Odysseus: Father, Leader, Hero Homer’s The Odyssey is an epic telling the tales of a hero, Odysseus. Odysseus is the hero of The Odyssey by Homer because of his great qualities and heroic actions. Well, what qualifies as a hero, one might ask. The dictionary defines a hero as (choose one of the definitions). That is exactly what Odysseus is rest of introduction Odysseus is not only a hero at heart, but is also recognized as a hero far and wide. Everyone knew of the hero Odysseus, bards had sung tales of his feats of valor on the battlefield and his cunning traps. “Royal son of Laertes, Odysseus, man of exploits,” his name is praised by people around the world (Homer 158). Of the heroic qualities, Odysseus possessed all of them. The bravest …show more content…
But that is not why he is such a hero. True heroes are good leaders, and good leaders are fair, kind, loving, and caring to those they are leading. King Odysseus as it states, “ruled among you years ago, each of you here, and kindly as a father to his children” (Homer 94). He was so kind to those whom he ruled that every single person he ruled felt a connection to him like a son does to his father. That is the leadership true heroes show. Odysseus went above and beyond as far as heroes go though. True heroes are leaders who are loving, kind, fair, caring, and admired by those whom they rule, but Odysseus was so much more than that. He was so dedicated to his crew, that he was willing to sacrifice himself for them, and he almost did just that on Circe's island. He knew he stood no chance against Circe and would probably be turned into a pig, but he had to at least try to get his men back, even if it meant sacrificing himself in the attempt. As the swineherd said when asked about Odysseus, “Never another master kind as he” and as he elaborated on the subject of Odysseus, “That man, old friend, far away as he is… I can scarcely bear to say his name aloud, so deeply he loved me, cared for me, so deeply. Worlds away as he is, I call him Master, Brother” (Homer 306). “Long-enduring great Odysseus” was also the kindest ruler of his own house, he journeyed 10 long years full of hardships, rejecting
In the Epic poem,The Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a great leader and hero. In the poem Odysseus is a brave and noble leader who fears nothing. He also is very intelligent, who knows how to get out of tough situations without hesitation. Odysseus, “The Great Sacker of Cities,” is a hero because he... because why? Odysseus demonstrates intelligence throughout.
The Heroic Traits of Odysseus The epic poem written by Homer, The Odyssey, is about Odysseus, who is a good soldier and commander in the Trojan War. The Trojan War begins between the Greeks and the people of Troy. The war is about getting revenge from Prince Paris and Helen. Helen was Menelaus’s wife, but she left Menelaus, the king of Sparta for Prince Paris.
In Homer’s translation of The Odyssey, the epic sung many years ago, there is a struggle of warriors to return to their home land after the battle of Troy. They face many challenges and obstacles and generally rely on one person to lead them home, Odysseus. He is seen flawless by men and the smartest of them all. A leader must always carry qualities that make him such a person to be followed by many dozen men who enjoy his control. Although Odysseus was seen as a strong leader with no flaws, there were in fact many that have cost him many lives.
Odysseus as a Hero In Homer’s timeless epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus of Ithaca is a true hero. A hero is someone who is loyal to their country, loyal to their family and loyal to their god(s). Odysseus has proven himself a true hero as in the book and the movie, The Odyssey. The Odyssey is an excellent book to read to find out about loyalty and hero’s.
Is Odysseus an Epic Hero? In Homer’s Epic Story The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many qualities that make him a Epic Hero. First Odysseus promises a friend that before he returns home he will go to where he died and bury him, this will put him to rest so he can go to a better place. Next when Odysseus and his men end up with Circe she turns them into pigs, he is told in order to change his men back he must lay in bed with Circe. Lastly Odysseus tricks the Cyclops by telling him his name is nobody, he did this to save his men’s lives.
Odysseus’ Journey as a Hero In the epic The Odyssey, Odysseus is our main character and hero. An epic is a long poem narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures. Odysseus has many heroic qualities such as being courageous, noble, caring, brave, humble, determined, and fearless. In this epic, Odysseus shows qualities.
Despite many people arguing that Odysseus does not show heroic qualities, nevertheless, he should be considered one due to his leadership skills and cleverness.
Odysseus: Heroism Essay Odysseus, a name uttered in nearly each and every sentence, but one of the extensive controversies of all time revolves around our most cherished character of the most illustrious greek franchise, The Odyssey, by one of the most famous B.C. authors, Homer. The great puzzle, as described in layman's terms, would be is Odysseus a hero? Many people would argue that he is, those people are dead now, the remaining people state that he’s just an average guy who happens to be blessed by several ancient gods known to unfairly punish their subjects. When in reality he’s not trying to be rude nor hurt others, but is out purely for himself and his journey to re-obtain the love of his lost wife Penelope.
The Odyssey is about an epic journey that Odysseus takes to get home. It takes place in Greek times after the Trojan war. Odysseus took ten years to get home because Poseidon was against Odysseus. Homer is the author of the book and it is a fiction. Odysseus might have been a hero in the Greek age but is not a hero in the modern age.
Some disagree, arguing that Odysseus is an admirable hero. They might rationalize this by stating he is a hero due to the fact that he was able to remain determined and courageous despite the hardships he and his crew faced. In fact, Odysseus is valiant enough to trick the giant Cyclops, Polyphemus, that had trapped them inside of his cave, stating ‘“Nobody is my name. My father and mother call me Nobody, as do all the others who are my companions.”’ (9.366-367).
It is clear that Odysseus is not a hero through his terrible leadership. In conclusion, Odysseus is not a hero because of his impulsive decisions, his hubris, and terrible leadership. He does not plan ahead, he is not humble and a sore loser, and he strays away from telling important things to his men. Though in Greek society Odysseus is seen as a hero, he can not be called one now.
In The Odyssey by Homer, Homer makes Odysseus look like a hero, but his actions show that he is not. I do not believe that Odysseus deserves the title of a hero because his flaws kill his men, he cheats on Penelope, and he lies and spies on Penelope. When Odysseus and his men meet the cyclops, Odysseus decides to stay at the cyclops’ cave and see what he has to offer, even though his men think they should just steal all the cyclops’ food and run away. Since Odysseus made his decision to stay, his men were eaten by the cyclops.
Odysseus may not have been the most admirable hero, but does that necessarily mean he was not a good leader to his men? Good leadership can often come at the cost of one’s humility due to the harsh situations a team may have to go through. Being a less than subpar hero does not always equate to being a bad leader, and that is exactly the situation Odysseus was in. Odysseus was a great strategist, but his ability to not let his men hold him back from his goals was quite impressive. With all of this in mind, Odysseus earned his status as a good leader that is recognized by some, albeit bitterly.
What would it feel like to have the whole world targeting you? What would it be like when it took you 20 years to get back to your home? I doubt you’d know. Unless you’re Koro Sensei (a yellow, octopus-like creature who can fly at mach 20 and plans to destroy the Earth in less than a year’s time, and trains a class of 27 students to try and assassinate him) or Odysseus (goes to fight the Trojan war for 10 years and due to bad luck and misfortune, and the [very angry] sea god Poseidon, it takes another 10 years to voyage home). It is true that Odysseus is a hero because he is brave, powerful and smart, but he does these things in a selfish way.
There are few fictional characters who so accurately depict the ancient archetype of a hero as Odysseus. In Homer’s The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Odysseus is departing from the Trojan city of Troy in order to reach his home country of Ithaca. Throughout the course of his journey, Odysseus is faces multiple challenges testing his leadership, vigor, and wit in order to prove himself to be a true hero. He accomplishes this by bringing about multiple heroic feats and upholding the impuissant and helpless.