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The Heroic Qualities Of Odysseus In The Odyssey By Homer

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In “The Odyssey'' by Homer, an epic poem, the main character Odysseus travels with his men trying to return home. But, they run into many inconveniences. Throughout this journey, Odysseus shows bravery, loyalty, and intelligence. Which causes him to be considered an epic hero. One of Odysseus’s many heroic qualities is bravery. For example, Odysseus is entrapped by a cyclops, and one after another his men are dying. Odysseus knows if he does not do something soon many of his men and possibly himself will die. Odysseus explains on page 768, “ I drew it from the coals and my four fellows gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops as more than natural force nerved them; straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it into the deep …show more content…

The first way Odysseus shows loyalty is when he and his men were shipwrecked on an island. Odysseus' men started to eat a plant called the lotus. The lotus plant made the crew members not care to go home. But, Odysseus knows that he can not leave them on the island. Odysseus states,“ I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down to their rowing benches.” This piece of evidence is crucial to the main idea because it is showing that Odysseus cares enough about his men to make sure they all get back on the boat safely. Even if it means forcing them to. Odysseus is portraying loyalty because he made sure his men were in the boat when they left. Even though they were under the influence of the lotus- eater. His devotion to his men caused him to want to save them. Another example would be when Odysseus and his men are attacked by Scylla, a monster in the sea. Some of Odysseus’s men are taken to her layer, and they are eaten. A few moments later Odysseus speaks, “ And deathly pity ran me through at that sight- far the worst I have ever felt.” This quote is saying that Odysseus does not want to see his men be eaten, and he feels pity for them. Odysseus is showing sympathy for his men, and he does not want to see them suffer. This piece of evidence contributes to the claim that Odysseus is loyal because it is showing his faithfulness to his men. He does this by saying he feels the worst pity he has ever …show more content…

While Odysseus and his men are trapped with the cyclops the cyclops asks what Odysseus's name is. Odysseus states “ My name is nohbdy; mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me nohbdy.” This is important to the main idea because Odysseus is using his cleverness and wits to trick the Cyclops. When the cyclops called for help he would tell them “Nohbdy tricked me!” This shows that Odysseus can think ahead and act wisely in different situations. Without his ideas, Odysseus and his men would still be trapped with the cyclops. Another example of Odysseus' cleverness is before he and his men escape the cyclops' cave. Odysseus straps his men to the bottom of the cyclops' sheep. Odysseus says on page 769 “I tied them silently together, twinning cords of willow from the ogre's bed; then slung a man under each middle one to ride there safely.” Odysseus is tying his men to the undersides of the sheep so that they can escape the cyclops' cave safely. This is an example of Odysseus' intelligence because he is finding ways to save his men so that they not only escape but they do it efficiently and get out safely. This is important because Odysseus is thinking ahead and he is thinking critically, which causes him to save himself and his

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Moreover, Odysseus does not have a solid grasp over his crew, as demonstrated when they open Aeolus’ winds. His crewmen state, “This guy gets everything wherever he goes...while we...are coming home empty-handed” (10.45-49). The discontent is apparent in his company, who feel a sense of inequality because Odysseus obtains all of the precious gifts from their escapades. If Odysseus is a true hero, he would have a strong grasp over his crew, making sure that they are loyal to him and have a leader to follow. However, in this case, the crew expresses uncertainty of why they are helping Odysseus, since they do not receive any compensation for their actions.

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Odysseus ends up getting caught in a few rough spots on the way home, lives are lost and ships are wrecked. When he gets home he comes to find out suitors are trying to overtake his palace. Over the journey home a series of events occur where Odysseus deserves loyalty from his crew. Odysseus deserves loyalty from his crew because odysseus comes up with good ideas, gives his men good advice to follow, and saves his men from life threatening situations. To start off, Odysseus deserves loyalty from his men because he comes up with good ideas.

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Odysseus possess the character strengths of loyalty and compassion because he cares deeply for his comrades. For example, Odysseus proves his loyalty to his dead comrade Elpenor when he travels back to the island of Aeaea, “We cut logs in haste and out on the islands jutting headland his funeral rights in sorrow, streaming tears” (12.10-12). Odysseus feels a deep sense of loyalty towards his comrades as shown when he immediately returns to bury his friend. He exhibits compassion and loyalty towards his trusted friends throughout the book; he always puts the safety and well-being of his men first. Furthermore, Odysseus portrays his compassion and loyalty when after gaining Circe’s trust, he demands, “If you really want me to eat and drink, set

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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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Throughout all the years he and his crew sailed around, and no matter how many times they disobeyed him, Odysseus never gave up on them. He never just left them for dead, instead he stuck with them until they sealed their own fate. Showing his loyalty to his crew occurred continuously throughout the book, but he showed it best when they came across the Lotus. The lotus was a plant in the book that once they ate it they would lose their desire to go back home. In the book they stopped at an island for rest and food, and three of his men found the lotus flower and ate it.

