A hero is traditionally thought of as a man with an admirable past or personality, or as a person brave enough to commit an act of heroism. But what does heroism really mean? Some say it has to do with courage, others say valor, and a few toss around words like worthiness, honor, and sacrifice. A hero is one who is bold enough to stand up against the odds. Heroes must prove their worth by being selfless, brave, and intelligent, not deceitful, unfaithful, or ignorant. Under these guidelines, Odysseus, the main character of the Odyssey, can not truly be considered a hero. To begin, Odysseus is not a hero because he does not possess the certain characteristics needed to become a hero. He is selfish, cruel, and a sorry excuse for a King of Ithaca. Most of all, he is wary of others, including his own crewmates. This is exemplified in this quote from the Odyssey, “I sent them on toward Scylla, I told them nothing as they could nothing”(Homer,937). Odysseus then goes on to describe how he believes that his men would desert him if they knew the dangers that they were sailing toward.This quote shows that Odysseus is distrustful of his crew and will not tell them the truth. Odysseus was focused on getting himself home and did not take his crew’s feelings into account. He …show more content…
They try to say that he displays love and determination when he tries to get home to his wife Penelope. This is not completely true. If he loved Penelope so much then why did he leave? And if he was so faithful to his wife then why did he stay with Calypso and Circe as long as he did? He had to make a promise with Circe, yes, but did he really have to “enter.. Circe’s flawless bed of love (Homer,921)? He basically agrees to do it with no other reason than “being a man, I could not help consenting”(Homer,922). He did not have to cheat on his wife and cheaters are not usually called heroes. Knowing this, Odysseus cannot be considered a