Essay On Odysseus Is An Epic Hero
Beowulf, Percy Jackson, and Harry Potter are all extraordinary heroes but what makes their tale even better is their journey that turns them into an epic hero, distinguishing them from normal everyday heroes. An epic hero is someone who goes on a dangerous journey, has help from supernatural forces in a mystical realm, almost gives up because of the great tribulations they face, but persevere on and reach a point of rebirth and restituting. The tale of Odysseus in The Odyssey by Homer, is considered an epic but the hero of this story is still undefined. Though some may argue that Odysseus is the epic hero, his lack of ability to escape challenges on his own and the absence of his abyss stage because of his eagerness to return to Ithaca, he is not a true epic hero.
Throughout the epic, Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, comes up with plans to keep Odysseus alive and out of danger instead of Odysseus fighting the problem himself. For example, while Odysseus fights to regain his house and wife from the suitors inhabiting his house, he is taunting them with killings and “the six {suitors} volleyed eagerly, but Athena made them all miss” (Homer 276). Odysseus survives because Athena changes the suitor's aim which allows him to live as he continues his conquest. Also, instead of dodging the spears thrown Odysseus knows the gods are on his side so he does not even think to fear his life and try to retaliate to save himself. Similarly, on …show more content…
Epic heroes represent a valuable lesson in the authors epic, and misclassifying who the heroes are leads to the missing of thematic lessons. Epic heroes tell of a world of fantasy in which they fight demons, conquer seemingly impossible challenges, and work to keep their world at peace one journey at a
Throughout the epic, Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, comes up with plans to keep Odysseus alive and out of danger instead of Odysseus fighting the problem himself. For example, while Odysseus fights to regain his house and wife from the suitors inhabiting his house, he is taunting them with killings and “the six {suitors} volleyed eagerly, but Athena made them all miss” (Homer 276). Odysseus survives because Athena changes the suitor's aim which allows him to live as he continues his conquest. Also, instead of dodging the spears thrown Odysseus knows the gods are on his side so he does not even think to fear his life and try to retaliate to save himself. Similarly, on …show more content…
Epic heroes represent a valuable lesson in the authors epic, and misclassifying who the heroes are leads to the missing of thematic lessons. Epic heroes tell of a world of fantasy in which they fight demons, conquer seemingly impossible challenges, and work to keep their world at peace one journey at a