Odysseus shows heroic qualities in the passage about the Cyclops. It states in the passage “ Odysseus is the cleverest of greek heroes because he is guided by the goddess of wisdom, Athena.”. Clever is a quality that heros have. This shows that Odysseus has a heroic quality.…
In the epic myth The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus takes a twenty year long and perilous journey back to his homeland Ithaka. He must face many physical and mental challenges that makes him worthy of being a hero. The physical qualities that possess an epic hero include immense gallantness and dexterity. This can be seen when “Odysseus had blinded god-like Polyphemus, the mighty cyclops who was Poseidon’s son” (Rosenberg 78). Cyclopes are gigantic and man-eating. To face such a powerful, terrifying monster one must be extremely valiant, a trait that as you can see Odysseus possesses. A task like this also reguires a lot of skill, one must be clever because strength alone will not suffice against a Cyclops. The mental traits that epic…
Homer’s Odyssey is an ancient epic revolving around Greek hero Ulysses who began traveling home to Ithica after warring against the city Troy, Turkey. Journeying our hero, with crew encounter numerous perils including: blinding the man-eating Cyclopes Polyphemus, being transformed by enchantress Circe, hearing maddeningly fatal Siren’s song, and many more exhilarating encounters. Ten years pass during which time suitors try marrying Penelope but her cunning actions keep them at bay. She lastly is forced claiming “I will wed any man capable of stringing my late husband’s bow. Some unknown beggar completes this task then kills all usurpers present, revealing himself as the protagonist. Finally after a decade lovers…
{Odysseus was a hero because he was very brave throughout the many perils he encountered on the voyage home from the Trojan War. Odysseus tried his hardest to get all of his men home however he knew if he didn’t sacrifice some men no one would get home. Odysseus was clever and a bit of a smart-aleck he used these traits to his advantage. He lost all of his men because they wouldn’t listen to him. He tried to save them all however they refused to listen to him.}…
The gods have played their part altering the course of the hero’s voyage. Seemingly, in the epic harmony does not last long and challenges follow Odysseus like a plague. Calypso, the audience believes holds the last installment of the global journey, our hero has yet more battles ahead of him. In fact, the king of Ithaca wandered the Mediterranean and its coastal lands for 10 years before finally arriving home. As waves crash against the raft, “he was seen sailing the ocean”(284). The sea near the land of the Phaeacians is only one region Odysseus has been driven to. All these occurs as a number of loyal citizens and a hopeful family await his return, a period when others dependence on him shines through. As Odysseus is under the angry waters…
On his way home, Odysseus faces a plethora of challenges that extend his voyages. One such example that stands out is his ordeal in a cave with a vicious Cyclops. During this short but life-threatening period, Odysseus and his crew find themselves trapped in the cave with the beast, who had already “lunged out with his hands toward my men and snatching two at once, rapping them on the ground / he knocked them dead like pups - / their brains gushed out all over, soaked the floor - / and ripping them limb from limb to fix his meal / he bolted them down like a mountain - lion, left no scrap” (Homer 9 324-329). Homer creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind, using words like “limb to limb” and “dead like pups” to form an unsavory situation. The…
Odysseus, the hero of The Odyssey, has found himself in many interesting, as well as dangerous, predicaments. Although these predicaments were extremely challenging, Odysseus always found a way to survive. His survival depended on his mind and body combined. Without this important balance of thought and strength, it is obvious that Odysseus would not have made it home safely, or he may have not even made it home at all. Throughout The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus showed amazing personal qualities that enabled him to survive his adventures.…
Odysseus becomes a hero because he slays the gruesome Cyclops. He blinded and stabbed the one eye beast, when everyone else with in his ship were getting eaten. Odysseus crew had the Cyclops, by the skin of their teeth, but then the Odysseus showed heroism by standing up and talking to the Cyclops,” So, Cyclops, it turns out that it wasn’t a coward whose men you murdered and ate in your cave, you savage! But you got yours in the end, didn’t you? You had the gall to eat the guests in your own house, and Zeus made you pay for it.” (9. 475-479) Odysseus becomes known as one of the most gruesome warriors and leaders of Ithaca for slaying the beast. Odysseus slays the Cyclops and his men begin…
Odysseus, the main character of The Odyssey,by Homer, certainly qualifies as an epic hero. He has help from numerous characters, defeats a handful of supernatural enemies, and is known by many individuals from across the land.…
I will be writing a essay of the book The Odyssey written by the person Homer. The main reason why I am written is so that you can know Odysseus is a hero because how he helps other people before he would help himself.…
Odysseus was no hero and his words and actions clearly show. Book 1 of the Odyssey starts with “Sing in the, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending”. Introducing Odysseus as “a man skilled in all ways of contending” shows Homer, author of the Odyssey clearly wanted Odysseus to be seen as a hero. After all, they were both Greek, and the Greeks held a lot of pride they needed to protect. This makes me believe that the story behind The Odyssey was twisted so that the reader was forced to see from the perspective the author wanted.…
On the subject of heroism, Maya Angelou once wrote that “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people” (Angelou). The general picture that comes to mind when the word “hero” is said is the idea of Superman or Wonder Woman; however, a true hero is anyone who tries to make their world a better place. Odysseus, the hero in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, fought in the Trojan War and embarked on a ten year journey to return to his kingdom, Ithaca. During his quest to return home, he encounters many supernatural forces that show both his heroic, and not so heroic actions. He faces countless challenges, meets new people, and has to make sacrifices for the overall benefit of his crew (Bowler and Homer 645-705).…
To start, Odysseus was developed with standard Greek heroic traits. First, Odysseus was courageous in the face of opposition, as shown by his encounter with Charybdis and Scylla. The protagonist of The Odyssey commanded his crew to row onwards in the face of the monsters, showing his courage. He was also intelligent, as he devised a plan to escape the wrath of Polyphemus. Odysseus made the Cyclops drunk with his liquor before blinding him and allowing his crew to escape on the underside of the sheep of the island. Finally, the main hero of the story was perseverant, as illustrated when he left Ogygia, battled Poseidon’s storms, and made it to King Alcinous’s island.…
I believe Odysseus to be a hero, because all his flaws are what make him human. He is not a god, so he will make mistakes. His intelligence saves him and his men’s lives, and he does not give up. He was a great leader and was willing to pay a price for knowledge. He recognized that knowledge really is power, and decides to learn everything he can on his journey home. He also acknowledges that sometimes lying, cheating, and stealing might sometimes be necessary. That is what makes him human. “He achieves both kleos and nostos in the end and doesn’t have to die for either”…
Odysseus has portrayed courage through being persistent in every situation, especially when being stuck within Polyphemus’ cave in Book Nine. In order to escape the grasp of Polyphemus, Odysseus had to face the cyclops by stabbing its eye. Homer describes the moment of defensive attack, writing in Odysseus’ point of view, saying, “I drew it from the coals and my four fellows gave me a hand, lugging it near the Kyklops as more than natural force nerved them; straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye, and I leaned on it turning it as a shipwright turns a drill in planking, having men below to swing the two-handled staff that spins it in the groove,” (Homer, 412-419). Odysseus has been shown to pertain the qualitative trait of bravery and courage because he did not go against any mere foe, he went against a cannibalistic monstrous giant that had more physical strength than all of his men combined. Instead of running away in fear, Odysseus thought about him and his men’s live, strengthening his mental and physical ability in order to face Polyphemus, the cyclops that can easily break him in two. Odysseus’ bravery in defeating Polyphemus has attributed to him the portrayal of a hero, for he was able to save not only himself, but his men that have survived alongside…