ipl-logo

Unheroic Quality Of Odysseus In The Epic Poem The Odyssey

127 Words1 Pages
In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer Odysseus, the protagonist, was a soldier in the Trojan war that lasted ten years. On Odysseus’s journey He and his men face many obstacles along their way like monsters, temptresses, and gods. Odysseus was the only member of his crew to make it home to Ithaca, the island he was king of. Odysseus was away from Ithaca twenty years. Odysseus was unheroic because he was hypocritical, selfish, and arrogant. The first unheroic quality that Odysseus displayed was being hypocritical. Odysseus is hypocritical because slept with a another woman , but he killed his maids for sleeping with another man. The second unheroic quality that Odysseus displayed was being selfish. The third unheroic quality that Odysseus
Show More
Related
381 Words | 2 Pages

The role of the archetypal hero, who has incredible bravery, power, leadership, and determination, like Odysseus evolves in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Odysseus is a king who led his crew on a 10-year journey after a victory in the Trojan War. His motivation was to return home to his beloved wife, Penelope. The poem was written around the 8th Century BC and is set in Ancient Greece around 1200 B.C.E. Odysseus is the King of Ithaca, which is an important factor when considering him a hero. In Ancient Greece, being a member of royalty made Odysseus powerful and placed him in a leadership role.

Read More
994 Words | 4 Pages

The Odyssey by Homer is an epic poem about the adventures that Odysseus goes through on his journey back home after the trojan war. Odysseus is portrayed as a hero throughout the story, leading his comrades and saving his family from the suitors. While this is happening, Odysseus can be seen to exemplify hubris and kleos; greek terms one of which means excessive pride and the other respect and honor. The Odyssey also covers xenia; the hospitality and respect that goes mutually from a guest to a host, as an important topic in which the gods are involved heavily in. With all this in mind, Odysseus can be seen as more of an antagonist in contrast to what some may think.

Read More
1764 Words | 8 Pages

In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.

Read More
432 Words | 2 Pages

While Odysseus did have good intentions of bringing his men home, he continuously made poor and selfish decisions, and he was constantly putting his men in danger more often than

Read More
476 Words | 2 Pages

Odysseus is the main character of The Odyssey which is an epic by Homer. Odysseus can be portrayed as not heroic, but you could say he is an epic hero and he does possess all the qualities to be one. On Odysseus’ time away from home he travels over a vast setting and he is also a great warrior. Odysseus travels far and wide: “West from Ilium brought me to Ismarus(40,983)...

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.

Read More
865 Words | 4 Pages

In The Odyssey Homer makes Odysseus’ journey to his beloved Ithaca excruciating. Odysseus encounters many friends and foes throughout his journey and has to be a leader throughout his experiences. As an example, he encounters Polyphemus and Poseidon, both of whom make his journey mentally and physically painful. Odysseus faces countless scenarios in which he has to save multiple people in those situations. He also encounters the suitors, who are a group of men that try to marry Penelope, when he returns to reclaim his home.

Read More
688 Words | 3 Pages

The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.

Read More
913 Words | 4 Pages

Every hero has at least one fatal flaw that makes them human. Odysseus's is

Read More
1042 Words | 5 Pages

“Character Development and Analysis of Odysseus in ‘The Odyssey’” Odysseus, the Ithacan king portrayed in Homer’s “The Odyssey”, is a complex and round character that develops further and further as the epic poem progresses. These traits are crucial to the representation and image of the main character of the epic. Not only does “The Odyssey” reveal numerous attributes of Odysseus, but also helps the reader and the audience understand the features of the ancient Greek world. Several specific incidents and events in the epic demonstrate the development of Odysseus’ character and the development of the epic as a whole.

Read More
472 Words | 2 Pages

However, there are some characteristics that do not seem to match up. Odysseus is shown to be loyal, generous, and trustworthy but we cannot see much of these personalities on

Read More
508 Words | 3 Pages

The first trait is that he is a very arrogant person and this often puts him and his men in danger. Secondly, Odysseus can be deceitful and not fully communicate the facts of each situation. Odysseus was a weak leader and his lack of vision in not seeing the strength and possibilities in his men combined with his inability to effectively communicate to those around him ultimately led to his failure of not being able to safely deliver his men back to Ithaca. The story of the Cyclops in Homer 's The Odyssey illustrated how Odysseus '

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

In the book The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, is a man who is loved and respected by many. In the beginning of the book, we learn that Odysseus has left on a journey and, since it has been many years since his departure, many people assume that he has passed. On his journey, he portrays his many traits, not all of them being good ones either. Some of his good traits include his cunning, bravery, and hard work ethic. On the other hand, his negative traits are his excessive pride, immense curiosity, and rather large temper.

Read More
541 Words | 3 Pages

The Odyssey by Homer is a book that involves the Journey of Odysseus and his men and the Obstacles they come across. The Odyssey portrays many themes including vengeance, hospitality, courage, bravery and more. Odysseus experiences some good and bad during his journey. He comes across people who help him, but also comes across creatures who hold him back. Odysseus is an Epic hero because of his quick thinking skills, bravery, and confidence for himself and his men.

Read More
1058 Words | 5 Pages

The Epic Hero of The Odyssey The Odyssey is a tale of a great hero trying to get home. An epic hero. An epic hero is a courageous and honorable person. Homer’s character Odysseus exemplifies this in many ways.

Read More

More about Unheroic Quality Of Odysseus In The Epic Poem The Odyssey

Related Topics

Open Document