Odysseus Is A Hero Essay

Is Odysseus a Hero? What is an epic hero? One must first ask this question before classifying Odysseus in this way. An epic hero is certainly of cultural significance. He or she must possess many characteristics that make them good leader, one who can affectively execute operations using these very traits. Unfortunately, along with these benefits they must be flawed (hubris). With his incredible courage and his unmatched wisdom, King Odysseus has been equipped with many great qualities. Sure Odysseus’ arrogance may take up the better half of his personality, but underneath his tough, self loving shell is a great leader. One well deserving of the title hero. Perhaps Odysseus’ most present characteristic is his bravery. He possesses tremendous courage which may possibly be considered to be a flaw. Simply embarking on this journey took a lot of guts. He did not know when or if he would return home. And then he continued to fight and fight hard. The mighty land of Troy he conquered! “What of my sailing then from Troy?” (Homer 1047). He was unstoppable, and to the readers knowledge, not a single shadow of a doubt entered his mind in the battle. This

Odysseus’ has been know to, on numerous occasions, be able to get out of predicaments with nothing but his mind. Perhaps the most famous example of this is in his encounter with the cyclopes. Him and his men were trapped in a cave with this mighty, human hungry beast. Never could they conquer him physically. What Odysseus did was simply genius. When asked for his name he responded by saying “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends./ everyone calls me Nohbdy” (Homer 670). He then managed to get the giant to fall asleep from drunkenness. After blinding the beast the cyclops arose screaming in pain “Nohbdy has blinded me!” A brilliant plan executed perfectly. This was just one example of the wisdom Odysseus’