Odysseus Hero

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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 not deserve the title of “hero.” In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates Greek values through his intelligence, strength, and belief in the gods; even though he has human flaws, Greek heroes, at the time, were expected to have these flaws since …show more content…
When Greek heroes are made into stories, they are expected to have at least one of those three in order to show that they are a hero. Odysseus, however, has all three characteristics. As mentioned and demonstrated in the epic poem many times, Odysseus is a “man skilled in all ways of contending” (Homer 2). Odysseus differentiates himself from his crew and even other heroes because of his versatility, which has helped him many times throughout the story. He demonstrated his strength when he beat all the suitors at the archery contest with ease; he also showed his strength when he and a few other people managed to kill all the suitors, even though they were severely outnumbered. As for his intelligence, he demonstrated this trait when he told Polyphemus that his name was Nobody and when he used earwax to cover his mens’ ears when they neared the Ssirens’ island. Furthermore, the article “Heroism in The Odyssey” asserts that the Trojan horse, which was Odysseus’s idea, is also evidence of his intellect and that “many Greek heroes are men of action, a few others are skilled in counsel, but few combine the two like Odysseus”

Is Odysseus A Hero

Do you think the man you call a hero is really a hero. Well not everybody thinks he’s a hero. The hero Odysseus not hero as or some people would say in their point of view as their own opinion. Odysseus is not the admirable hero he makes rash decisions to put his men and himself in jeopardy. Although Odysseus seems to be a hero in his own eyes because he is selfish he lets his men go and leave them there and ignore them and leaves them to die. He doesn't want any help from other gods. He has a rough…

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Odysseus A Hero

A hero is someone people look up to and want to be. Some people may consider Odysseus in The Odyssey a hero or not. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men are on the way home from the Trojan War. They face many barriers on their journey home. In Homer’s Epic Poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus is not a hero because he never tells his crew anything, he is self-centered, and he either lost his men at stops or had to go and save them. One reason Odysseus is not a hero because he doesn’t tell his crew anything…

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Odysseus Is A Hero

Have you ever wondered what makes a hero? Is it strength, courage, or something more? Odysseus is a successful literary hero, having been known for more than 2000 years. He is the type of hero that uses intellegence and strategy over his physical strength. There are several major points of the story that prove this are facing Scylla and Charybdis and overcoming the Cyclopes. Scylla and Charybdis set forth a choice. Scylla is certain death for six of his men, but Charybdis is almost certain death…

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Odysseus As A Hero

In my opinion I think Odysseus is a hero. The definition of a hero is a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Which is perfectly shown in the story. This is because of being witty and clever. Odysseus protects the men from Polyphemus, he kept his loyalty and devotion, and Odysseus was a leader. He loved the pride of being strong and someone looking up to him. Even though he didn’t choose to tell his men about the impending…

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Odysseus Hero

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 on this by saying, “Odysseus is the only Achaean hero of importance who is described…

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Odysseus A Hero

What makes a hero a hero? To be a hero, you have to be selfless, courageous, and continuously act with integrity. Some might think that the “hero” in The Odyssey, Odysseus, is heroic because he exhibits these characteristics. In The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson, we can truly interrogate Odysseus’ actions throughout his journey and easily realize that he falls short of being a hero. Many of his self-centered actions lead to the suffering of his crewmates and himself. He continuously…

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Is Odysseus A Hero

makes us heroic.” In The Odyssey, Odysseus tries to return to Ithaca, but he gets trapped by Calypso. Along the way, King Alcinious gives him a crew and ship. Odysseus shows he is a hero because of his bravery, intelligence, and leadership. Odysseus proves himself to be a hero because he shows bravery in his actions. One example of when Odysseus shows bravery is when he takes on the challenge of making it through between Scylla and Charybdis. In book 10, Odysseus gets help from Hermes, which allows…

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Odysseus A Hero

Heroes, what exactly makes up a hero? This is the question that not everyone will agree on with what really makes a hero a hero. In my opinion, I think the characteristics that make up a hero is intelligence, courage, bravery, caring, strength, leadership, patience, and selflessness. I do believe that Odysseus has all those characteristics that a hero should have, because I do believe he is a hero. The story begins with Odysseus, Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, and his son Telemachus. They were all…

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Is Odysseus A Hero

In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer Odysseus is on a voyage back to his native land ithaca; on his adventure Odysseus and his crew experiences many challenges and hardships. Odysseus and others go to many places like the island of the cyclopes or the palace of circe the nymph and the city of the cyclones. In all of these places though Odysseus happens to always put his men in harm's way before himself. Odysseus is a villain in the odyssey due to the loss of men to the lotus eaters, massacre…

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Odysseus Hero

Bill,” If there is nothing but what we make in this world, brothers, let us make it good.”In The Odyssey, Odysseus tries to return home but has problems. Along the way to home. Odysseus shows he is a hero because Odysseus can solve problems unlike other men, Odysseus is spiritually stronger than other men (closer to the gods), and Odysseus undertakes impossible tasks. Odysseus shows he is a hero when he is spiritually stronger (closer to the gods) than the other men. He has been out at sea for 10 years…

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