Examples Of Heroism In The Odyssey

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a hero! A hero may be many things to many people. In today’s modern world, our heroes are firefighters--those who rescue innocent civilians from burning structures; policemen--civil servants who put their lives at risk in order to protect the public; and teachers--men and women who work to improve the quality of one’s future through knowledge. These are just a few examples of people whose loyalty to the public allows them to lead safe and successful lives. Odysseus was such a hero. In the epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus’ ability to place others’ before himself, demonstrates his character and heroism. One of his greatest heroic traits is his unwavering loyalty, which distinguishes him from the average man.

Yet, every time, he thinks of others, never placing himself first. Odysseus remains wholeheartedly loyal even when it is inconvenient for him to do so, which as a result titles him a hero.

Odysseus is willing exhaust his body in order to ensure the safety of his crew. Odysseus landed on the land of the lotus eaters and without a significant source of food, his crew started to eat the lotus to fill their empty stomachs. This immediately sent them into a trance in which they did not want to leave. They had no desire to leave and all they wanted to do was to continue eating the flowers. Odysseus does not eat the lotus and he tries to convince them to leave, but they do not want to. Odysseus then does what only a hero would do. The text reads, “I [Odysseus] brought them back, back to the hollow ships, and streaming tears--I forced them, hauled them under the rowing benches lashed them fast and shouted out commands to my

When Odysseus arrives on the the island of the sun god he is told not to eat the cattle. He tells this information to his crew, and also tells them to eat the food that Circe gave them. They begin to run out of food and start to starve. Odysseus goes to pray to the gods and he falls asleep. When he awoke from his sleep he saw that his crew started to eat the cattle. He was enraged. And although Odysseus screamed and yelled at them that didn’t stop his crew from eating the cattle. It reads, “Yet six more days my eager companions feasted on the cattle of the sun” (Homer 12.428-429). Odysseus remained loyal to Athena and Zeus when he is told not to eat Zeus’ cattle. Although the crew could not hold back from the grumbling of their empty stomachs, and started to eat the cattle of Zeus, Odysseus resists eating despite his own hunger. He was remained loyal even though he was starving. He knew that the gods have helped him immensely throughout his journey home which is a reason he stays loyal. After his crew is killed by Zeus for eating his cattle, Odysseus is set adrift near Scylla the monster and, “The father of men and gods did not let Scylla see me, else I’d have died on the spot--no escape from death” (Homer 12.482-483). This demonstrates that Zeus ensured he lived because he listened to Circe’s warning about eating Zeus’