Dauntlessness In The Odyssey

“A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown.” – Tom Hanks. In the story, The Odyssey written by Homer, there is an individual named Odysseus who has the qualities of a hero. There are many characteristics of Odysseus that give evidence that he is a hero, such as him being dauntless, protective, and devoted.

To start off, Odysseus is a person who displays his dauntlessness through his actions. For example, Odysseus showed his dauntlessness when he went to the Island of the Cyclopes. When he had visited the Island of the Cyclopes he had saved his men’s lives. “Now came the time to toss for it: who ventured along with me? whose hand could bear to thrust and grind that spike in the Cyclops’ eye, when mild sleep had mastered him?” (1217). This quote reveals how despite the danger in fighting the Cyclops, he was brave enough to confront him. Likewise, another moment that uncovered the dauntless Odysseus, was when he found the Laestrygones. Odysseus’ encounter with the Laestrygones was treacherous yet, he got passed it and saved his men. “Only Odysseus, his ship, and its crew of 45 survive the shower of boulders” (1224). Odysseus had been valiant and saved himself, including forty-five of his men. To close, Odysseus is a dauntless man based on his actions and the

One thing others may say to dispute that he is a hero is that he cheated on his wife, Penelope. While this is true, the fault should not overshadow all the good things he did for Ithaca. People had said Odysseus fought for his men and his people. How skilled he was when he entered the battle at Troy (1204). In the end, one mistake does not make a villain. If you do one bad thing, and that makes you a bad person, everyone in the world would be a bad person. Odysseus is human. He was bound to do at least one wrong thing on a ten year voyage away from home. However, one sin does not make a