Odyssey Hero Quotes

In The Odyssey, societal values and ideas about what a hero should be are quite different from the modern ideas, and Odysseus is the hero shaped to a near perfect representation of those ancient ways from centuries before the common era. In Book 12 of The Odyssey, Circe warns Odysseus of the Sirens he will inevitably come across when he continues his journey. She tells him to plug his men’s ears with beeswax, but also includes what to do in case Odysseus wants to listen to the Sirens’ beautiful singing. Odysseus warns his men about the Sirens; nobody questions his commands, and they continue their journey, Sirens awaiting. In The Odyssey, Odysseus states, “Going forward I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears. They tied

12. 116-122). In this quote, Odysseus plugs his men’s ears so they cannot hear the Sirens singing. If his men were to hear the Sirens singing, they would jump into the water and be eaten alive. However, the Sirens' singing is beautiful and passionate. So, Odysseus ordered his men to tie him to the ship’s mast so he could listen, simply for pleasure. Nobody questioned his command; they only listened and did as they were told. The quote displays former values of society through the way Odysseus acts, and the qualities he has. It also is an example of the classic definition of an archetypal hero. When Odysseus gives his men commands and they listen without question, it shows that Odysseus is a true leader who people follow, and that he is willing and able to make smart commands. It also shows that his men trust him because they wouldn’t let Odysseus order them around if they didn’t have trust in him. His men do this throughout all of the books, and it transcends displaying just the hero archetype and his loyal servants. Odysseus and his men reflect great leaders and society from centuries before the common

It sheds light on how society, hundreds of years B.C.E, trusted their leaders, and ultimately listened to their commands, because Homer reveals it to readers through the Odyssey. Odysseus alone listening to the Sirens shows his selfishness, but it also shows his confidence in his men. He is selfish because he doesn’t offer any other men the opportunity to listen; he just takes it like he’s entitled. He shows confidence in his men by letting them be in control of untying him and tying him to the mast, though his men could’ve done anything, even let him loose. This part of the quote reflects what leaders were like before common times. Through showing the way Odysseus acted, which was confident, selfish, and entitled, we can see just how society’s leaders used to act. Furthermore, connecting back to when Odysseus’s men didn’t question him, society won’t do anything about the way their leaders conduct themselves. From the way Odysseus acts entitled, we can see that society valued leaders or “heroes” above