Odysseus Hero Characteristics

What makes a hero to you? Is it being brave, strong, bold, or even saving the world? Well, according to Joseph Cambell,” The moral objection (of heroism) is that of saving people, or person, or idea...sacrificing…for…. Something,” (Marlantes 3). In the story the Odyssey, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, shows all the characteristics of being a hero. The traits that Odysseus portrays is being clever, determined, and brave. To begin, one of the qualities that I admired most about Odysseus was the fact that he was clever. For example, one way Odysseus was clever was when he decided to not tell the men that rowed the ship about Scylla and Charybdis. In the story it says, “Odysseus decides to tell the men only of Circe’s warnings about the Sirens,” (Narrator 1234). The reason I think Odysseus did this was because he knew the men was going to back out and not want to continue their journey. Another way Odysseus was clever was when he disguised himself as an old man. The purpose for Odysseus disguising himself is because if he didn’t the suitors would have known it was him and would have tried to kill him.

The thing that Odysseus was determined to do the most was to get home. For instance, in the story it said,” 'You dogs, you never thought I would any more come back from the land of Troy,” (Odysseus22.35-41, 62-67). This quote was showing that Odysseus planned on getting back home to his wife and hometown. In addition to that quote, another quote that showed Odysseus was determined to get home was when he said,” 'Then I went away along the island in order to pray to the gods, if any of them might show me some course to sail on,”(Odysseus 12.333-338). This was showing that Odysseus was so desperate to get home he