Examples Of Odysseus Being A Hero

A Hero for the Ages.

Philip Zimbardo, a psychologist and a professor at Stanford University once said, “To be a hero is when you step across the line and are willing to make a sacrifice. Heroes always take risks. Heroes always are deviant. Heroes always do something that most people don’t.” Philip Zimbardo's statement stays true in The Odyssey by Homer. In the book Odysseus, the king of Ithaca has to leave his family to fight in the Trojan war. He leaves behind his loving wife, Penelope along with his newborn son, Telemachus. Unfortunately, even after the Trojan war Odysseus faces many hardships and troubles returning home to Ithaca Throughout all hardships, Odysseus proves himself as a hero in The Odyssey.

For starters, Odysseus is a hero

First, Odysseus shows strength when Antinous, one of the men trying to marry Odysseus's wife. Antinous gets mad at a beggar, Odysseus in disguise. As the narrator stated, “Boiling over, Antonius gave him [Odysseus] a scathing look /.../ with that he seized the stool and hurled it - square in the back it struck Odysseus under the right shoulder, but he stood up against it - steady as a rock” (17. 504-505, 508-512). This shows Odysseus is full of strength because he could have stayed on the ground and whined. However, he firmly got up and proved that he is not weak nor is he fazed by Antonius. This proves Odysseus as a hero because he shows patience by not starting a fight. Secondly, Odysseus shows strength when Odysseus men opened the sack full of wind given to Odysseus as a gift from king Aeolus, God of the wind. Odysseus stated, “We disembarked on the coast, drew water there and crewmen snatched a meal by the swift ships /.../ I took my shipmates along with me” (10.62,64). This shows Odysseus is full of strength because he was so close to reaching Ithaca, Odysseus’s hometown. When his ignorant crew mates opened the sack, they went all the way back to where they started their journey. However, Odysseus still looks out for his men throughout the rest of the journey. This proves Odysseus as a hero because he stays patient and doesn’t abandon his men, even after they betrayed him. Lastly, Odysseus shows

First, Odysseus is strategical when the Cyclops, a one-eyed beast asks him for his name. Odysseus told the Cyclopes, “Nobody-that’s my name. Nobody so my mother and father call me all my friends” (9.410-411). This shows Odysseus as strategical because he does not tell the Cyclops his real name, which helped him execute the rest of his plan. This proves Odysseus as a hero because he prepares for the questions that the Cyclops will ask him and from that he will help him and his men escape the trap of the Cyclops. Secondly, the Cyclops asked Odysseus about his ship. However, Odysseus quickly thinks of a story that will keep the chances of his escape and soon get him back to Ithaca. Odysseus explains to the Cyclops, “My ship? Poseidon god of the earthquake smashed my ship, he drove it against the rocks at your island’s far cape” (9.319-321). This shows Odysseus as strategical because he makes up a story about Poseidon breaking his ship. This plan was proven very helpful for their escape because the Cyclops did not harm the ship, which lead to a successful escape from the land. This proves Odysseus as a hero because he pulls off a strategy to help him and his men escape the trap of the Cyclops. Lastly, Odysseus even shares his own thought process of a successful plan. Odysseus says, “Planning so that things would come out the best way /.../ combining all my resources and treacheries” (9.421-422). This shows that