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Odysseus As A Hero Essay

450 Words2 Pages

The odyssey, an epic told by Homer in ancient greece, has many major themes following odysseus’s adventures. While Odysseus is sentenced to never return home after the Trojan War. He is overcoming challenges to return home to his wife penelope and his son Telemachus. Throughout the story major themes of loyalty, hospitality and vengeance are hidden within the plot. The story continues to show his heroic side with three major traits. His first trait is being exceptionally skilled continued with cleverness and bravery. Despite Odysseus’s challenges he proves himself a hero because of the actions that show him as skilled, clever and brave.
Odysseus is exceptionally skilled in many ways aiding him from each challenge to the next. When Odysseus is trapped in the cave with the Cyclops he decides to us his skills to make a stake to blind the monster, “[He] hewed [the stake] again to make a stake with a point at the end.” (Homer. 971.1:230-233) Odysseus …show more content…

For instance, Odysseus upon meeting the Cyclops announces, “my name is Nohbody.”(Homer972.1:273) He does not reveal his identity so that when the cyclops is blinded and the other Cyclops asks who blinded him he replied Nobody. Another example of his cleverness is when he explains to his crew why he decided not to kill the Cyclops, “If I [kill]ed him we [perish]ed t[here] as well, for we could never move his ponderous doorway slab aside.”(Homer.1.:204-206) Since a human could not move the door way he uses his wits to blind the cyclops so that he may move the door. Cleverness is highlighted once again when Odysseus is warned of the sirens deceiving calls that will drag them into the rocks and “[He] carrie[s]d wax along the line and laid it thick in their ears.” (Homer 982.2:43-44) The wax in their ears will stop them from hearing the sirens and will continue on their journey without

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