Premium Essay

Odysseus Heroic Traits

Submitted By
Words 1029
Pages 5
Isabelle Kim Mr. Wiegman English 1 Honors 21 May 2024 The Epic Hero Mahatma Gandhi once said, “A true hero is not defined by their strength but by their ability to inspire and lead others.” His words inspired others that heroes are not determined by being physical but also by the capacity to motivate and guide others. In The Odyssey, Odysseus shows his heroic traits of his cleverness when he stabbed Polyphemus in the eye allowing him and his men to escape the cave. Additionally, he shows loyalty as part of his traits by staying loyal to Penelope throughout the 20 years despite being offered love by Circe. Ultimately, his pride was his fatal flaw, causing his journey to take 20 years to return home. Throughout his journey, Odysseus shows many heroic traits that define him …show more content…
These examples highlight Odysseus’ loyalty and commitment. Odysseus has a lot of heroic qualities and traits that help him throughout his epic journey, but pride serves as his flaw. His over-the-top confidence delayed his journey home. Odysseus shows his pride during his encounter with Polyphemus. After blinding the Cyclops with a handcrafted wooden sword and escaping the cave, Odysseus is incapable of resisting taunting the Cyclops by revealing his true identity and boasting about his victory. Odysseus pridefully states, “If ever a mortal man inquires how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye.”(457-460). Odysseus declares this action by thinking he will not have any consequences, however, this act angers Poseidon which delays Odysseus’ return back home to Ithaca. Additionally, when Odysseus and his men sail away from the Sirens, Odysseus wanted to hear their enchanting voice knowing the danger and consequences of hearing it. This showcases his arrogance by risking his own life and endangering his crew just because of his

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Heroic Traits Of Odysseus In The Odyssey

...person that earns fame because of their heroic traits or actions. In Star wars, Luke skywalker is a citizen of Tatooine who goes on an adventure and shows heroic traits along the way, making him famous. Similarly, In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is the king of Ithaca before he embarks on a journey and uses his heroic traits, that include determination and leadership, to get him home. He then becomes famous, like Luke Skywalker did, because of his heroic traits. Similar to Odysseus, I also posses the heroic traits of determination and leadership. The first trait that Odysseus and I share is determination. Odysseus shows persistence when he is stuck in the cyclops’ cave and there seems to be no hope. He doesn’t give up and...

Words: 718 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Heroic Traits Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

...In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates many heroic traits, and he shares some of those traits with heroes in the modern real world. Odysseus is the main protagonist in The Odyssey. He faces many obstacles on his journey back to his home island of Ithaca, a place he holds dear to his heart. The aforementioned obstacles include beasts, monsters, temptation, an insatiable whirlpool, and betrayal. Of the many sour encounters, by far the most grueling was the one of the Cyclops. Odysseus’s actions in ‘The Cyclops” demonstrate that he is clever, which is a trait he has in common with Harriet Tubman. Odysseus and his American counterpart both share the trait of cleverness. In the episode of The Cyclops, Odysseus’s wit beyond measure...

Words: 520 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Odysseus Heroic Traits Essay

...The traits of an epic hero include a noble birth, the capability of performing deeds of great strength and courage, being a great warrior, traveling over a vast setting, national heroism, humility, and facing supernatural foes and/or receiving supernatural assistance. Odysseus displays all of these characteristics within The Odyssey. Odysseus is the son of Laertes and Anticleia and the king of Ithaca. He ruled over his kingdom with his wife, Penelope. When he is gone, many of the suitors wish to take his place as the king of Ithaca. He performs deeds of great strength and courage throughout his journey home to Ithaca. He is a fair captain to his crew and attempts to make sure they all get equal shares of whatever bounty they find. He defeats...

Words: 581 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Odysseus As A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

...Odysseus has everything he needs in order to take on the role of hero throughout his journey. In Odysseus’s personality, he possesses the ability to strategize. The protection and care that Odysseus gives to his men help in portraying him as a hero. Odysseus has a goal-oriented mindset, the work and effort he puts into achieving his goal shows the heroic side of him. The character traits worn by Odysseus’s personality make it easy to see the hero inside of him. Odysseus possesses character traits amongst a wide variety that make him a hero in Homer’s, The Odyssey. Having the ability to strategize in all aspects of life aids in the characterization of Odysseus as a hero; Odysseus clearly displays his abilities through his decisions over the...

