Preview

The Character Kirke In Homer's The Odyssey

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
553 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Character Kirke In Homer's The Odyssey
A hero today shows characteristics such as bravery and courage. In Ancient Greece a very important trait to have was heroism . In our cities and in our world a hero stands up and protects us. When Odysseus went to Kirke island it was a big conflict in the story. Kirke, is the beautiful witch goddess who host Odysseus and his men at her house. Through the character Kirke, Homer shows that in order to be a true hero one must have hospitality, Loyalty and Physical Strength.

In the book, The Odyssey, Kirke shows many ways a true hero acts. One of these ways that she shows is hospitality. Kirke shows a great example of hospitality by hosting graciously and warmly Odysseus’ men who came from escaping the Cyclops “On thrones she seated them, and lounging chairs, while she prepared a meal of cheese and barley and amber honey.”(Homer
…show more content…
Kirke shows her intelligence by minipling Odysseus to give her attention for some direction. After she intelligently sang a song with her beautiful voice that made them come toward her house. When they came in the house Odysseus’s men were turned into pigs after putting a potion in their soup she them a swineherd. “and break her spell; but make her swear by heaven and hell no witches’ tricks, or else, your harness shed, you’ll be unmanned by her as well.”(Homer 395) Kirke gives Odysseus cause she wants to put a spell on him but, Odysseus is aware of this situation. Kirke showed much intelligence

In, The Odyssey, Homer showed that to be a hero that he must have hospitality, loyalty and intelligence. Kirke first displayed hospitality by letting Odysseus and his men stay at his house. Secondly, he showed loyalty by helping Odysseus on the rest of his trip and telling him where to go. Lastly Kirke showed her intelligence by minpliging Odysseus and his men while staying at her home. Kirke is a hero to Odysseus and his men that showed three hero-like

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In The Odyssey an epic poem by Homer, Odysseus goes on a twenty year voyage which includes the Trojan War when a sea nymph named Kalypso holds Odysseus captive. During this trip Odysseus meets a lot of new people and when he meets these new people they treat him like he is family, this concept is known as hospitality. In this epic poem this theme is constantly shown by some of the main characters and other characters too. Most forms of hospitality are good but at times there is also bad hospitality shown. Both positive and negative examples of hospitality exist in The Odyssey; Homer uses both these examples to suggest that good hospitality shows loyalty and nobility to others while bad hospitality shows that that person does not care about…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    {Odysseus was a hero because he was very brave throughout the many perils he encountered on the voyage home from the Trojan War. Odysseus tried his hardest to get all of his men home however he knew if he didn’t sacrifice some men no one would get home. Odysseus was clever and a bit of a smart-aleck he used these traits to his advantage. He lost all of his men because they wouldn’t listen to him. He tried to save them all however they refused to listen to him.}…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I’ll show you our town, tell you our people’s name” (Odyssey, Book 6, lines 204-205, 210-213). This is the proper way a guest was expected to be treated in Ancient Greek times. She welcomes him to their land and offers him clothing. Later when the maids are being disrespectful to Odysseus, Nausicaa tells them, “Enough. Give the stranger food and drink, my girls” (Odyssey, Book 6, lines 272-273). This is another example of good hospitality in the epic poem. This is how guests were expected to be treated. At one point on his visit there, Echeneus tells King Alcinous,…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the epic The Odyssey, the epic hero Odysseus exhibits man heroic traits, the most important of which is intellect. In The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus first shows intellect in the island of the Lotus Eaters. He chooses to go onto the island and grab his men that got addicted to the lotus. They have lost all hope in returning home.…

