What makes a hero? From the story of “The Odyssey” by Homer. Odysseus is arrogant, unfaithful, and selfish. He shows these traits throughout “The Odyssey” while on his journey back home to Ithaca. He displays arrogance when he tells Polyphemus his name after they have escaped from the island of the cyclops and are sailing away. Arrogance is the act of revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance. Odysseus does not stop to think about the consequences that may come from telling Polyphemus…
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Free Will In Homers Iliad and Odyssey the characters constantly battle with themselves. The main characters are multidimensional and are given free will but it is expected by the gods to accept the punishment when they dishonore them or the customs of the society they live. Mortals usually blame the gods for their misfortunes; “Mortals! They are always blaming the gods for their troubles when their own witlessness causes them more than they are destined for!” (Odyssey 1.36)Although the decisions they…
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People who are considered heroes are usually those who display attributes that a particular society values. Although Odysseus is considered the hero of the Odyssey, many with a more contemporary worldview question why he is the hero after examining his blatantly obvious flaws. One of Odysseus’s major flaws is his double standard for chasteness. While Odysseus travels back to his family in Ithaca, he has relations with many women; yet, he expects his wife to remain completely dedicated to him despite…
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Arrogance, everybody is affected by this trait that is embedded into us; at work, in school, with friends, with families, but to what extent? What happens when arrogance can’t be controlled? When it takes over our ability to think straight? - Odysseus clearly shows how dangerous uncontrolled arrogance can be. After ten brutal years of fighting in a war, how difficult can a journey across the ocean be for the mighty warrior? He finally has the opportunity to return to Ithaca, to his wife, to his son……
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He a respected warrior from Ithaca and abandons his wife and newborn son fight for the return of Helen. To leave the ones he loves and to embark on a twenty year trek can only be achieved by a hero of epic proportion. In Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey, Odysseus is fit to be considered an “epic hero” because he exhibits the major established characteristics of the archetype. Odysseus' cleverness and quick thinking contribute to his identity as an epic hero. In the episode “The Cyclops,” he used…
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The Odyssey by Homer tells the story of Odysseus, ten years after the fall of Troy. Lost at sea, he wishes to return to his home Ithaka. In his palace, suitors overrun his home, ready to marry Odysseus’ wife, Penelope. Believing that the dead, the suitors endeavor to convince Penelope to marry one of them, even as she remains faithful to Odysseus. Odysseus’ son, Telemakhos, searches at the islands of Odysseus’ old comrades to know the whereabouts of his father. Unknown to the suitors and Telemakhos…
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characteristics and several abominable weaknesses. Our greatest moments and our darkest days originate in these different qualities. Not even the best of us can claim to be immune to this very human condition. Not even the great Greek hero Odysseus, from The Odyssey, by Homer, was superior. Odysseus's blend of characteristics brought him magnificence and tragedy. Some of Odysseus's traits are favorable and assist him in his adventures. Odysseus's greatest resource is his intelligence. One example of his intelligence…
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Others claim that his arrogance and stubbornness led to his downfall and ultimately his death. However, McCandless did not go on this trip completely blind, he planned this adventure and tried to do his best to survive with his capabilities. During his trip in Alaska he states…
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ideal heroes. However, Homer, composer of The Odyssey, does not use his epic poem to model this image. As you follow Odysseus on his ten-year journey home succeeding the Trojan War, his disposition is truly revealed. On the outside, his accomplishments make him appear to be a perfect hero. However, after looking deeper into his underlying personality, readers are not so sure. His perpetual disloyalty, hubris, curiosity and mercilessness disqualify…
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Troy during its tenth year. Throughout The Iliad we see major characters that are humans, and we also see Gods playing significant roles throughout this epic poem. The Gods, in my opinion, play such a great part in the war that I would suggest they cause the battle. My reasoning for this is because of the question the Goddesses pose to Paris. The three Goddesses ask Paris which amongst the three were the greatest/ prettiest of them all. Paris chose Aphrodite, and his gift from Aphrodite was to obtain…
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