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The Odysseus: An Epic Hero

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Odysseus an Epic Hero

Have you ever wondered what made Odysseus and epic hero? According to Wikipedia he was the Greek king of Ithaca and a hero of Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. The Odyssey made him famous for his journey after the Trojan war started. After a ten year journey Odysseus was admired, but also hated by many civilians and even gods. To many people Odysseus was a man full of courage, great leadership, and was love towards his family.

It took Odysseus a lot of courage to leave his wife Penelope and their son Telemachus to go on the ten year journey. Even though that he made a big mistake in telling the cyclops his true identity. He gained the courage to fight a cyclopes and Poseidon. Not only was he courageous he was …show more content…

For example when he fell asleep while his men ate Helios' cattle that caused the death of several men. On the other hand Odysseus did communicate with his crew about the dangers there were, as well as it seemed that he made the right choices when he faced Charybdis and Scylla. His leadership choices became better as he traveled back to Ithaca. Certainly Odysseus was a good leader within the 10 year journey through the Greek sea.

Another factor that made Odysseus an epic hero was the great love he had towards his wife and son. When Calypso held him captive she offered him immortality in return for love. Odysseus refused her offer, after he resisted her offer Hermes came and liberated with Zeus order. Odysseus showed that he would rather be mortal and be with his wife and son than get married with Calypso just, for immortality and other powers.

Odysseus had his flaws just like any other person, but indeed he did represent the courage, good leadership, and love towards everything he did and had. There is many ways to be considered to be an epic hero, not necessarily for just having supernatural powers. For example Odysseus was a regular mortal that had help from the gods and still accomplished many things. The courage, leadership, and love that Odysseus showed is what made him an epic hero in Homer's epic poem The

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“A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others,” said Douglas MacArthur. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus the epic hero, portrays these same traits in his leadership of his shipmates. He leads them though victories and consoles them through losses. He is sought out for his wisdom and intelligence, and he is well respected for his consistent bravery. Although from an outside perspective Odysseus may seem calm, fearless, and stable, during the many obstacles he faces on his trip home, different sides to is character are revealed.

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