Odysseus Is Not A Hero Essay

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There are many different characteristics of a hero. A hero is not just someone who has overcome a huge struggle in their life, but someone who goes to extraordinary measures to do so. I believe that a hero should be someone that people can not only relate to, but also look up to as well. They should be a person that is kind, honest, loyal, and selfless. However, there are some people that are regarded as heroes, but should not be called heroes at all. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus, should not be viewed as a hero because he is selfish, violent, and dishonest. One reason why Odysseus should not be considered a hero is because he is extremely selfish. On several occasions, he is disloyal to his wife. While he is traveling home, he sleeps with several women, while his wife, Penelope, is expected to remain loyal even though there are hundreds of suitors begging for her hand in marriage. He also makes decisions based on his own curiosity, not the well-being of the crew. For example, when his crew followed him into the giant’s cave to gather cheese and …show more content…
Heroes are supposed to care about the people that they are leading, not mock them. Odysseus constantly pushed his crew members’ ideas and strategies aside, and he was not bothered by the idea of sacrificing a couple of them to save himself and other members of the crew. He was very egocentric. Odysseus only cared about getting himself back home to his family, and he did not acknowledge the fact that everyone on the ship had families that they would want to see again. His crew would never get to see their homes again because they were all killed. When he finally did get back home, he murdered all the suitors that were in his house and some of the handmaidens that worked for him. This was not a necessary accomplishment. He could have thrown them in jail or punished them some other way, instead of taking their

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