Odysseus: The Tragic Hero Of Homer's Odyssey

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We have seen many, many books about an epic adventurer whose heroism, bravery, and wittiness lead him to the ending we all knew they deserved. However, one of the first heroes that heroes nowadays go by in terms of story, is the egotistical, selfish, and cunning Odysseus. Odysseus, although selfish, was brave and ventured all around the world in search of his home after he fought and won the Trojan War. The Odyssey was one of the first hero’s journey plot lines ever made and recorded, and so we get to see how Homer’s rendition of this fantastic journey represents this egotistical king as rightfully epic hero.
It’s safe to say he went to hell and back, literally. Book 11 of the Odyssey states, “-and my neck was broken away from the spine and my spirit went down to the house of Hades.” Odysseus was commanded to go to Hades from the witch, Circe, after they hit shore on her island, and now Odysseus is in the land of Hades. Now, this isn’t just a lovely palace of the god of wealth and riches, this is also the land of the dead. This was a very petrifying place that no …show more content…
What’s truly amazing is Homer’s book and character has influenced so many other authors with their own stories and their heroes. For example, take J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. Harry Potter is a kid who has been to extreme places like the Chamber of Secrets and the Forbidden Forest, encountered many powerful wizards such as Dumbledore and Voldemort, and has definitely won many, many battles with powerful wizards. Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series features Percy Jackson doing the same sorts of things. Anyone could go on and on about the stories The Odyssey has influenced, and all these great, epic heroes stemmed down from one of the first great, epic heroes,

The Tragic Hero Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

between these two heroes is their method of action. While Odysseus tends to meticulously plan things, Beowulf rarely if ever has a plan and when he dose it involves his strength not his mind. Odysseus is a trickster, a gambler, a rogue he ”is famous for his ruses and gambits”( Michael Nerdahl), as he himself states when he opens his narrative in Book 9 of the Odyssey:" I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, known to all men by my tricks" (Odyssey 9.21). What’s more, his patron Goddess is Athena, the Goddess…

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Odyssey Hero's Journey

as Odysseus labored and achieved" (4, 119-120). Odysseus is the main character in a series of tragic events; the hero. Odysseus is the captain of his crew and leader of his army. He snakes through every presented hardship. Odysseus wants to go back home to his loyal wife and son. The monomyth, or the hero’s journey, is a cyclical quest or adventure undertaken by a hero. Monomyths contain specific parts in order to recognize one from reading text. The call to adventure is what drives the hero on…

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Odysseus Hero

“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…

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Jodeph Stalin Essay

Kendra Jones The Odyssey The Odyssey is Homer's epic of Odysseus 10 year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. While Odysseus battles mystical creatures and faces the wrath of the gods, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus force off suitors courting Penelope for her hand and Ithaca's throne long enough for Odysseus to return. Odysseus, the king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Ithaca, is called to service in the Trojan War right after his son Telemachus is born. Odysseus is worried that…

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Medea and Penelope - Strong Women in a Man's World Essay

famous works being the Iliad and the Odyssey. Both of these ancient authors used strong women in their works. In Euripides Medea, the main character of the same name is a force to be reckoned with. The play starts out just after the divorce of Jason and Medea. Jason has left Medea for…

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Tradition Of The Epic Essays

of these poets’ works would act as a precedent and point of reference for the poems that would follow as the times changed. Epic tradition has endured a long journey, growing and evolving over the centuries, beginning with Homer and his Iliad and Odyssey, the cornerstones on which later epics would be shaped. Homer is widely considered to be the first epic poet, having a lasting impact on Western canon that has touched most of the classic works that scholars so closely study. From him, the torch passed…

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The Hero's Heroic Journey In Greek Mythology

a critical stage of his or her heroic cycle. Often visiting at their weakest point, heroes communicate and acquire information from the prophesying dead and leave better prepared to reach their end goal. The Homeric Hymn to Herakles describes its hero as someone who: “roamed the vastness of land and sea at the behest of King Eurystheus, causing much suffering himself and enduring much; but now in the fair abode of snowy Olympus, lives in pleasure and has fair-ankled Hebe as his wife” (West 195)…

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Veergil's Influence On The Aeneid

Vergil’s Aeneid is a complex work that covers the origins of the Roman people from the fall of Troy to Aeneas’s landing in Italy. It drew inspiration from many works including Homer’s Iliad, Odyssey, and contemporary Roman politics. Vergil’s writing took place during Augustus’s ascension to First Citizen with the devastation of the civil wars still in living memory. Therefore, The Aeneid was heavily influenced by the political events that Vergil experiemced, including the personal patronage of Augustus…

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