Odysseus Greek Hero

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The Greek hero is defined as a superior being who encompasses exceptional values of courage, talent, virtue, commitment, and responsibility (Mădălina 2). They are said to have a strong love for their people and a spirit of sacrifice (Mădălina 3). Odysseus is believed to be a great Greek hero who encompasses these ideals, yet his actions in the ten years following the Trojan War say otherwise. Rather than a great hero, Odysseus is a great trickster, “recognized by certain traits: malice, slyness, cunning, greed and an inclination to cheat and use spells or illusion” (Zieliski 3). Odysseus is continuously disloyal to Penelope and his country. He uses trickery and deception rather than fighting courageously. He fails to bring his men home safely; …show more content…
Odysseus does this again when they arrive in Laestrygonia. He let the rest of his ships cram into the harbor while he moored just outside, then sent two men and a slave to scout (Homer 259; lines 92-95). The scouts found the inhabitants to be giants, who ate one of them and threw boulders at the ships in the harbor (Homer 260; lines 117-33). Once again, Odysseus stayed far from the danger and sent his men straight into it, resulting in his escape and their deaths. Odysseus displays no heroic qualities as he flees the danger, leaving the men he should be protecting to die. Odysseus learned nothing from these two encounters, as he sent his men into danger again on the island of Circe. He split his men into two groups, with him leading one and Eurylochus leading the other (Homer 261; lines 203-04). Instead of displaying heroic leadership qualities and leading the scouting group himself, Odysseus decided to “shake lots in a helmet made of bronze; Eurylochus’ lot jumped out” (Homer 261; lines 206-07). He left those who would be put in danger up to chance, rather than taking that responsibility on himself as the

Odysseus Greek Hero

great, heroic, Greek man named Odysseus's journey back home from the Trojan War. It is narrated by the great poet Homer. During this rigorous journey back home, Odysseus encounters multiple challenges that vary in difficulty, from fighting cyclops to navigating the deadly sea. In addition, he also meets and loses many people along the way during all of the excursions he does while fighting the gods to get back home. This thus…

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Odysseus Greek Hero

by Homer which follows Odysseus, a greek hero, in his journey home I was able to dissect these greek characters. I learned about their flaws and strengths, taking these things into perspective, when asked to compete on the show “Craft Wars” with a greek character of my choice Odysseus was the most pragmatic option. Hephaestus, the god of craft, was a viable choice as well, but when analyzing both of their character traits Odysseus proves to be the most practical. Odysseus would be the best as he…

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Odysseus: The Ideal Greek Hero

be the mythical Odysseus. Although Odysseus mostly embodied the ideal Greek hero, he had his shortcomings, his main one was his hubris. Throughout most of the book Odysseus hubris brings himself suffering and drives the story forward. Throughout the entire story Odysseus escaped from peril using his cunning and skills, but he kept returning to peril through hubris. After Odysseus' cunning and skill had managed to help him and his men escape from the Cyclops' lair, Odysseus decided to not finish…

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Odysseus: A Greek Hero In Homer's Odyssey

There were many Greek heroes but these heroic men and women are the best of the best.Odysseus who I think was the greatest of all the heroes even though he got some of his men killed when he wanted to go see the cyclops Polyphemus.Percy Jackson the proclaimed lightning thief had to fight Medusa and sliced her head off.With the his sword he named Riptide.Which is kind of funny because who names a sword Riptide of all names.Achilles a great hero who participated in the Trojan War.He died by getting…

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Odysseus The Ideal Greek Hero Research Paper

Is Odysseus the Ideal Greek Hero? Odysseus is the ideal Greek hero he overcame many extreme “dangers he comes out alive after wandering for ten years and facing the most extreme dangerous creatures and people.” (“Is Odysseus the Ideal Greek Hero?” 6-7) Odysseus is still loyal to his wife Penelope after ten years he also has a son called Telemachus. Odysseus overcame many things in his epic 10-year voyage and still comes back to his wife and son and not leaving his life for another life. Odysseus is…

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Odysseus Hero

The ancient Greeks worshiped the heroes from their tales the same way they did with their gods. Greek heroes are their idols. They exemplified the qualities a “perfect” person would have in their society– but these heroes were still human. One such Greek hero is Odysseus, the king of Ithaca who fought in the Trojan war for a decade and, as stated in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, was away from his family for a total of 20 years. Odysseus is the hero of the story, yet some claim that he does…

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Odysseus Is A Hero Essay

The tale of the Greek hero Odysseus, is one filled of tragedy and eventually redemption. In The Odyssey of Homer, the main character Odysseus is viewed as a hero by his own people, but also by the Phaeacian people in the novel. After telling his stories of his trials with his crew, Odysseus gains the respect and admiration of the Phaeacian people. Odysseus is first prompted to tell his tales at a festival hosted by the king of the Phaeacian people. He begins to gain the admiration beforehand; however…

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Odysseus As A Hero In The Odyssey By Homer

What do you think a hero is? Do you expect a robust man, flying around in a cape? Despite the fact that many may think that a hero is a man with the power to fly, or super strength; a hero is a wise leader, and is selfless, loyal, and generous in spirit. A hero is someone who would willingly put themselves in danger to save a fellow human being in need of help. They do so with the full knowledge of the risks that they may be taking, but they do so anyway, without question. The main character of the…

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Odysseus: A Modern Day Hero

the Odyssey there is Odysseus the hero of The Odyssey, which took place in Ancient Greek and then there's today’s super heroes, which were created to symbolize hope for those who have lost hope in themselves or in others. Today modern day heroes are different from what we read in The Odyssey. The reason be this is because in Ancient Greek times it was different from what today's modern day hero is then back then. In the Odyssey, the hero is Odysseus who lived in Ancient Greek and Batman who known…

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Odysseus Hero

Greek heroes are described as loyal, strong, and resilient. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, the hero Odysseus goes through challenges to return to his home and wife, Penelope. He is portrayed as a non-traditional hero because of his courageousness and intelligence. Typical famous Greek heroes get themselves and their crew into bad situations. Odysseus analyzes his circumstances before rushing into battle. Odysseus and the Genus ‘Hero’, an academic article by Margalit Finkelberg, comments…

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