Why Odysseus is a Good Hero

There is no question that heroes are flawed humans and this includes Odysseus. In the poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus and his crew are trying to return to Ithaca but face many obstacles such as, tricking the cyclops, lotus eaters, land of the dead, the sirens and more. that reveal Odysseus’ true character. For example, his determination and cleverness is obvious but, he also reveals a major flaw. Odysseus has excessive amounts of pride that lead him into trouble.

Odysseus has many heroic traits but, he is also a flawed human. Readers get a glimpse of Odysseus’ cleverness when he tricks the cyclops. When asked his name Odysseus tells the cyclops that he is called Nohbdy. This is a clever tactic because when the cyclops calls on his family to come help him the message is not conveyed. The cyclops says, “Nohbdy, Nobody’s tricked me, Nobody’s ruined me.” This was a very clever act on Odysseus’ which is an important quality to have as a hero because it later allowed Odysseus and his men to escape the cave and continue of his journey. In the end, one of Odysseus’ most honorable traits is cleverness because as the reader can see it can be a solution to a bad situation.

Another reason Odysseus is a good hero is because he is very determined. For example, readers can see how determined Odysseus is when he clings on to the tree when Charybdis begins to whirl. He says, “But I clung grimly, thinking my mast and keel would come back to the surface when she spouted.” This is a good demonstration of Odysseus’ determination because it must’ve required great physical and mental will power to hold on for hours but, Odysseus knows he needs to get home. Therefore, he is determined to hold on to the fig tree for as long as he needed to making him a great hero. All though Odysseus is determined and clever he is also arrogant. We can see this after the Trojan war when Odysseus makes comments about his crew. He says, “My men were mutinous fools, on stores of wine. Sheep after sheep they butchered by the surf, and shambling cattle feasting – while fugitives went inland, running to call to arms the main force of Cicones. Being that Odysseus is the captain of his crew he should be taking more responsibility for the situation but instead, Odysseus blames it on his men’s behavior because he thinks he can do no wrong. In summary Odysseus is an arrogant hero.

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