Odysseus The Classic Greek Hero Essay example - 678 Words

An Epic Hero is a person who is a prominent figure in histories and legends. Epic heroes do not posses super powers, but rely on his or her own attributes to combat some sort of battle that a typical person could not accomplish. Such Epic Heroes are read about mostly in tall tales, myths, and legends, but they all own human traits that can relate to the average person. These human traits make it easy for people, such as the Greek people, to associate with the character. Inside Greek mythology qualities of braveness, determination, and decisiveness are prized. In Homers’ epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus’ traits are perfectly aligned with the values of the Greek people. Odysseus’ qualities include bravery, his heroism comes from the†¦show more content†¦This shows that Odysseus is self sacrificing and is daring enough to risk all for his men, he would even risk his own dream of going back home just for his men. This also shows that Odysseus is remarkable at fending off the fiercest of competitors. Courage and bravery comes easy for Odysseus who uses it wisely to go back home using his determination. The determination of this hero is immensely great, through his journey home he faces fierce foe who test his willpower to go home. Time is a big factor in Odysseus’ journey, it takes 20 years for Odysseus to go back home. This shows that Odysseus is very hardworking and by the end of his trip is very experienced. This shows that Odysseus is not travel-weary and through his time trying to get home has not lost his resolve to go home. Likewise a determined hero such as Odysseus does not let his obstacles overcome him, instead he overcomes his obstacles. This shows that Odysseus keeps on fighting for what he truly wants. This shows that Odysseus is not phased by obstacles that an ordinary person would perish in. Twenty years is a long time to get back home, but Odysseus proves that it is possible to go home if you have determination and guile Decisiveness is a great quality that Greeks admire and all heroes contain, Odysseus is a prime example of how good and bad choices make your journey epic. As an example, while approaching the Sirens Odysseus made theShow MoreRelatedCharacter Analysis Of Odysseus1063 Words   |  5 PagesThe Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer in Ancient Greek times and recently translated into English by Robert Fagles. The story is centered around a Greek hero, Odysseus. After a long fight in the Trojan War, Odysseus has to take a long, difficult journey home. This journey changes him in many ways, the most notable being his personality. Over the course of his trials, Odysseus transforms from the classic prideful and powerful Greek war hero, with little regard for morals, into a loyal, humbleRead MoreAnalysis Of Odysseus1716 Words   |  7 PagesKyle Hoffmann CPLT 2010 Paper 3 Odysseus from Hero to Villain One of the more famous characters of the ancient Greeks, Odysseus, has been written about for millennia. Homer composed an epic poem entirely about him. Dante wrote about Odysseus while describing his journey through the afterlife in Inferno. These two writers, though describing the same man, portray him in different lights – Homer lauding him as a valiant hero and Dante condemning him to burn for eternity. Each portrayal is a productRead MoreAnalysis Of O Brother And The Odyssey 1707 Words   |  7 PagesCulture Changing Classics As the world evolves, so does it’s cultures; furthermore, there are some exceptional parts of all cultures, such as literature, that manage to not become lost with the changes in the world, but these also become subject to the evolution of culture. A great example of a piece of culture that has managed to endure the test of time is Homer’s The Odyssey, and epic poem telling of Odysseus, a warrior and a king, and his long and trying journey back to his home country(FaglesRead MoreEssay on Gilgamesh and Odysseus996 Words   |  4 PagesGilgamesh and Odysseus were two heroes from two totally different time periods that were both in search of the meaning of life. The epics that the two characters are featured in Gilgamesh, was developed from early Mesopotamia and the Odyssey in early Greece. Gilgamesh was a very popular and it was very valuable to the historian of Mesopotamian culture because it reveals much about the religious world, such as their attitudes toward the g ods, how a hero was defined and regarded, views about deathRead MoreEssay about Women in Greek Stories: The Odyssey by Homer725 Words   |  3 Pageskeep to household in order. However, in Greek stories, women were given a major role and showed strength, wit, and cunning unusual to the stereotypical woman of the time. The Greek writers used women who possessed these traits to progress the plot and evoke the emotions famous in Greek drama and tragedies. In Homer’s â€Å"The Odyssey† Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, plays a pivotal role in advancing the plot through her mental strength and wit. While Odysseus is away, Penelope is bombarded by suitorsRead MoreSimilarities Between Achilles And Odysseus1110 Words   |  5 PagesHeroics (A Comparison of Heroic Traits Displayed by Achilles and Odysseus in Homer’s, Iliad and Odyssey) Humanity has always strived for greatness, and is destined to continue this attempt till the world stops spinning. Through the art of storytelling, and literature, we have weaved images of what the ideal human should be. Countless works of literature depict such humans as â€Å"heroes†, due to the inspiration they stir within our imperfect souls. Truly epic heroes shape future stories, and remainRead MoreThe Sermon On The Mount1530 Words   |  7 Pagesunrealistic because they are not typically considered ones of blessing. The people in the Roman empire, where Jerusalem was located, and where Jesus taught, would have grown up with stories of the Greek and Trojan war. Their heroes were opposite in character of those that Jesus taught would be blessed. Achilles and Odysseus, who were considered blessed by the gods, could not line up with Jesus’ teachings. Among those in history who could have lined up with this teaching, Socrates might come close, but his lifeRead MoreO dysseus Is A Hero?950 Words   |  4 Pagesmost people, Odysseus is believed as a hero. A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, achievements, and noble qualities. In one of Homer’s classic epics, The Odyssey, Odysseus is admired by many people as a man who has intelligence, nobility, and confidence. However, women who both loved and knew Odysseus than anyone, thought of him differently and knew him in depth. Through The Meadowlands and The Penelopiad, Circe and Penelope showed their strong opinions of this â€Å"hero† through theirRead MoreThe Role Of Changing Perception Of The Hero1137 Words   |  5 Pagesthe changing perception of the hero Who is a hero? How does the definition of a hero change over time? The Epic of Gilgamesh is perhaps the â€Å"longest and greatest literary composition written in cuneiform Akkadian† (Dalley 39) and told to an audience, while The Odyssey, and Oedipus the King came many centuries later. However, they all have a hero that represents the values of the society at the time. This paper is going to compare and contrast the ideal of the hero from ancient Mesopotamia in GilgameshRead MoreHero Comparison Essay: Odysseus vs Gandhi1619 Words   |  7 PagesHero Comparison Essay K A K 16/12/2011 A hero, a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability (Merriam-Webster). There are two types of heroes, epic heroes and modern heroes. Odysseus, one of the most famous epic heroes ever, will be compared to Mahatma Gandhi, a modern day hero, to see if there really is a large gap separating the two types. However, one thing is certain, modern heroes can be identical to epic heroes if they are larger than