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Odysseus: An Epic Greek Hero

575 Words3 Pages

Master of land and seaways, the gods of old, son of Laertes; all these names reflect the great and mighty hero, Odysseus. So, what makes Odysseus the perfect epitome of an epic Greek hero? His intelligence helps greatly, but with every great hero, there's a weakness, a flaw. Odysseus' flaw happens to be his intemperate pride, which takes him the long way home. Despite his inordinate pride, he has a caring heart for all his men, and the power of knowledge to get him home. Odysseus shows an egotistical attitude to not only the gods but towards everyone. Odysseus, merely a mortal man, thinks he belongs right beside the gods; this does not go well with the irascible god, Poseidon. Pride isn't always a bad thing. Pride drives the Odyssey and assembles …show more content…

Odysseus' intellectual mind helps tremendously. Throughout the epic journey, Odysseus shows substantial intellectual characteristics. When The King of Ithaca lands on the Island of the Lotus Eaters, he strictly orders his men to not eat the flowers. He knows that if they consume the toxic flower, they will lose all aspiration of going home. Of course, three of his recalcitrant men eat the flower. To fix this, Odysseus carries them back to the ship. When he reaches the ship, he ties the three obstreperous men to a pole so they can not escape. When Odysseus lands on the Cyclops' Island, he and his crew find themselves trapped in Polyphemus' cave. Odysseus quickly devises a plan to escape. He very meticulously stabs the slumbering cyclops in his one, massive eye. While the vengeful creature slumbers, Odysseus swiftly ties his men under Polyphemus' sheep, while he hangs on all night to the biggest sheep. When Polyphemus wakes from his slumber, he moves the humongous boulder which allows the sheep to run out of the cave. Odysseus and what's left of his men scurry to the ship. Finally after 10 long, strenuous years, Odysseus arrives at his beloved home, Ithaca. Throughout the long journey, he learns that he does not embody a god and he will die just like any mortal man. Despite Odysseus' impetuous decisions, his intellectual driven mind gets him home and that's all that matters. The great and mighty hero demonstrates that all heroes have a flaw, but all great heroes learn from their flaw. Pride and intelligence contribute the most to the son of Laertes, gods of old, Master of land and seaways epitomizing an epic Greek

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