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Odysseus A Hero

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Odysseus: Hero or Not?
A hero can be defined as a person who has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is a respectable and well-followed leader. The Odyssey chronicles the poem’s epic hero, Odysseus, on his journey home to Ithaca with his men. En route, he encounters many obstacles and challenges but is able to overcome them using his own military knowledge and with help from the gods. Some may argue that Odysseus is not a hero because of the assistance he receives from the godsBecause of the assistance he receives from the gods, some may argue that Odysseus is not truly a hero. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is still a hero even with the god 's help because he battles the Cyclops on his own, is respected and followed …show more content…

For example, when the Cyclops is drunk, Odysseus says that he is called ‘No-one’, and when the Cyclops calls for help he says “My friends, no force can damage me; No-one, No-one is using treachery” (Homer 182). The thought that Odysseus puts into his plan shows that he has thought about all aspects of their escape and has the whole plan created before carrying out the first part of it. This is a sign that Odysseus has great military and tactical knowledge, which is one of the things that helps identify him as a hero. Odysseus also stands out as a hero because of his remarkable military skills. Shortly later, after he has blinded the Cyclops, Odysseus is “seeking a decisive plan, a scheme to save both me and all my men… I bound the sheep together, three by three. I tied one comrade fast beneath the belly of each middle sheep, while two sheep - one to each side - served to guard my friend… I grasped his splendid fleece; faceup, I held it tight. So anxiously we waited for first light” (Homer 182). During this scenario, he is able to improvise and come up with a plan to save all of his men and himself without any help from the gods. Without Odysseus, the men would have all been eaten by the Cyclops. Odysseus’s military tact is one of the defining factors necessary for him to be recognized as a

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