Odysseus the Hero According to mythologist and professor Joseph Campbell, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Hero Quotes-Brainy Quotes).This applies to Odysseus because he risks his life to keep his family and soldiers safe. For Odysseus, being a hero is not by his effort, but by his wisdom bravery. When Odysseus stands up to a Cyclops, he exhibits bravery, and he also is a good leader in this position because of his ability to inspire his soldiers. By doing this he demonstrates heroic behavior when he acts courageous and uses his wits. He wisely creates a plan to defeat the cyclops and persuades his troops to follow him with his plan.He is a wise and brave leader who cares for his people and his family that he deeply misses. He …show more content…
In fact, all of his actions are only done for himself. For example, he is only fighting his way home and keeping his soldiers alive so that they can help him get home. He shows his selfishness while on the boat, leaving the Cyclops cave. He shouts out insults to the Cyclops, which puts his men and himself in danger, even after almost being killed by the hurled boulder which was sent by the giant Cyclops. This proves that Odysseus is very selfish in his seemingly heroic ways. As Odysseus exhibits selfishness during his journey, he also has remained loyal and committed to his wife and children. He reveals more true heroic traits than not. He also shows loyalty to his soldiers by keeping them alive throughout his devastatingly long adventure. He loves his wife and children and also provides for and cares for the men who help him fight. This trait of loyal reveals true heroism in Odysseus because, being loyal shows that even if a man goes through extremely hard times he can commit to other people whether it is keeping them safe or keeping his love for people that he cares for it is showing true