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Odysseus Is An Epic Hero Essay

1366 Words6 Pages

Odysseus is truly an epic hero, he has many different perils and dangers that he must face. He is a Greek soldier who fought in the Trojan War and is trying to return home. Some of the gods and goddesses are on his side, however, some are not on his side. He was stranded for ten years before he could finally go back to his family, and home on Ithaca. Odysseus is an epic hero because of his physical strength, his mental sharpness, and his cunning ability to always get out alive.
Odysseus was one of the strongest and most talented individuals to ever walk on Ithaca. He faced some of his challenges by using brute strength. However, some of his challenges he faces with great skill and agility. “But the man skilled in all ways of contending,/ …show more content…

He built his bed into a tree stump and it was almost impossible to steal. “An old trunk of olive grew like a pillar on the building plot, and I laid out our bedroom round that tree, lined up the stone walls, built the walls and roof, gave it a doorway and smooth-fitting doors. Then I lopped off the silvery leaves and branches,/ hewed and shaped that shaped that stump from the roots up/ into a bedpost, drilled it, let it serve/ as model for the rest.” (1164; bk. 23, lines 45-48). Odysseus was a master builder and build most of his home himself. “While he had arrows he aimed and shot, and every shot brought down /one of his huddling enemies./ But when all barbs had flown from the bowman’s fist, he leaned his bow in the bright entry way/ beside the door, and armed: a four-ply shield/ hard on his shoulder” (1160; bk. 22, lines 119-124). Odysseus was a great warrior and proved himself in battle countless times, by using strength and also his smarts.
Odysseus used his craftiness to his advantage many times throughout the Odyssey. He always thought ahead and though outside the box to get through difficult situations. “Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdy’s ruined me!” (1119; bk. 9, line 17). Odysseus told the cyclops that his

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He has to overcome his foes and his environment. In the cavern with the cyclops, Odysseus must fight to survive. He and his men have to use wit and strategy to escape the cave. After the first attack on his men Odysseus knew he would need to develop a plan to survive. Odysseus and his men are put in danger as they encounter their foe:“Neither reply nor pity came from him, but in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out, spattering the floor” (Homer 903).

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Firstly, Odysseus’ intelligence is one of his strongest strengths going to war. In the book The Odyssey this quote clearly states “Nobody that's my name nobody so my mother and father call me, all my friends”(Homer 340). This shows that During a frightening time in the Book The Odysseus is a quick thinker. Furthermore the text states “They lumbered off,but laughter filled my heart to think how nobody”s name my great cunning stroked had duped them” (Homer 460). This quote indicates how Odysseus manages to outwit the bigger opponent with his quick but smart tactics.

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Using strategies like these, Odysseus is able to harm his enemies without even having to touch them. Instead, he proves that the power of language and emotion is once again stronger than might. In general, the hero Odysseus uses his instincts and cleverness to overcome his challenges. In addition to being prepared, Odysseus also takes preemptive precautions in tough situations, to ensure that he will have an advantage over his enemy

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Without these peculiar, but precious traits, Odysseus would never had made it home. Odysseus’s quality of craftiness and quick thinking contributes to his intelligence. When he fought the cyclopes in “Book 9,” he had to think quick on his feet to help save him and the

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This plan required quick thinking and resourcefulness, which are qualities that make Odysseus a capable leader and hero. In Book 10 of “The Odyssey”, Odysseus uses both strength and strategy to overcome the challenges he faces during his encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus. The quote is “I drew it from the coal, and my men gathered round me, and some god breathed courage into us” (Book 10, lines 420-421). This quote shows Odysseus’ strength as he physically pulls a wooden stake out of a fire.

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In 'The Odyssey' an epic poem written by Homer, a Greek poet, tells the tale of how the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, goes on an eventful adventure that costs him 20 years and all of his men. In this epic poem, Odysseus demonstrates many strengths and weaknesses. Odysseus' strengths are put to use and show how smart he can be. However, his weaknesses put him through many hardships and show what he needs to work on. Odysseus has many strengths.

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Odysseus is most definitely very clever in the way he can think through a circumstance and execute a plan or mission. An example showing Odysseus’s cleverness is when he ran into an incident with the Cyclops. In order to save his men safely from the Cyclops, Odysseus gave the Cyclops wine in order to move past it. It was key that Odysseus did this at the right time or else the plan would not have worked properly. The wine made the Cyclops drunk allowing the men to poke out the Cyclops’ eyes.

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Odysseus is a epic hero who is a flawed character who has both strengths and weaknesses. He is determined to get home to Ithaca after a long journey home from Troy after a 10 year battle. Odysseus has many positive and negative traits that he learns from throughout all three books. Odysseus is a clever, cautious and ruthless epic hero.

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His first trait is being exceptionally skilled continued with cleverness and bravery. Despite Odysseus’s challenges he proves himself a hero because of the actions that show him as skilled, clever and brave. Odysseus is exceptionally skilled in many ways aiding him from each challenge to the next. When Odysseus is trapped in the cave with the Cyclops he decides to us his skills to make a stake to blind the monster, “[He] hewed [the stake] again to make a stake with a point at the end.” (Homer.

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Well the definition of an epic hero is, “a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. ”(Dictionary.com) If that doesn’t describe Odysseus, I don’t know what does. He risks his life in many circumstances, and he’s widely admired for being the one of the reasons the trojans won the war. He is also affected by lots of events throughout his adventures.

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