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Hero Characteristics In The Odyssey

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A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. There might be a lot of people admired, but there's not a lot that are idealized. To be idealized, you must be a person that has more characteristics than the one given in the definition. An example of all these characteristics is a man named Odysseus from The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer. Odysseus is a perfect hero and has all of the characteristics it takes to be one.
One of the characteristics that makes a hero is selflessness and Odysseus is an example of that. One example is Odysseus trying to save his men from eating lotus,”Any crewmen who ate the lotus, the honey sweet fruit. Lost all desire to send a message back, much less …show more content…

For example when Odysseus convinces Circe to help him on his journey... “Circe, now make good a promise you gave one once. It’s time to help me home.”(10.532). This shows him staying true to his main goal, because he was fine and safe there, but wants his men to return home. He is also staying true to his wife too, because he could have stayed with Circe, but he wants to be with Penelope. Another example is when he has to hang on the tree for his life, “Clutch at the fig-tree's height. Like a bat I clung on to its trunk for dear life.”(12.245). This shows Odysseus’s perseverance, because when all of his crew dies he could have tried to save them, but would have died with them. He is holding on for a longtime, because he is staying true with returning home and not giving up. The final example is when Odysseus is on Calypso’s island and she says,”why cover the same ground?...it goes against my grain to repeat a tale once told, and I said so clearly.”(13.488). This shows Odysseus’s ability to not let people sway his mind, because Calypso tries to convince him to stay with her forever. Once again Odysseus stays true to returning to Penelope rather then spending the rest of his life with a goddess. Through these couple examples, he turns down two goddesses and let his men die so he could return home.
Odysseus is a perfect hero and has all of the characteristics it takes to be one. He cares about his men deeply and wants the best for his men. One thing that makes him special is his mind, he is very clever in getting home. The main point, is that he was able to return home against all odds. All of these characteristics made him be idealized and not just

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One of the reasons those people might say that is because Odysseus has a hero’s key traits: he was loyal, compassionate, and cunning. Odysseus was loyal to his family by trying his best to get home and succeeding. Compassion was shown by Odysseus when he was patient while plotting against the Trojans. Last but not least Odysseus was cunning when he defeated the Cyclops in the cave whilst escaping.

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As the Webster Dictionary says a hero is a person admired for great deeds, courage or fine qualities. Odysseus was a hero modeling all three of those examples. The King showed many qualities of a hero when Odysseus volunteered to fight in the battle of Troy, when Odysseus helps the men escape the cyclops, and when Odysseus keeps all emotions together after watching some of the sailors get eaten by the monster Scylla. Odysseus shows qualities of a hero when the king of Ithaca offers to go fight in the battle of Troy. Odysseus fights for Ithaca in the battle of Troy voluntarily.

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Overall, Odysseus is often portrayed as a “model hero”, but in reality he has many faults such as being untrustworthy, arrogant and

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Here are some reason that might reinforce the idea that Odysseus remained perseverant

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In addition to this, his unwavering loyalty to his family is demonstrated in his willingness to endure the hardships that arise with escaping from Calypso, maintaining his willpower along the way. Odysseus has a sense of obligation to fulfill his duties and return to his family, to which he carries out by standing his ground against the goddess. Ultimately, demonstrating Odysseus’ loyalty and determination to return home, as well as his intelligence in knowing that staying on the island will not bring him true

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After Circe holds Odysseus’ crew in captivity, Eurylochus suggests to Odysseus that they can evade “the day of evil” if they leave immediately; however, feeling obligated, Odysseus replies to him, “Eurylochus, by all means stay here by the black ship’s hull [...] but I, bound by necessity, will go” (Bk X:251-301). In facing this choice to leave, Odysseus instead chooses to help his allies rather than abandoning them, demonstrating his concern for his friends. This choice is a sign of a great decision made by Odysseus, highlighting the honor that he has as a leader; it is through this concern that Odysseus displays honor. Later in the poem, Odysseus encounters and confronts the suitors who have intruded his home.

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Odysseus portrays those three heroic traits throughout his voyage home to Ithaca, which is why he is a hero. Odysseus is highly dedicated to his reputation and ego for the whole of his rocky and treacherous journey. From going up against a cyclops that is five times the size of him, to placing wax upon his crewmates’ ears to mute the singing of the Sirens, Odysseus is brave when he faces his fears and intelligent when he creates lifesaving tools from ship materials. A modern hero can be someone who saves a life or even sacrifices his or her own for someone else. Odysseus can be compared to a modern hero because he risks his own life to protect his crewmates.

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Another instance is how, despite numerous challenges, he was determined to speak to the prophet Tiresias once he entered the underworld in order to learn how to return home. This demonstrates his persistence in making an effort to return home and his commitment in completing each duty so that he might return home as soon as

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A hero, someone modernly seen jumping off buildings, and fighting the bad guy in an epic duel to the death. But what really makes a hero? Is it wanting to save someone just to look good? Maybe something deeper like the willingness to give up part of oneself so that another may have a better life. A hero should be a person who has the right motives for their heroic actions.

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There are few fictional characters who so accurately depict the ancient archetype of a hero as Odysseus. In Homer’s The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Odysseus is departing from the Trojan city of Troy in order to reach his home country of Ithaca. Throughout the course of his journey, Odysseus is faces multiple challenges testing his leadership, vigor, and wit in order to prove himself to be a true hero. He accomplishes this by bringing about multiple heroic feats and upholding the impuissant and helpless.

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Odysseus has some good traits, some bad flaws, and has been in some ugly situations, but overall he is a true hero. Some of the traits that exemplify his heroism traits are his cleverness, determination, and his bravery. In several scenarios he saves his men from sticky situations, showing his bravery, his determination

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Some think Odysseus is a hero for many reasons, mainly because he helps many people including his family and his crew. Even when terrible things happen to him and his crew he perseveres and continues on his journey home. Even though Odysseus and his men do bad things like eating the sun god’s cattle there still are many reasons why he is a hero. One reason to support my claim is that he saves his crew many times. One example is when they sailed by the Sirens.

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Also, to dramatize the situation and emphasize the morality of the crew, Homer says "[the crew] put their backs in the oars, escape grim death." This passage shows how, while Homer considers Odysseus heroic, Odysseus may not follow expectations because of his pride and willingness to endanger his men. In this passage, Odysseus continually taunts Polyphemus' against his crew's wishes, and thus risks their lives. However, throughout the reading, Odysseus' claims to have great affection for his crew and wishes to protect them; thus, Odysseus' actions in this scene highlight an inconsistency in Odysseus' character and heroic nature. Because of this inconsistency and Odysseus’ prideful and

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In the book The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, is a man who is loved and respected by many. In the beginning of the book, we learn that Odysseus has left on a journey and, since it has been many years since his departure, many people assume that he has passed. On his journey, he portrays his many traits, not all of them being good ones either. Some of his good traits include his cunning, bravery, and hard work ethic. On the other hand, his negative traits are his excessive pride, immense curiosity, and rather large temper.

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In The Odyssey, Odysseus was a major hero of the novel. He had both heroic traits and human weaknesses. Odysseus defeated the Cyclops, defeated the suitors that were courting his wife, and overcome other challenges throughout the novel. A special trait that made Odysseus a hero was that he was a courageous

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