Odysseus is a Hero

Although Odysseus is a hero he can definitely be very selfish. Throughout the story, Odysseus shows how self-centered he can be.

One reason why I think Odysseus is selfish is that “he raids the land of the Cicones but loses men and time in the process. He waits too long in the cave of Polyphemus, enjoying free milk and cheese he finds, but then gets trapped there when the Cyclops returns and loses men as well, “Then he caught two more men and feasted on them.

” (Pg 477). My next example as to why Odysseus is selfish is he encounters Circe and faces the siren rather than being scared he listens to the sirens’ song without desperately chasing it. Some might think of this as an act of bravery but I see this as a selfish act, Odysseus didn’t think about everything that was on the line and could’ve went wrong while doing this he only thought about the glory, “The lovely voices in ardor appealing over the water made me crave to listen, and I tried to say ‘Untie me!’ to the crew, jerking my brows; but they bent steady to the oars. Then Perimedes got to his feet, he and Eurylochus, and passed more line about, to hold me still. So all rowed on, until the Sirens dropped under the sea rim, and their singing dwindled away” (Pg 499). Odysseus’ other selfish act was his unfaithful behavior, during his stay on Circe’s island, he was involved in a one-year love fling with Circe. Not only did he betray his wife and son by doing this but he also got completely distracted from his goal of returning home. If it wasn’t for his crew telling him they should leave back to Ithaca Odysseus wouldn’t even think of leaving back. “So day by day we lingered, feasting long on roasts and wine, until a year grew fat. But when the passing months and wheeling seasons brought the long summery days, the pause of summer, my shipmates one day summoned me and said: 145 ‘Captain, shake off this trance, and think of home— if home indeed awaits us, if we shall ever see your own well-timbered hall on Ithaca.’” (Pg 496).

Seeing as Odysseus’s egotistic side harms not only him but his crew members I’d say this trait serves as a weakness. In conclusion, Odysseus is fairly arrogant and egocentric but he is the one leading his army along and taking charge.

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