In “the Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus, the epic hero, and his men are stuck on an island far away from home where they are faced with hard and treacherous quests in order to get back. With the help of the goddess Athena, twenty years pass and Odysseus and his men are finally returned safely to their home on Ithaca, however Odysseus is disguised as an old beggar so his family as well as his people will not recognize him. After about twenty years of being reluctant to remarry after her lord Odysseus, Penelope decides it is time and holds a game where the suitors must string Ody’s bow for her hand in marriage, unaware Odysseus has participated himself. After successfully stringing his own bow, Odysseus reveals his true identity and must fight the suitors going against xenia, trying to steal his land, wealth, and wife. In order to overcome the challenges placed before him, Odysseus had to be brave, clever, and faithful.
Many say that bravery is a very important characteristic. For Odysseus however, this trait was the most important. Throughout the entirety of “the Odyssey” Ody had to be brave in order to overcome obstacles. He is brave because he risked his life to save his men when met face to face with the cyclops, Polyphemus, that is eating them one by one. “I drove my big hand spike deep in the embers… straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye.” Conquering the fear of death, Odysseus and his shipmates know that they can not kill the