Honor is like a crown, which is only worn by those who are worthy enough to take it. Failure to wear such an exquisite accessory with dignity reveals one’s lack of honor and worth. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, honor is displayed through a leader’s courage as tested through deeds and battles. Although Odysseus exposes cracks in his honor, he is ultimately represented as an honorable leader when his violent actions and authoritative decision-making show how he has acquired honor.
Everyone knows at least one person that everybody looks up to; they have great characteristics such as leadership or bravery. Those characteristics can make it seem like they are the perfect person. Odysseus is looked up by all the people in Ithaca and is followed by many because of the great characteristics he possesses. The mighty Odysseus, from the book The Odyssey written by Homer, is a man with lots of different characteristics, some are great and some are not. Odysseus has many exemplary qualities that let him be great among all the mortal men of his time.
Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus was keen on gaining public approval and the glory and martial prowess that came with it. By exceeding expectations, through numerous heroic victories, including his remarkable escape from the multi-headed monster, Scylla, and Charybdis’ whirlpool, he exudes courage and righteousness. All of this determination to be righteous and victorious at all cost made him reckless at times too, as he ignored Eurylochus’ warning
The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.
Although Odysseus’ pride and arrogance got to his head and his decisions became self-centered, we can learn many lessons of intrepidity from his actions that he partook in. Odysseus is comparable to many of our highly thought of figures in today's society. Every hero, no matter how perfect and faultless, makes mistakes based on pride and
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. ”- Christopher Reeve. This quote relates to the hero, Odysseus because he does many heroic actions in the epic that classifies him to be heroic. The Odyssey is a about a man named Odysseus, who has to face many challenges in order to return to his home, Ithaca.
After weeks of struggle, Athena sends Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, to his father. Once Odysseus reveals his identity to his son, Telemachus questions how a low-life looking beggar could be his noble father. The unrecognizable father tells his son, “It is no hard thing for the gods of heaven to glorify a man or bring him low” (Homer 633). One can see Odysseus’ impersonation of a beggar and the proverb symbolizes a growth in character. To be brought low in the hierarchy, Odysseus experiences struggles in the commonwealth.
A man 's duty in the Iliad is on the battlefield, this plays into E.R. Dodd 's ' theory of the "shame culture"17 which he considers to be an integral part of the society of the Iliad. Hector, for example, "like a good soldier"18 has been trained to "take his place on the front line."19 However, when Andromache begs Hector to retreat and not fight she, again, is herself "going against the grain"20 as Hector told her because she is not playing into this culture of shame where "shame is a motivating force." 21 Helen, though, in this instance, arguably is not acting transgressive. We can understand this through Paris, who, is saved by Aphrodite during his duel where he is taken back to safety in his palace.
Just as Achilles is confronted in the Iliad with the problem of balancing his honor with his pride, Odysseus repeatedly faces situations in which self-restraint and humility must check bravado and glory-seeking. In his early adventures, he fails these tests, as when he taunts Polyphemus, inflaming Poseidon. As the epic progresses, Odysseus becomes increasingly capable of judging when it is wise to reveal himself and when it is appropriate to rejoice in his
Have you ever felt tempted to cheat on your homework or on a test? Have you been prideful of what your status or accomplishments? In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the brave hero Odysseus encountered these obstacles of temptations and pride that people today still face. Therefore, temptation and pride were Odysseus’ greatest enemy throughout his journey back to Ithaca, as they distracted him on his voyage, prevented him from getting home, and displeased the gods.
John Ruskin once said, “The first test of truly great man is his humility”. In The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, the central character Odysseus learns humility through his failures and growth in obedience making him a hero. Odysseus reaches a heroic status through the lessons learned on his journey, which ultimately taught him the value of obedience and the dangers of arrogance. Initially, Odysseus appears to lack the heroic quality of humility, through his narcissistic nature.
In the epic poem, the Iliad written by Homer, several characters taking part in the warfare between the Achaeans and the Trojans are portrayed as embodying the heroic code of courage, physical strength, leadership, arete of value of honour, and the acceptance of fate. The heroic code is illustrated by the actions of the Trojan prince, Hector and the Achaeans strongest warrior, Achilles. Both of these characters display the Greek’s image of a hero, and can also let the reader discern what the society admires, looks up to and aspires to in its heroes. There are also characters who fail to be heroic, such as the Trojan “vivid and beautiful” prince, Paris. These characters in the Iliad illustrate the qualities that Ancient Greek society values.
Athena seeking revenge approaches Hector with the guise of Deiphobus, Hector’s brother, while Hector was being hunted down by Achilles, “‘Now, let’s go straight for him. Let’s fight and not hold back our spears, so we can see if Achilles kills us both, then takes the bloodstained trophies to the ships, or whether you’ll destroy him on your spear’” (Homer, Iliad 22. 301-305). This action was brought on by revenge in divine
The Iliad also spotlights the individual qualities of a Greek hero or non-hero. Numerous characters in the Iliad demonstrated exceptional qualities of a Greek person that was valued, such as bravery and helpfulness and that was disproved of like selfishness. One trait that is highly appreciated by the greeks in the Iliad is bravery. In battle Hector killed Achilles´s best friend Pactorlos in battle.
Iliad is recognized as one of the most famous ancient monuments of literature. The full understanding of this epic poem is hardly possible without thorough analysis of its main characters. Among all the episodes of the Trojan War, Homer chooses the moment of Achilles’ wrath and thus creates a poem in which he becomes the central figure. From the Ancient Greeks’ point of view, Achilles represents the ideal of manliness and pure heroism, for he is brave and fights for heroics, not profits. Today, one can agree with this interpretation, yet Achilles is probably the most controversial character because he combines various personality traits and acts in accordance with his ambiguous nature.
