“A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall,” as stated by Aristotle, demonstrates his beliefs on how to become a hero. Being a hero is much more than just accomplishing one’s goals or defeating the obstacles in life. It involves recognizing the nadir of all the fame and taking responsibility for all the mistakes committed. The downfall of a person’s power creates a more humble understanding of all their flaws. Thus, recognizing their flaws leads them to becoming a respectable hero because their arrogance and pride is often replaced by submission and empathy. Oedipus the King and Hercules both reveal the true meaning of becoming a hero through the means of reaching their lowest points, accepting their faults, and
Menelaus and Agamemnon are an example of men who taker power for granted. The two royal sons took advantage of the situation especially, since they detested Ajax for innumerable reasons. Apart from being someone who clearly took no one’s orders, Ajax was also in love with Menelaus wife. “Ajax did not join the expedition / because that woman was a wife of yours” (ll. 1333-34). With this in mind, they never could defeat him.
“A Hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” - Christopher Reeves. In The Odyssey by Homer, a mythological story is told about a twenty-year long journey a mortal named Odysseus-King of Ithaca-undergoes. Odysseus and his men first left Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War. During their journey home from Troy, their ship was set off course by Poseidon, making their journey longer than planned.
What makes a hero? The novel Things Fall Apart follows the story of a man named Okonkwo, who grew up with a father who was kind, and generous, but was a so dependent on other people and did not pay back any of his debts as well. It was because of Okonkwo’s father that he became the man that he was, Okonkwo felt that since his father was kind and generous he had to be the exact opposite, so he became a hard working young man, but also became violent and aggressive, he lived in fear that he would be buried with shame as his father was, even though he had taken on many titles. Odysseus was quite the opposite though, from the story The Odyssey, was extremely different, he was clever, and kind. Odysseus was ripped away from his son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope, and spent twenty years trying to find
Odysseus’s Non Heroic Acts Modern day society defines a hero through their impact as an influential figure and how he or she redefines society’s fundamentals. The epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, portrays Odysseus as a false hero. Divine heroism is described as selfless acts of duty in order to benefit an individual's comrades. Over the years, the standard of achieving heroism has become harder to attain because of the increased responsibility put onto people to bring about the greater good.
To be effective, is being skillful important? Leaders need to possess certain traits to be considered a good leader, and Louis XIV of France was a better leader than Odysseus from “The Odyssey”. Louis is determined and brave, but he is also untruthful. Odysseus is also untruthful, but he is also sneaky and brave. Louis was a brave soul to take over a country at such a young age of less than 5 but that didn't stop him.
“A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway” and this shows the quality of a hero that the well-known hero, Odysseus, does not have. In the novel, The Odyssey, Odysseus goes to war against the Trojans in hope to win. When Odysseus slaughters the Trojans, he starts to act like he was greater than any god. The gods punished him by stranding him at sea for more than ten years without being able to go home. Odysseus is not a hero because he was not humble or good at accepting the help that he received, and he also acted before synthesizing the consequences that he would face in the future.
A hero is one who portrays noble characteristics, willing to face obstacles and has the ability to handle both physical and mental strengths. It is difficult to play the role of a hero. Heroes take on a difficult role in the myths “Theseus” and “The Adventures of Odysseus” by Edith Hamilton. Heroes must be determined, as they cannot give up in the middle of the journey. They need to be courageous, as they have to overcome hazardous obstacles through their expedition.
The concept of hero has been interpreted in many ways throughout the ages. Hero have gone from knights slaying dragons and rescuing the princess, to heroes who save the world with their supernatural-like powers, to a modern day hero who is someone who has noble qualities and is regarded as a role model. In the epic, The Odyssey, by Robert Fagles, the heroic Odysseus is a well known in Greek mythology. However, although Odysseus is the most respected, honorable hero of Greek mythology he is not a modern hero. A modern day hero is someone who puts their life on the line to save the lives of other innocent people.
A hero is someone who is revered for his or her exceptional achievements and bravery. Anyone who puts themselves before others not for recognition or an award, but because it is the right thing to do, is a true hero. In "The Odyssey," written by Homer is an epic poem about a man named Odysseus and his crewmates competing against the power of the gods to return to their homeland, Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he loses almost all of his men, but Odysseus finally arrives home, concluding his prolonged twenty-year voyage. Odysseus must battle the suitors that have taken his wife Penelope, and may soon kill his son Telemachus.
Hercules and Theseus, two great heroes from mythology, seem to be similar in many ways. Both extremely brave and noble; with a love of danger and adventure mixed with compassion, creates the perfect heroes. Their stories intertwine with one another’s when Hercules has to save Theseus from the chair of forgetfulness in Hades. Theseus saved Hercules when he was distraught with intent to kill himself. In a similar way, they both stood by their friends no matter the cost.
Heroes are, “People who take risks despite fear”(Source 2). In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus faces many challenges that make him a hero. He battles monsters, goddesses, and enchantresses. Odysseus is a hero in the way that he uses his brain to think about and approach dilemmas. When he and his men are on the Cyclops’ island, Odysseus tells the cyclops that his name was Nobody.
Even the most intelligent of people can be lead astray by temptation. Eurylochus' willpower is tested as he travels with Odysseus in Homer's epic, The Odyssey. When the crew encounters the beautiful enchantress Circe, Eurylochus is able to sense danger and resisted Circe's charm. On the other hand, when faced with starvation in the presence of Helios' cattle, he ignored Odysseus’ warnings and yielded to provocation. Overall, while Eurylochus is wise, he is mortal and susceptible to deception.
After completing the 12 labours, the Greek Hero Hercules joined the quest organized Greek hero Jason for the search of the Golden Fleece. The Golden Fleece is made from a winged sheep (ram), which was held in Colchis. The fleece is famous because it has been used as a symbol of authority and kingship. The Greek hero Jason and his Argonauts including Hercules, set a quest on search for the fleece by order of King Pelias. As reward the King Pelias will place Jason on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly.
There are few fictional characters who so accurately depict the ancient archetype of a hero as Odysseus. In Homer’s The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Odysseus is departing from the Trojan city of Troy in order to reach his home country of Ithaca. Throughout the course of his journey, Odysseus is faces multiple challenges testing his leadership, vigor, and wit in order to prove himself to be a true hero. He accomplishes this by bringing about multiple heroic feats and upholding the impuissant and helpless.
1.2 The essay below discusses the requirements to be deemed a hero in Greek culture and the role of heroism in Greek culture The first requirement was the outrageousness of what the heroes did and suffer. This meant that the hero had to go through some test and hardships before attaining success. Almost all the Greek heroes went through trials before achieving their goals. For example, according to R Buxton (p, 114,121) Herakles was Zeus’s son with a mortal woman .This made Hera to persecute Herakles throughout his life including making him to perform 12 labours.