Odysseus is a captain, above all. One who is in command, who must make important decisions. Now, though some of these decisions may have resulted in the death of his crew mates, I think it is important to consider his heroism in other areas of his life. From being the man who brought about the destruction of the Trojans during war time to his many warnings to his crew of the dangers of their journey, his heroics have far outweighed his villainous acts. It is hard for me to say, but sacrifices needed to be made, and he did what he could to bring his men home, however unsuccessfully he did so.

First up, we have the making of the Trojan Horse. Athena, favoring Odysseus, came to him and instructed him to create a giant wooden horse to trick the …show more content…
During his last night with Circe, she provides him with instructions for surviving the perils ahead, such as the sirens and the monster sisters. Following these instructions, Odysseus and his men survive the first situation - the sirens. This is done simply by putting wax in the ears so as to block out the siren's song. Always the rebel though, Odysseus has his men tie him up to the mast without wax in his ear so that he may hear the siren song. All goes well, and this trial is easily passed. Unfortunately, we have the monster sisters next. Circe's instructions in this situation were to sail closer to Scylla, who would only kill six of his sailors, as opposed to sailing closer to Charybdis, who would most likely destroy the ship and the crew inside. Though it may still mean the death of some of his men, Odysseus follows Circe's orders and sails closer to Scylla who, as told, killed six of his men. Though this may seem like he was putting his life before others, this shows that he was willing to do what it took to save the majority of the crew - as many as he could - instead of possibly killing everyone. Sometimes, sacrifices must be made so that the greater good may be