The Heroic Qualities Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

The odyssey expository essay rough draft The Odyssey, an epic poem about Odysseus, the protagonist is a hero who must go on a long journey to restore his place as king of Ithaca. For 20 years Odysseus must leave his home Ithaca to fight in the trojan war. He is put through trials of hardship to return back home. This journey has helped Odysseus grow and test him. Though Odysseus is shown to have heroic traits, he is also shown not to possess those qualities. Odysseus can be brave and caring, but can also be angry and selfish. To begin with one of Odysseus’s heroic qualities is that he can be caring towards Penelope: his wife and his crew. As Homer writes, “ I drove them, all three waiting to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest: ‘ All hands aboard; come clear the bench no one taste the Lotus, or you lose your hope of home.”(Homer,1046-1047). This demonstrates that Odysseus cares enough about his crew that he would save them and not leave them behind. As Homer wrote, “ Now from his breast into his eyes the ache of longing mounted, and he wept at last his dear

As Homer wrote, “ So these now fell upon the suitors in the hall, turning, turning to strike and strike again, while torn men moaned at death, and blood ran smoking over the whole floor.”(Homer 1095). This quote shows that Odysseus is very angry at the suitors for taking over Ithaca and for taking his wife away. Odysseus’s actions towards the suitors depicts him as a violent man. Odysseus selfishness can also rob him of being heroic; as Homer writes “ Odysseus does not tell his men of Circes last prophecy - That he will be the only survivor of their long journey.”(Homer 1066). Odysseus selfishness is clearly shows that he can sometimes only care about himself and his own safety, not others. Though these are very negative qualities, he still remains a hero throughout the