The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero? Essay Example

Odysseus a hero? The only heroes I know are Superman, Batman, and Ironman. How can someone as normal as Odysseus be compared to someone as strong as Batman? The truth is Odysseus, raider of cities, is in fact an archetypal hero. The four characteristics Odysseus exemplified to make himself a hero are: bravery, faithfulness, intelligence, and determination. First off, Odysseus was a very brave person. Even though and underdog, Odysseus never backed down. His first act of bravery was his ability to face the mighty Trojan army. He was selected to join the war and refused. So the Greeks put his baby Telemachus in front of a plow. He quickly stopped it and accepted the challenge being the brave person he was.” But the ‘draft board’ was smarter than Odysseus. They threw his baby Telemachus in front of his oncoming plow.”(David Adams Leeming 643) Another act of bravery on Odysseus’ part, was taunting the massive Cyclops Polyphemus. ”O Cyclops! Would you feast on my companions? Puny, am I, in a caveman’s hands? How do you like the beating that we gave you, you damned cannibal?”(Homer 476) The last act of Odysseus’ bravery was his willingness to go to the underworld. There Odysseus met Thebes. Thebes requested that Odysseus let him taste blood. Odysseus, the brave man that he was, cut himself to please Thebes. “At this I stepped aside, and in the scabbard let the long sword ring home to the pommel silver as he bent down to taste the somber blood.”(Homer 615) Odysseus, as brave as he was, was also faithful. His first act was his ability to leave Calypso. He said he had to get home. In the process Odysseus gave up eternal life. “If you could see it all, before you go all the adversity you face at sea-you would stay here, and guard this house, and be immortal.”(Homer 104) As with Calypso, Circe also fell to the faithful Odysseus. Circe was the goddess of lust. It is told that Circe was the most beautiful woman for miles. Again, Odysseus pleads to go home.”