Examples Of Odysseus In The Iliad

The Odyssey and the Iliad are stories that are very commonly read. Most people have heard of either story or they just know of Odysseus, the main character. A hot take around people who have read either story is whether or not Odysseus can be grouped as either hero or non hero. As a student who has read parts of the Odyssey I’d like to argue that he cannot be grouped as either. I have several reasons why as listed below.

Odysseus has several moments throughout the story where he has some really heroic moments that might be the defining factor for some people. One of the biggest moments people use to describe him as heroic is when he saves his men from the cyclops. While on their way back to Ithaca, Odysseus and his men accidentally land

Odysseus has also had a lot of scenarios that could possibly define him as a villain, or non heroic. A very big example is their encounter with Circe. At some point in his journey, Odysseus and his men get stranded on Circe's island. After a while of hooking up with Circe she tells him it’s been over a year. Odysseus wants to stay, but some of his men tell him they need to get home. He tries to trick his men into bringing the boat in to stay, but one of his men figure out the trick and tell the rest. This is a great example because it showcases how Odysseus isn’t always wise about his decisions. He wasn’t thinking about getting home or the long terms effects, he only thought about himself. His actions reveal his unwillingness to think of people around him. He is selfish and irresponsible in this section and that is what leads most people to believe that he isn’t a good person, specifically a villain. Although he is irresponsible, he eventually displays his care for his men and his wisdom when he finally leaves the island, and protects them from the Sirens and the Sea of Monsters. He might have done something bad, but he had the right

When most people look at all the things that could qualify Odysseus as either a hero or villain, they just look at all the outstanding things he's done. They use scenarios like I've listed above to determine if he can be defined as good or bad. The issue with this is that the stories of what Odysseus has done doesn't tell us about how he was feeling inside. For example, along their journey, Odysseus didn't tell his men to not try and fight Scylla. Maybe he didn't tell them because he knew that if he told them that 6 of them would die, the wouldn't want to go. He knew that the Sea of Monsters was their only way home, and that if they decided to not go, they would never make it back to Ithaca. When people use the Sea of Monsters encounter as an example to name him as a villain, they don't consider him to ulterior motives. They only see that he didn't tell his men and assume that he wanted to cause harm among his men. The reason that this can't be a determining factor is because of the limitations that old literature has, keeping us from being able to understand Odysseus' intention. Odysseus is described to be a mortal man for Ancient Greece, the king of a nation called Ithaca. The most important of those descriptors is mortal. Since Odysseus is not a God, he does not have the wisdom, the power, or