Words: 1237 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Heroes In The Odyssey

...Heroes come in many ways, shapes, and forms. The character Odysseus is indeed one of them. The story “The Odyssey” is an epic poem written by the author Homer. The main character in the story is named Odysseus, King of Ithaca. In the story, King Odysseus leaves from the land of Ithaca, to far lands across the ocean. On his twenty- five -year journey, he encounters many monsters, frightening creatures, gods, goddesses, and more. This story tells many life lessons that can be learned and followed. Odysseus is definitely a heroic figure in this epic poem. Throughout the story, Odysseus faces many troubles, hardships, failures, and worries throughout the story. Because of the many brave actions and characteristics Odysseus shows throughout the...

Words: 639 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Odysseus As A Hero In Homer's Odyssey

...kindness, and might. Odysseus from The Odyssey by Homer has many heroic qualities same goes to Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. While Odysseus has earned his place in being a hero, it is clear that Dorothy tops off the list with heart full of courage. It is true that Odysseus is a hero because he is courageous, determined, and mighty, however he performs those things in a stingy way. To begin, Odysseus is courageous. According to the text, “There was a loud hiss as the burning wood pierced the watery membrane” (Homer 27). While some people believe Odysseus is courageous because he stabs the cyclops in the eye,...

Words: 488 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Traits Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

...heroes, you think about someone who wears a cape or superman. But what about Odysseus? The Odyssey by Homer is about Odysseus’s long journey to get back home and facing many obstacles. Through his adventure and the obstacles Odysseus had many traits that made him a heroic character. One of the many traits Odysseus has was being brave. In the part 1 Odysseus sails to the Sirens island and tells his men to tie him up and to not untie him even if he begs them to, while he stuffed his men’s ear with beeswax. Odysseus shows bravery by this because he listened to a dangerous song that could have gotten him and his men killed but he found a way to make sure they were safe. Another part Odysseus shows his bravery was when he went up against the cyclops and fooled him. Odysseus protected him men by fooling the cyclops and blinding him so his men and himself and can get out safely instead of having the cyclops eat all of them. Everyone should be brave and take some risks once in awhile instead of playing it safe and never getting anywhere in life....

Words: 525 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Tragic Hero Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

...interpreted in many ways throughout the ages an Odysseus is one literary hero that stands the test of time. There are many heroic traits that makes Odysseus in The Odyssey a hero even in today's world. The first trait that makes him a hero is Odysseus is hubristic which is one of his flaws. The next trait is he is stro In the Odyssey Odysseus portrays many traits that make him a hero such as his flaws. In multiple books he shows how hubristic or pride he is especially in book nine at the cyclops island. When Odysseus and his crew first arrived on the island Odysseus picks out a dozen of his best fighters to scope out the island. They find one of the cyclops caves and de themselves at home and “built a fire, set...

Words: 663 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Heroic Qualities In The Odyssey

...and are able to sympathize with others. Odysseus, from the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, is a man who obtains these hero-like qualities. Unfortunately, he has been away from home for ten years due to the many obstacles he encountered on his journey back to his home island, Ithaca. In this story, he shows hero-like traits to many people. He defeated the cyclops, Polyphemus, from trapping him and his men, slept with the enchantress Circe, he is able to pass the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis who blocked his and his men's path home, encountered walking corpses in the Land of the Dead to meet Tiresias, and cried for his dog,...

Words: 1955 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Derek Redmond Characteristics

...What defines a hero and what makes them heroic. Most of us think of the summer blockbuster hero who can save the world through unpractical means. This creates an unhealthy fantasy about the definition of a hero. A true hero is determined like Derek Redmond who never stopped training after his frequent injuries. Also the brave Lt. winters who fought behind enemy lines during the cold chilly winters of the battle field. The wise hero Odysseus who used every means to outsmart every situation he was presented. There are many heroic traits but I feel determination, bravery, and wisdom are a few important traits. For example the determination of Derek Redmond was demonstrated at an Olympic event. Redmond had multiple injuries before the race which resulted in him forfeiting other events. Despite the obstacles that he faced he trained as hard as he could to prepare for the 92’ Olympics, where Redmond tore a hamstring mid race and fell to the ground in agony. The Olympian wanted to finish this race making him avoid the stretcher and limped to the finish line in misery. Redmond’s father rushed towards his son telling Redmond that he needs to stop. Redmond refused but instead of his father abandoning him Derek's father joined him. Devastated by his injury he still continued to...

