The Role Of Heroism In The Odyssey

As the great Arthur Ashe once put it “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” The epic, Odyssey by Homer highlights the determination of a certain character to return to his homeland and family after many years at war. However, with determination comes important decisions to do what is right and what is best for all. In most cases, a hero must take some kind of guidance from his acquaintances. In addition, the extensive qualities of a hero can range from being loyal to others and putting their own life behind everyone else’s. By these standards, in the Odyssey, main character Odysseus can not be considered a hero because he
In the novel, it is clearly shown how Odysseus got his men into many life threatening situations, for example “Humbly those wolves and lions with mighty paws fawned on our men- who met their yellow eyes and feared them.” (lines 547-549). It really is quite fascinating how Odysseus managed to get all of his men killed from multiple occasions. It seems like he could not learn after numerous failures to save the lives of his men. It it almost sickening to know Odysseus talked about these vicious attacks with no remorse for the event. It is almost as if he could use it to tell another story in his basking of glory at the hands of King Alnicus and the Phaeacians. It most certainly is displeasing to see how Odysseus is celebrated after having all his men killed solely under his responsibility.
Despite being a stout hearted war hero, Odysseus is certainly not a hero in any other aspect. There is not one human being who could possibly agree that a cheating, prideful, men killing monster is in any way heroic. If any of Odysseus’ distasteful characteristics has not yet proven his anti-heroism, imagine how the souls of Odysseus’ dead men feel about him being considered a