Odysseus Epic Qualities

Being an epic hero is not something that anyone can do. It requires qualities such as strength, courage, and intelligence. All of these qualities are presented by the character Odysseus. His strong emotional wall kept him alive and going during the twenty years that he was gone from home. Odysseus not only showed mental strength he also demonstrated physical strength. Even when the odds were impossible he would come out victorious, almost without a scratch. Odysseus also presented a strong sense of intelligence. He could outsmart basically anyone he encountered, even the sons of the gods! His impressive characteristics would lead him to believe that he is one with the gods, which is not true and would eventually come to an abrupt realization

For Example, although he did talk a bit about missing home, as anyone would, he was able to overcome that obstacle and strive forward towards the next step in reaching Ithaca. However, Penelope is at home and still after 20 years she is grieving for her husband. This is truly shown in “Book 21: The Test of the Bow” when it states that; “Now Penelope sank down… and sobbed and bit her lip and let the salt tears flow” (page 1250; line 16-18). Penelope did this after realizing that her husband has been gone for twenty years and most likely will not return. On the other hand, Odysseus is certain that he will return no matter how hard of a challenge he faces. With Odysseus’ intelligence, he defeats even the scariest of monsters, such as Polyphemus, son of Poseidon. Odysseus does a multitude of things in order to trick him. First, he tells the cyclops; “My name is Nohbody: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me nohbody” (Page 1218; Line 274-275). Then he gets the cyclops drunk by giving him a lot of wine. After doing so he goes through with his plan, Odysseus stabs Polyphemus’ eye with a hot iron rod. Once he is blinded, Odysseus escapes under the belly of a thick haired lamb. This plan was unique and well thought out, it comes to show how smart he is in the art of combat. This quality would come back to help once he is at home and has to fight the 100 suitors when he only has four men on his side and wins. Obviously, these traits helped Odysseus escape even the most difficult