can be called a hero.
As Odysseus nears the cliffside of the great monster Syclla he states,”But as I sent them on toward Scylla I told then nothing, as they could do nothing. They would have dropped their oars again, in panic, to roll for cover under the decking”(lines 161-164). Odysseus supplants his bravery and hope with doleful feelings as he watches his men be eaten alive. The men are ghastly of the situation of they are in. They possessed no prior knowledge that Scylla was going to attack and tear apart six of them.
Although some may say that Odysseus deserves the loyalty of his crew, he does not because he puts them in the way of danger, is very inconsiderate, and usually follows other plans that people have gave him. While on his journey home,
When Odysseus commands his men to go back to sea to voyage, he is a good leader because he is telling his men what to do. He is being a leader by protecting his men from the Ciccone 's army by leaving before reinforcements come. For example, when Odysseus and his men are heading to the sirens Odysseus states “you are to tie me up, tight as a splint” (Homer 1005). Odysseus is an admirable leader when he orders his men to tie him up and do not untie him because he is sacrificing himself for the good of his men. He is a leader when he does this because he lets his men not suffer the sirens while he has to.
Odysseus is extremely selfish by betraying his crew. His crew believes that Odysseus is trying to help them return home, when he is actually only concerned about himself.
As a leader Odysseus should be careful to do exactly what will benefit his crew the most. The lack of communication throughout the whole journey home will eventually lead to mistrust and betrayal of Odysseus by his crew. Following Scylla and Charybdis they reach the island of the god of the sun, and because of the crew’s spite for Odysseus they don’t follow his directions not to harm the cattle of the Sun. Just in the events of the journey back to Ithaca alone the reader can see how Odysseus’ inability to be a strong leader leads to the dismantling of a good relationship between him and his crew, which leads to a much more difficult trip. Odysseus’ inability to be a great leader for the group leads to a lot of conflict among the crew members.
There are people who think Odysseus is a hero then there are those who hate him and think he’s a bad guy. One of their strongest claims may be that he cheats on his wife with Circe. But back then it was very common for a man to sleep with someone other than his wife,even though the women weren’t allowed to do it. That may be their biggest claim but they should know that it wasn’t uncommon back then. So they shouldn’t say Odysseus is a bad guy just for doing that one thing, they should consider all the good things he did before they say he’s a bad
Homer was an ancient Greek writer best known for his book of epic poems The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is the protagonist who is meant to be the hero throughout the story; however, he does not display heroic qualities through his impulsive decisions, he is full of hubris, and displays terrible leadership. Throughout the whole journey, Odysseus makes impulsive decisions by never sticking to one plan. In the beginning, Odysseus and his men are stuck in a cyclops cave.
Fourth reason, in the beginning of the book, Homer wrote, “he fought only to save his life, to bring his shipmates home” (Homer 5). But what good is Odysseus saving himself for when in the end he couldn't even control his members in the end. That's why he shouldn't have recklessly sacrificed so many of his members and had a big ego. When Odysseus went back home, he saw that his son and his wife were not safe, so he killed the man’s who were trying to win Penelope heart to gain power. Penelope was so happy that he was back, but really, if Odysseus never left, Penelope and his son would've never be in danger in the first place, that's why he is not a hero.
None of Odysseus’s men were really loyal to him because of their lack of obedience and honesty. In this episode the men learn that their disobedience causes them their lives when Helios the sun god realizes his scared cattle had been killed. Helios furious goes to Zeus and begs him to punish Odysseus’s men, or he will take the sun and go “down to the House of Death and blaze the sun among the dead” (Odyssey 12. 412). Zeus with no choice left but to punish Odysseus’s men whips up a storm and strikes his thunder bolt to destroy Odysseus’s ship soon after they leave the island. No one survives but Odysseus.
At various times throughout the story, mainly through the trials, Odysseus made many decisions and forced his crew to go through many potentially lethal situations without preparing his own crew, or situations that were just a waste of time. This then leads to not only all of his crew being killed but the creation of many bad relationships. The first example of Odysseus mistreating his crew is when he and his crew went through the trails, “No more. Come, / let me tell you about the voyage fraught with hardship / Zeus inflicted on me, homeward bound from Troy...” 9.42-44.
During these situations, Odysseus gains leadership and tactical skills from fighting in the war in Troy, which costs him 10 years of his life and another 10 years of sailing out on the sea from Poseidon 's curse. Odysseus is therefore a heroic and efficient leader because he plans his moves ahead of time and is vigilant at all times to ensure his safety. Yet, though Odysseus possesses these heroic leadership qualities, his arrogance sometimes leads to his downfall and inability to lead. While Odysseus is a little arrogant, he can also be a great leader because he is able to trust his second in command, Eurylochus, and give him more power while he is away. When Odysseus is away from Circe’s island, Odysseus has a change of heart and suddenly wants to go back to Circe’s island to retrieve his crew.