Island Without His Crew Odysseus example essay topic

Odysseus the Hero For a character to be an epic hero, he must possess four characteristics. These four characteristics include the following: (1) he must be high born, (2) the hero must have human weaknesses, (3) he must be brave, and 4) he must be clever. In The Odyssey, Homer's character Odysseus was an epic hero because he possessed all four of the characteristics. One characteristic that Odysseus had to be an epic hero was that he was highborn. Odysseus was Prince Laertiades of Ithaca. The goddess Circe knew he was highborn and addressed Odysseus with his formal name 'Prince Laertiades... '; (p. 120).

When his men feared that he was dead and Odysseus returned to them unharmed, from their hearts they said, 'You are back again my prince! How glad we are... '; (p. 120). Also, because Odysseus had not returned home to Ithaca, many men tried to wed his wife, Penelope ia, so that they could rule his kingdom. Odysseus was also an epic hero because he had human weaknesses. One of his weaknesses was that he was arrogant. Even after he defeated Polyphemos (the Cyclops) Odysseus stayed longer just so he could taunt him.

He '... wanted to shout out again... although [his] comrades... tried to coax [him] not to do it'; (p. 110). Odysseus, against his crew's wishes, shouted, '... Cyclops! if ever a man asks you who put out your ugly eye, tell him your blinder was Odysseus!' ; (p. 110). Another human weakness of Odysseus was that he had a bad temper. When Eurylochos refused to go back to Circe's mansion, Odysseus '... thought for a moment that [he] would draw [his] sword and cut off his head... '; (p. 121). If his men did not stop him, Odysseus probably would have killed Eurylochos and therefore lost a good man because of his short temper.

Lust was another weakness of his. For Seven years Odysseus and Circe were lovers. Because he stayed with Circe, Odysseus prolonged his return home to Ithaca. Odysseus had many human weaknesses.

Another characteristic that Odysseus had to be an epic hero was that he was brave. Even though Eurylochos urged Odysseus to not go to Circe and leave the island without his crew Odysseus refused to. He responded to Eurylochos by saying '... as for me, go I must and go I will. ' ; (p. 117). Odysseus was a loyal leader, and even though he knew that he faced an impossible task, he went to Circe's to bring his men back to safety. Also, Odysseus was brave because he went right up to the Cyclops, after the Cyclops already ate two of his men, to execute a plan that would save them. Odysseus offered the '...

Cyclops [to] have a drink... '; (p. 107). Finally, Odysseus was brave because he went to the Kingdom of the Dead. Even though he feared Hades '... awful wife Persephone ia... '; (p 125), he still entered the dark underworld of the spirits. All of these events proved that Odysseus was a brave man. Lastly, Odysseus was an epic hero because he was clever. To save his men and himself from the Cyclops, Odysseus waited for the right moment and gave the Cyclops some of their wine that made Polyphemos drunk.

Finally the men poked out the Cyclops's eye. Odysseus' plan worked and they were freed from the Cyclops's cave. Another clever scheme that Odysseus did was when the Cyclops asked what Odysseus' name was he responded by saying that 'Nom an is my name... '; (p 107). When the Cyclops's eye was being poked out, he screamed for help and the other Cyclopes came.

Polyphemos screamed that 'no-man'; was killing him so the other Cyclopes went away. If no one was hurting him, they could not help their fellow Cyclops. Finally, Odysseus was clever because he hid his men under the rams that were tied in groups of three, with a man hidden under the middle ram. Not only did the surviving men safely escape the island, but they also sailed away with rams that would be able to feed his whole crew. Odysseus was a clever man. Homer's character Odysseus will forever be remembered as the first epic hero.

Not only did he possess all of the qualities of a hero (highborn, had human weakness, brave, and clever), but he also had that of a leader. '... You man stay here in this place... but as for me, go I must, and go I will. ' ; Odysseus always did his best to protect and save his men, who in return were loyal soldiers that treated Odysseus with the utmost respect that he deserved..