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The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
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More handpicked essays just for you.
The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
One of the reasons those people might say that is because Odysseus has a hero’s key traits: he was loyal, compassionate, and cunning. Odysseus was loyal to his family by trying his best to get home and succeeding. Compassion was shown by Odysseus when he was patient while plotting against the Trojans. Last but not least Odysseus was cunning when he defeated the Cyclops in the cave whilst escaping.
Leaders come in all shapes and sizes, however, what gives someone the title of a good or bad is decided by the decisions they make and how those decisions affect others. Odysseus led the squadron of soldiers in the trojan horse and is a hero of the Trojan War and the king of Ithaca. Consequently, this gives him experience when it comes acting in difficult situations. This experience should guide him to choose correctly when being put in a tight spot.
Odysseus is the spitting image of what an ancient Greek hero would be like but in today’s society or just in general, Odysseus is not heroic. He may have super hero qualities such as extreme strength and cleverness but he doesn’t embody them the way one should. In many cases he only saves himself, he is selfish, and he isn’t humble. These reasons alone leaves me, and should leave you, to believe that Odysseus is not heroic.
“ I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure spite of overwhelming obstacles” Christopher Reeve. Heroes usually have super powers and are constantly saving people. But it takes much more traits than this to be classified as an epic hero. Some characteristics of an epic hero are supernatural help, leaving on a journey in which proves himself, and they are sometimes honored after death. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus shows many traits of an epic hero.
An Odyssey in modern definition is a “long series of wanderings and adventures”; so unsurprisingly Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey is exactly that: a string of adventures that centers on Odysseus as he travels back to his home, Ithaca, after the Trojan War. Aside from the long journey, the much more can be inferred from just than the places and persons visited; The character of Odysseus can be explored to show what makes him a hero, what his qualities and flaws are, and how he is an archetype. In my opinion, Odysseus is an epic hero because he is only human. In being human his feats of outsmarting the Cyclops Polyphemus seems much grander.
The question of whether or not Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s The Odyssey, is a good leader is very difficult to answer; however, it seems as though the bad things he did trumped the good things he did, resulting in him being classified as a weak leader. Countless times in this epic, Odysseus is very arrogant and cocky, which puts his men’s lives in danger more times than not. For example, when they entered the cave of Polyphemus the cyclops, the majority of his men wanted to leave so they wouldn’t get eaten. Odysseus, however, decides to test Polyphemus’ hospitality, ultimately resulting in 6 deaths.
However, examples within the literary narrative of the Odyssey leaves the discussion open with regards to his leadership. Thus, the question of leadership supersedes the topic of Arete. Was Odysseus the ideal leader or did he portray undesirable leadership tendencies? The examples that will presented will illustrate that Odysseus hubris, risk taking prowess, and at times unwillingness to follow instructions often placed his crew in danger as he journeyed Ithaca.
In the epic poem, the Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus is represented as an epic hero. One epic hero characteristic that Odyesseuss displays would be his sheer bravery shown throughout the book. His first display of bravery would be when he volunteered to fight the trojans in the trojan war. Odyessus knew that this was a dangerous war to be a part of, however he was willing to put his life on the line to defend his homeland. Another example of this would be when he encountered the great Polyphemus.
Odysseus being a leader makes him a hero because he makes bold decisions and he protects himself and his
Odysseus could be considered an epic hero because he is brave, a vast traveler, and considered a great warrior. He is brave because he was willing to listen to the siren sound. In book 12 Circe recommends “if you wish to listen let the men tie you in the lugger, hand and foot, back to the mast, lashed to the mast so you may hear those harpies, thrilling voices…” Right after that Odysseus got tied in the lugger and listened to the sound of the sirens, this shows that he is brave. Odysseus is considered a great warrior because he fought in the Trojan war, before the text begins Homer states “All have retuned except Odysseus, the crafty and astute ruler of Ithaka…” Odysseus was used in the Trojan war and he and his crew have not returned home yet making him a vast traveler.
Analysts debate whether or not Odysseus can be deemed an epic hero within the Odyssey. Arguably, it is presented in the epic poem that he obtains the skills and powers to persevere through trials issued by the Gods. Odysseus endures an escapade filled with challenging tasks and antagonists, and applies his natural heroic attributes to persist on his mission to get back home. With these abilities, he is able to take on all tasks thrown at him while returning to Ithaca after 20 extensive years at sea. Thus, Odysseus possess all the attributes of an epic hero.
The Odyssey, a Greek epic written by Homer has many characters that could be considered heroes, but none as greatly debated on whether he should be called a hero as Odysseus. Odysseus is a hero due to the fact that he wants to protect the ones he loves, shows courage through his actions and words, and as a leader is able to inspire others to have courage. Odysseus’s family
Odysseus is an epic hero because of his bravery and confidence during every obstacle throughout his journey In Part 1 whie Odysseus is about to come across cyclops cave, he says “I brought along and victuals in a bag, for in my bones I knew some towering brute would be upon so soon- all outward power, a wild man, ignorant of civility. “ Odysseus is showing his bravery of not being petrified of what he might come across, like the cyclops. Odysseus has no intention of harming them, but he is not sure what their intention is. This example is important because not only does it show confidence in himself, he also shows confidence in his men. In Part 2 Odysseus also shows his confidence in his men in part 2 where Eurylochus says, “Are you flesh and blood, Odysseus, to endure more than a man can?
The Epic Hero of The Odyssey The Odyssey is a tale of a great hero trying to get home. An epic hero. An epic hero is a courageous and honorable person. Homer’s character Odysseus exemplifies this in many ways.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus was a major hero of the novel. He had both heroic traits and human weaknesses. Odysseus defeated the Cyclops, defeated the suitors that were courting his wife, and overcome other challenges throughout the novel. A special trait that made Odysseus a hero was that he was a courageous