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Examples Of Odysseus As An Epic Hero

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In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, the protagonist, Odysseus, portrays himself as formidable for guile in peace and war. His statement accurately portrays himself due to him often deceiving his enemies through his intelligent strategies in both times of calm, and conflict. Not only that but Odysseus is also seen as an epic hero. He displays strength, strategy, and fierce intelligence. Not only does he display qualities of an epic hero in times of conflict, but he also does in times of peace. Odysseus’ cunning intelligence is seen in a time of conflict when he and his men are in the Land of the Cyclopes and are tasked with the job of escaping the one-eyed giant, Polyphemus. Given the intense circumstances they are under, it is Odysseus’ job, as a leader, to lead his men to escape. Being the shrewd character he is, Odysseus plots to sedate Polyphemus with wine. He …show more content…

One example is when he turns into a shriveled beggar by Athena, which allows him to see the state of his homeland, Ithaca, during his absence. Odysseus now can gather insightful information on Ithaca, as well as his son and wife, Telemachus and Penelope. His home is being invaded by suitors who all believe they are destined to be with Penelope. In the text it says, “Then Lord Odysseus / reappeared-and his son was thunderstruck” (72-73). This shows extreme determination by Odysseus, which is another quality of an epic hero. Odysseus reaches his goal of arriving home, and he must get his wife back while getting rid of the suitors who have taken over. Furthermore, another quality of an epic hero which Odysseus exhibits is confidence. One particular scene from the poem writes,“ ‘So much for that. Your clean-cut game is over. / Now watch me hit a target that no man has hit before…’ ” (324-325). Odysseus is visibly confident in his ability to outsmart the suitors, which is an extraordinary trait for an epic hero to

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865 Words | 4 Pages

An example of Odysseus being an epic hero is his loyalty and leadership skills. When Odysseus first gets on the island of cyclops, he only brings his best twelve men on the island with him, “I took my twelve best fighters and went ahead” (Homer 136). Instead of bringing all of his men on the island with him, Odysseus

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155 Words | 1 Pages

The Epic Hero Odysseus In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus shows determination and curiosity which demonstrates that he is an epic hero. Odysseus shows that he is determined to get home when he says, “ I grew sick with fear but presently I gave command to my officers” (Homer 388). He shows that he is determined to get home when he could leave The Land Of The Dead but he needs to talk to Tiresias. Accomplishing this task makes Odysseus heroic because he will do what it took for his men and himself to get home.

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1150 Words | 5 Pages

Odysseus has many trials throughout his adventure. The Homeric usual hero is what he is set up as but unlike most of them he redefines himself. Homer’s creation of Odysseus as a dynamic character through the stories within stories and conflict explores the importance of the evolution of characters despite his apparent hero status within Greek culture Odysseus displays a strong hubris in the first parts of the Odyssey which would fit his reputation as the famous war hero he is. This turns to become a burden on him, he is determined and cares for his men yet his selfish and arrogant behavior cost him those men.

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688 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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2166 Words | 9 Pages

Julia Schultz Ms. Nokes Honors English 9 7 February 2023 Odysseus the Flawed Hero The term hero is significantly misused in The Odyssey by Homer. Odysseus, king of Ithaca, is an example of a hero who does not deserve the title. Nonetheless, Odysseus shares many qualities of being a hero: he led his crew to victory in the grueling ten-year-long Trojan war due to his strategic thinking, and bravely made it home alive from the ten-year-long journey back. Odysseus is brave, cunning, and has great leadership skills: all of these traits are characteristics you would expect in a hero.

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752 Words | 4 Pages

During Odysseus’s journeys, while trying to find his way back home, he goes through many adventures showing off these characteristics of a hero. The first characteristic that Odysseus possessed, which shows he is an epic hero, is how brave he was. For instance, when Odysseus wanted to venture off to Circe and leave the island, it was Eurylochos that told him not to go without his

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743 Words | 3 Pages

Imagine what it would feel like to be away from your home for 20 years and to not be able to find your way back. In this epic The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus and his 720 men are in the same situation and face many conflicts that make their journey back home a lot harder. Odysseus proves himself as an epic hero, which is someone who is almost perfect but has a few flaws to keep them from this, by continuing throughout the story to fight and lead his men back home. Odysseus is an epic hero because he’s brave, he’s smart, but he is also very conceited. My first reason why Odysseus is an epic hero is he’s brave.

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This article explores how Odysseus' intelligence and courage help him in times when they are most needed. Odysseus' bravery can be shown to the reader as he faces many different challenges and obstacles on the way

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A second characteristic that represents Odysseus to be an epic hero is being courageous. Meanwhile, as Odysseus traveled on his quest he landed on the island The Land of the Dead. He was advised by Circe, a powerful witch - who Odysseus met previously in his voyage - in order to go home was to speak with dead blind prophet. When Odysseus was on the island, he presumed to be slightly timid around spirits. As stated in Book 10 of The Odyssey, “From every side they name and sought the pit with rustling cries; and I grew sick with fear.”

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A plethora of descriptions evince his potential maleficence. In support, “There is no way in which Oddyseus’ behavior throughout the Odyssey can be accounted for as heroic on terms of the Iliad” (Odysseus and the Genus ‘Hero’). While Odysseus may be considered a wonderful hero in the Odyssey, his leading skills are miniscule compared to other epic heroes. Other epics, such as the Iliad, exhibit more proficient examples of powerful leaders. In spite of the fact that he is considered one of the greatest epic heroes of all time, his character is still very flawed and does not always make the most advantageous choices.

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646 Words | 3 Pages

Odysseus receives supernatural help and he shows his tragic flaws of pride and recklessness which is a trait of an epic hero(to have tragic flaws and receive supernatural

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536 Words | 3 Pages

Odysseus is an epic hero because he is a man of outstanding wisdom, his bravery, and he have very good strengths. To begin with, Odysseus is a man of outstanding wisdom. He was the only one who could be the best man suited to cope with crises in personal relations among

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831 Words | 4 Pages

Well the definition of an epic hero is, “a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. ”(Dictionary.com) If that doesn’t describe Odysseus, I don’t know what does. He risks his life in many circumstances, and he’s widely admired for being the one of the reasons the trojans won the war. He is also affected by lots of events throughout his adventures.

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591 Words | 3 Pages

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

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541 Words | 3 Pages

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?

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