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How Has Odysseus Changed Over Time

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Recommended: Greek heroes compared to modern heroes

Quinn Leonard
Dillon
5th Period
Jun 7 2023
Odysseus: The Hero of a Bygone Time The definition of hero has changed throughout time based on societal standards and views. Many traits that would have been admired thousands of years ago, would appall the people of today. Culture changes over time, and although Odysseus exhibits some timeless characteristics of a hero such as bravery and determination, he misleads his crew, depends on divine help, and does not demonstrate mercy. These are qualities Ancient Greeks would have seen as admirable, but they would not be viewed in the same light today. To begin, Odysseus is unmerciful to anyone that has wronged him. He kills all of the suitors in the hall, “Spattered and caked in blood like a mountain lion,” (Fitzgerald 22. 450) he did not leave any survivors. After he does this, he orders Telemachus to kill all of the servants that have been …show more content…

The first example of this is after him and his crew have escaped from the island of Polyphemus, and they have made it back to the ship. As they are leaving, Odysseus reveals his true identity to Polyphemus so he can boast, and Polyphemus responds to this by cursing them with the power of his father, Poseidon (Holt 9. 443-452). The second time where Odysseus puts his crew in danger voluntarily is when he was warned by Circe about Scylla and Charybdis, (Holt 12. 22-70) and chooses to not tell his crew of the danger in an effort to allow most of them to make it past the two dangers. As a result of this, six of the crewmembers end up being killed by Scylla. This reveals Odysseus as an outdated hero. In Greek society, there was an emphasis, especially in places like Sparta, on the success of the group as a whole, such as in battle, with losses being expected and planned for. In contrast, modern society places much more value on individual human lives than the Ancient

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