Words: 565 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Odysseus: A True Epic Hero

...odyssey there is a character named Odysseus. Odysseus goes on an amazing journey and along his way he goes through many things that mold him into an epic hero. Odysseus also proves his heroism through his behavior. During the story Odysseus often presents us with his great intelligence, his superhuman strength, and also his great leadership and bravery. However though Odysseus does not always act like a hero and does immoral things but when the time is right, the true heroic side of him will come out and we will see how heroic Odysseus really is. Odysseus is a true epic hero and has the the personal characteristics to prove it. Throughout the Odyssey Odysseus presents us with examples of his superhuman strength. That is characteristic...

Words: 843 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Arrogance In The Odyssey

...the Odyssey, Odysseus exhibits his most prominent heroic trait of courage, but unfortunately, also demonstrates the human characteristic of arrogance. Even though Odysseus is seen as a hero, he has bad qualities too. Odysseus has the two main qualities of courage and arrogance which he demonstrates while fighting the cyclops and traveling throughout the seas with his crew. Homer exhibits these traits all throughout the story by presenting Odysseus as a war like hero with no flaws, when further throughout the story you are able to see all of Odysseus most human like qualities. . Odysseus has many characteristics that he portrays all throughout the book of the Odyssey. A couple of his most prominent heroic qualities are courage...

Words: 1027 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Self-Sacrifice In Homer's Odyssey

...In The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many heroic traits. The one heroic trait that stood out the most to me was self-sacrifice. The first episode that Odysseus shows self-sacrifice when he goes last out of the Cyclopes cave. He comes up with the plan to tie his men to the bottom of sheep to escape the cyclops (personally I would rather be crushed and eaten by the cyclops in the most brutal way possible than be tied to animal but that’s irrelevant). Odysseus also held on to the leader sheep and went last to make sure his men were okay before he went. Odysseus almost gets caught by the cyclops because of him letting his men go first (I think that would be a great ending to this poem). The second episode where Odysseus showed self-sacrifice was...

Words: 275 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Odysseus

...November 18, 2012 World Literature I Odysseus and the idealist Don Quixote What is a hero? To be a hero means winning honor through competitive combat in ancient Greece and the middle ages. In those historic eras warriors, knights, and kings were honored the most. A hero was someone with a smooth fighting technique and would face death at any moment. Heroes were the people who would lead their armies, fellow knights, and comrades into battle and earned tributes for their courage and great deeds performed during their combat. In other light, the cowards of ancient Greece and the middle ages were considered a burden and were affronted. Throughout many books authors have explained different aspects of what it means to be a hero. Homer, author of the Odyssey, and Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, convey this characteristic frequently. In the Odyssey, Odysseus was a skillful fighter, but it was yet the proof Homer’s readers needed of his heroism. Odysseus also transpired characteristics of restraint and mercy. On the other hand, Cervantes’ character was not born a hero. He was fooled by chivalric ideas of heroism and sets out to reform the world along with his witty companion. Odysseus and Don Quixote are from two totally different eras, but both of them tried to conquer the world with their heroic acts. Not only their heroic acts made them well known, it’s also their imagination that makes them stand out. In comparison, imagination is what makes Quixote the hero, and imagination...

Words: 676 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Odysseus Heroic Acts

...What is a hero? A hero is someone who is admired for their courage, bravery, and noble qualities. Heroic acts are often celebrated because they show the strength of the human spirit and the ability to overcome challenges. In literature, we often see characters put to the test in various ways to determine whether they are truly heroic. In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, we see the protagonist Odysseus facing numerous challenges on his journey back home to Ithaca. In this essay, we will explore what constitutes a heroic act and whether Odysseus acted heroically on his journey. First, one of the key aspects of a heroic act is courage in the face of danger. In Book 9 of The Odyssey, we see Odysseus and his men facing the danger of the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus shows bravery as he devises a plan to blind the Cyclops and escape his clutches. He says, "I tied them [ram's wool] silently together, then slung a man under each middle one to ride there, shielded right and left by the others" (Book 9.). This shows Odysseus' quick thinking and bravery in taking on a giant who could easily overpower him and his men....

Words: 467 - Pages: 2