Examples Of Odysseus The Ideal Greek Hero

Odysseus a Greek Hero After completing Homer’s The Odyssey, many people debate over whether Odysseus is actually a hero. Odysseus is definitely an example of the ideal Greek hero. Odysseus is the ideal Greek hero because he has the qualities of any Greek and/or epic hero. He succeeds in war and adventure, battles monsters and temptations, and makes rash decisions. It is because of these qualities that Odysseus must be an ideal Greek hero. Throughout The Odyssey, readers see that Odysseus succeeds in war and adventure. In fact, The Odyssey starts out at the end of his most recent war- the Trojan War. Odysseus was a hero of that war- playing an important part in the victory of numerous battles (Homer). Odysseus also succeeds in other adventures such as winning the hand of his wife, Penelope. Furthermore, The Odyssey is said to “depict the return of the Greek heroes from Troy” (Epic Traditions: The Hero). Since he is the main character of an epic about Greek heroes, it is logical to conclude that Odysseus must’ve been considered a hero.

In Book 9, Odysseus meets one of his first monsters, the Cyclops. The reader can tell that the Cyclops is a monster because the epic reads, “… but in one stride he (the Cyclops) clutched at my companions and caught two… beat their brains out, spattering the floor” (Homer 665). Odysseus also encounters temptations. One of which would be Circe; a sorceress and daughter of the god Helios (Heroes in the Trojan War). In Book 10, the epic reads, “Odysseus shares her (Circe’s) meat and wine, and she restores his heart. After many seasons of feasting and other pleasures, Odysseus and his men beg Circe to help them return home” (Homer 675). While this passage doesn’t necessarily state that Circe tempted him, the reader can infer a deeper meaning to the phrase “and other pleasures” to conclude that she tempted Odysseus to sleep with