    • 375 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus is a hero because of how he got all the suitors out of the house. I believe that he is a hero for that because of the way that they just moved in and tried to marry his wife. Also that they were eating all of his animals fruit and other things also that they were drinking all of his wine. They were also mean to his servants and to son which made him mad at them. Then when he came they did not know and they were treating him like that he was nothing and that he should die. So that is the reason why he had to kill all of the suitors.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A hero is somwone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself- Joesph Campbell. Odysseus is an an optimal hero in both the physical and metal sense. In the physical sense he is a tremendus hero, because he was challenged to all these extreme dangourous adventures; he umexpectly walks out alive after questioning for ten years long and facing the most extraordinarily dangerous creatures and people. Why would Homer set up this whole exciting experience with all the strange comings that Odysseus has to go through, if this was not to show that this stong and intelligent man is a great hero of the Greek world? What will a strong itelligent hero of greek times look like?…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    On the subject of heroism, Maya Angelou once wrote that “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people” (Angelou). The general picture that comes to mind when the word “hero” is said is the idea of Superman or Wonder Woman; however, a true hero is anyone who tries to make their world a better place. Odysseus, the hero in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, fought in the Trojan War and embarked on a ten year journey to return to his kingdom, Ithaca. During his quest to return home, he encounters many supernatural forces that show both his heroic, and not so heroic actions. He faces countless challenges, meets new people, and has to make sacrifices for the overall benefit of his crew (Bowler and Homer 645-705).…

    • 1620 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Odyssey, hospitality is one of the most important values. In modern times people rarely think of hospitality, but in Ancient Greece it was a pillar of the social structure. In addition, this guest-host relationship, commonly referred to as Xenia, proved to be a lot more than simple courtesy. In a time period where the world was still uncivilized, demonstrating good hospitality showed the mark of a civilized person. Numerous narratives within the Odyssey illustrate the value Homer places on showing good hospitality. He does this by showing bad things happening to those who abuse hospitality such as the suitors, and good things happening to those who practice good hospitality such as Eumaeus, the loyal cowhead.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A hero, in society’s eyes, possesses supernatural powers and demonstrates his justification of good and evil. But what really makes a hero? The Greeks had a well-specified idea of what attributes a hero needs. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer provides insight in the Ancient Greek civilization’s concept of a hero as one who possesses bravery and intelligence, yet also flaws.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Odysseus Is A Hero

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Odysseus is a hero. How is Odysseus a hero? According to Google, a hero is “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.”. In the Odyssey, I saw Odysseus as a hero because he was patriotic, humane and dexterous and there are a few times I see these qualities in the Odyssey. In this essay, I will discuss how Odysseus revealed his valiant and lionhearted ways throughout his long-lasting, venturesome journey.…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The actor, Christopher Reeve once said, “I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” This quote can be applied directly to Odysseus, the leading character in the epic Odyssey by Homer. Odysseus endures ten years of war, explained in The Iliad, encounters treacherous monsters, enchantresses, and beautiful goddesses. Odysseus is strengthened by his hankering to return home and to his wife and son. In the Odyssey, Homer uses Odysseus’ s character journey to show how one’s journey can change them as a person.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To start, Odysseus was developed with standard Greek heroic traits. First, Odysseus was courageous in the face of opposition, as shown by his encounter with Charybdis and Scylla. The protagonist of The Odyssey commanded his crew to row onwards in the face of the monsters, showing his courage. He was also intelligent, as he devised a plan to escape the wrath of Polyphemus. Odysseus made the Cyclops drunk with his liquor before blinding him and allowing his crew to escape on the underside of the sheep of the island. Finally, the main hero of the story was perseverant, as illustrated when he left Ogygia, battled Poseidon’s storms, and made it to King Alcinous’s island.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Homer's Odysseus: A Hero

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Odysseus was a quick witted man at warfare because he was known for his famous wooden horse trick. He came up with the idea of the "Trojan Horse". But what was his plan? It was to get the Greeks to hide in the Trojan horse and have the people of Troy to open the gates so the Greeks would attack. In my opinion this is a very clever and outstanding idea. All of this lead his men to victory. Which proved that he was intelligent.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the Epic, Odyssey by Homer Odysseus has to save his men and get them home. Odysseus is a modern day hero hero. He qualifies for the job because first he is brave, cunning, and determined. He made smart decisions and knows how to get out of sticky situations. Second he is brave and he is ready for whatever comes his way. Although the ancient greeks consider odysseus a hero epic hero, according Modern day to Ethos and Logos he fails to measure by modern standards.…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A hero is a person who has super powers or can do things normal people could not do. A hero is strong, smart and ladies call them “attractive”. A long time ago, a poet named Homer had written an epic poem called “The Odyssey”. In “The Odyssey”, there is a person with these traits named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through adventures for a long time trying to get home. Odysseus is an epic hero…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays