Heroic Qualities In The Odyssey
In the Odyssey, Odysseus is described by many as a hero with great courage, wisdom and godlike qualities, but his actions throughout the epic may shed light on some of his less heroic qualities and how the Homeric image of a hero and how the modern image of a hero may differ.
Odysseus leads a large group of soldiers during the Trojan war and is spoken about as a great leader by other heroes and kings. However, Odysseus might not be the great leader he is praised as. He doesn’t trust his fellow crewmembers with essential details at many times, such as when he neglects to mention “Scylla/how to fight that nightmare?” for fear “the men would panic, desert their oars and huddle down and stow themselves away” (Book 12, line 386) and also when he …show more content…
A hero would not be thought of today as thinking of people as less than them. This shows the hubris of Odysseus, another detrimental feature of the King of Ithaca. His ego and pride are a huge flaw in his character which often can also lead to the death of his friends. On the island of the cyclops he would not leave the cave of Polyphemus even though it looked dangerous until he “saw him, saw what gifts he’d give” (Book 9, line 260) and even though it appropriate to arrogantly “set our hands on the cheeses” and “eat the bulk ourselves and [settle] down inside” (Book 9, line 260). This excessive entitlement leads to many of Odysseus’ men being slaughtered by the giant when even a soldier of Odysseus’ had suggested they take the food and leave rather than risking being killed, which Odysseus ignores. Another flaw of Odysseus is his infidelity to Penelope. While she waits loyally for Odysseus to come back he sleeps around with both Circe and Calypso. He makes it sound like he was forced to sleep with Calypso “since the nymph no longer pleased” (Book 5, line 170) but it is in fact shown that he at some time wanted to based on
Odysseus leads a large group of soldiers during the Trojan war and is spoken about as a great leader by other heroes and kings. However, Odysseus might not be the great leader he is praised as. He doesn’t trust his fellow crewmembers with essential details at many times, such as when he neglects to mention “Scylla/how to fight that nightmare?” for fear “the men would panic, desert their oars and huddle down and stow themselves away” (Book 12, line 386) and also when he …show more content…
A hero would not be thought of today as thinking of people as less than them. This shows the hubris of Odysseus, another detrimental feature of the King of Ithaca. His ego and pride are a huge flaw in his character which often can also lead to the death of his friends. On the island of the cyclops he would not leave the cave of Polyphemus even though it looked dangerous until he “saw him, saw what gifts he’d give” (Book 9, line 260) and even though it appropriate to arrogantly “set our hands on the cheeses” and “eat the bulk ourselves and [settle] down inside” (Book 9, line 260). This excessive entitlement leads to many of Odysseus’ men being slaughtered by the giant when even a soldier of Odysseus’ had suggested they take the food and leave rather than risking being killed, which Odysseus ignores. Another flaw of Odysseus is his infidelity to Penelope. While she waits loyally for Odysseus to come back he sleeps around with both Circe and Calypso. He makes it sound like he was forced to sleep with Calypso “since the nymph no longer pleased” (Book 5, line 170) but it is in fact shown that he at some time wanted to based on