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This piece of evidence shows that Odysseus is loyal to his crewmates because he could have left his crewmates on the Island of the Lotus-Eaters, but he decided to help them. Also, this shows Odysseus’ patience because, after all, his crewmates did help him for 10 years at war. Additionally, Odysseus and 50 other men had to carry 450 men that didn’t want to be carried and taken away from the island. That must have been infuriating and tiresome. Furthermore, Odysseus is determined to get home because after all the obstacles he faced the #1 thing on his agenda was to arrive home to Ithaca even if it means that he has to come home bony, old, and dreary.

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Odysseus found out that they would drug people so he told his men to stay away from the Lotus-Eaters if they wanted to return home. Odysseus took good leadership by telling them what to do in order to keep them safe.

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Odysseus and his men had travel to the island of the Lotus eaters when he drove “... them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest: “ all hands a board; come, clear the beach and no one taste the Lotus or you lose your hope of home.” (Book 9, lines 48-52, textbook). Odysseus saved three of his man and brought them back to the ship, saving them from a long weary death. Odysseus also taught his remaining man a lesson and showed his men how clever he was in this dire situation. As Odysseus is fleeing from the Laestrygonians, he “...shouted rapid orders at my shipmates: ‘Put your backs in the oars- now row or die… my ship alone… we… escaped our death yet at heart for the dear companions we had lost.”

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Would you feast on my companions?”(Homer 441). Due to this, his men were annoyed with him and he is portrayed as greedy since he wanted to taunt the Cyclops. Furthermore, Odysseus is a selfish person. When Odysseus and his men were going through the river, “{He}/ told them nothing, as they could do nothing” (Homer 663-664). Since Odysseus didn't tell his men they were going to die, he is a selfish person because of this.

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Upon the coastline of lotus eaters Odysseus sends out 2 men and a runner to see what is on the land. He later notices that the lotus flowers his men have been eating make them not want to leave the island. Odysseus first shows his men loyalty when he goes to get his men no matter how much of a fight they put up and he then ties them to the ship so they can’t escape. Odysseus says to his men, “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, / tied them down under their rowing benches, / and called the rest” (Homer 9. 48-50). While on Calypso’s Island, Calypso falls in love with Odysseus and wants him to stay even offering him immortality.

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Another time, when his men ate the sacred cattle of Helios, a wicked storm was set upon their ship. Odysseus was casted into the sea, where he had to swim as fast as he could so he would not get sucked into the sea’s swallowing mouth. He found a tree on one of the rocks. For countless hours, he held on to the branch while waves continuously smashed against him. Not only did he have physical strength, but also mental strength not to let go and die.

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After this journey, however Odysseus becomes humble, strategic and is less negligent than before. This is shown in lines through in the episode The Lotus Eaters when Odysseus could eat the lotus and forget all about his troubles, however he never gives up and keeps going and pushing to get home, “but those who ate this honeyed plant, the Lotus, never cared to report, nor to return: they longed to stay forever, browsing on that native bloom, forgetful of their homeland. I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest:’All hands aboard; come, clear the bench and no one taste the Lotus, or you lose your hope of home”(Lotus 44-52). In this excerpt, we see Odysseus figure out the secret of the lotus and instead of him letting himself forget about his journey and worries he drives his men who are crying out for him to stop and screaming he ties them to their rowing stations and orders them to row and subsequently allows them to return

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Homer's The Odyssey gives great meaning to these inquiries and debates the question whether or not Odysseus should deserve loyalty. From his wife, Penelope, sure; from his slaves, like his swineherd Eumaeus, okay; but from his crew? The only one to return back from Troy was Odysseus, but despite being the only one to come home,

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774 Words | 4 Pages

One way that Odysseus shows cleverness is when he is able to get his men out of dangerous situations. Two stories in which Odysseus uses his cleverness to get him and his men out of dangerous situations are in “Scylla and Charybdis”, and “The Cyclops”. Another way how Odysseus shows his cleverness is he deceives others to his advantage. In “The Cyclops” he deceives Polyphemus when he tricks him into thinking his name is Nohbody, and this helps him to escape the island and not get caught. Cleverness is a trait in The Odyssey that helped Odysseus to get him and his men out of dangerous situations, and cleverness also helped deceive others to Odysseus’

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Three abreast, I tried them silently together, twining cords of willow from the ogre’s be; then slung a man under each middle one to ride there safely, shielded left hand right, “ (lines 418-426) Odysseus was trying to come up with a way to get his men and himself out of Polyphemus’ cave. This quote displays Odysseus’ cleverness when he comes up with the idea to get his men and himself out of Polyphemus’ cave. This quote is significant because Odysseus shows another trait, cleverness, that a good leader has.

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