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Homeric heroes in the iliad
Homer's epic heroism
Characteristics of a homeric hero
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Homeric heroes in the iliad
Homer's epic heroism
Characteristics of a homeric hero
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Even though everyone perceives Odysseus, main character of Homer’s Odyssey as the ideal hero, Superman is obviously the real hero. So what Odysseus went away from home for 20 years? Superman left his home 35 years ago, and can’t even return home because his is completely destroyed. Odysseus can only use his “special bow” only he can string while Superman has superhuman hearing, sight, and strength.
The Odyssey Many people deem Odysseus to be an archetype hero. But was he really? Sure, he won many wars, but did he show the characteristics that matter? No!
The famous American president Calvin Coolidge once stated, “Heroism is not only in the man, but in the occasion.” In other words, a person may have heroic qualities but is not necessarily a hero, since the true indication of heroism in an individual is shown by his or her behaviors in different situations. In Odyssey by Homer, the protagonist Odysseus uses his godlike charm and cunning to return to his homeland, despite the fact that the mighty god Poseidon wishes that he never returns. Though Odysseus is developed as a character with heroic qualities, his use of said qualities within certain situations cause him to be portrayed as an antihero, as shown through his lack of control, self-centered actions, and excessive bloodshed.
In part one of Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus uses his epic hero qualities to help him out on his quest to get back home to Ithaca. He’s shows superb intelligence when fighting the cyclopes in “Book 9.” That’s a quality of superhuman intelligence that Odysseus possessed all throughout his entire journey. Another epic hero quality that helped Odysseus was help from Greek gods and goddesses. In part two of Homer’s Odyssey, Athena helped out Odysseus when he got back to his home land.
The role of the archetypal hero, who has incredible bravery, power, leadership, and determination, like Odysseus evolves in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Odysseus is a king who led his crew on a 10-year journey after a victory in the Trojan War. His motivation was to return home to his beloved wife, Penelope. The poem was written around the 8th Century BC and is set in Ancient Greece around 1200 B.C.E. Odysseus is the King of Ithaca, which is an important factor when considering him a hero. In Ancient Greece, being a member of royalty made Odysseus powerful and placed him in a leadership role.
“I like to be somewhere at least where you can see a few girls around once in a while, even if they’re only scratching their arms or blowing their noses or even just giggling or something” (3). The narrator, Holden Caulfield, describes an aspect of his character through this confession. Obviously, he is interested in girls and desires them at all times. During the 1950s when this novel was published, having such desires would not have been approved of by the parents of the time due to the increasing social pressures of society. A majority of these adults would have considered Caulfield a terrible role model and would not have wanted the youth to read about him wanting to look at girls.
A hero is someone who is revered for his or her exceptional achievements and bravery. Anyone who puts themselves before others not for recognition or an award, but because it is the right thing to do, is a true hero. In "The Odyssey," written by Homer is an epic poem about a man named Odysseus and his crewmates competing against the power of the gods to return to their homeland, Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he loses almost all of his men, but Odysseus finally arrives home, concluding his prolonged twenty-year voyage. Odysseus must battle the suitors that have taken his wife Penelope, and may soon kill his son Telemachus.
Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, is a complex character with a range of virtues and flaws. While he is widely regarded as a hero, some scholars argue that he is actually an anti-hero. In this essay, I will examine Odysseus's character and actions throughout the epic, using textual evidence to determine whether or not he can be classified as an anti-hero. One of the key arguments in favor of Odysseus being an anti-hero is his tendency to engage in deceit and trickery.
In the epic poem, Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus goes through many trials and obstacles. Many people think Odysseus isn’t a hero and others do. Odysseus goes travels for ten years and sails to the end of the earth just so he can go back to his family. Why would Homer write a huge voyage with all these dangerous trials that Odysseus has to go through, if it's not to show everyone that Odysseus is a great hero of the Greek world? Although his struggles changed the man he is, he was a hero because he faces extremely dangerous trials, lead his men with bravery, and stays faithful to his gods.
Twenty years of action and adventure, defeating creatures, surviving, and just trying to get back home. In The Odyssey by Homer, the hero Odysseus takes an arduous journey navigating through raging waters and defeating strenuous creatures in order to get back home with his crew to his wife and son in Ithaca. Odysseus goes through a variety of islands on the way, each including many characters he needs to overcome. Being clever and cunning in difficult situations with the Cyclops, Scylla, Sirens, Charybdis, and finally the suitors will lead to success and survival in the future.. The cleverness of Odysseus is first supplied when he brilliantly guides his men from the danger of being devoured by the unprepossessing beast, to safety
In The Odyssey Homer makes Odysseus’ journey to his beloved Ithaca excruciating. Odysseus encounters many friends and foes throughout his journey and has to be a leader throughout his experiences. As an example, he encounters Polyphemus and Poseidon, both of whom make his journey mentally and physically painful. Odysseus faces countless scenarios in which he has to save multiple people in those situations. He also encounters the suitors, who are a group of men that try to marry Penelope, when he returns to reclaim his home.
The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.
Even though people typically believe that the main hero of Homer’s the Odyssey is Odysseus himself, the true hero of the Odyssey is Penelope. Even though her entire story isn’t told in the epic poem, you can still tell that she went through struggles and trials just as her husband Odysseus did. Along with going through trials, she comes up with witty ideas in order to overcome them. She is very clever, and she also plans long-term. She is loyal to Odysseus and faithfully waits for his return.
Characters in their stories show that they are very loyal and have similar beliefs. Take Penelope for example, She followed through on her promise to Odysseus, when their son was old enough to grow facial hair, she began the process to look for a new husband. Although she didn’t want to she knew it was what she had to do to stay loyal to her husband. Similar to that, the people of Ithaca, a majority of them stayed loyal to their king, even though he was gone for 20 years. They knew better than to just loose hope and forget about him.
The Odyssey by Homer is a book that involves the Journey of Odysseus and his men and the Obstacles they come across. The Odyssey portrays many themes including vengeance, hospitality, courage, bravery and more. Odysseus experiences some good and bad during his journey. He comes across people who help him, but also comes across creatures who hold him back. Odysseus is an Epic hero because of his quick thinking skills, bravery, and confidence for himself and his men.