Odysseus: Epic Hero, Epic Journey - Essay Sample

Introduction

Odysseus was a Greek hero famous for his intelligence, leadership skills, and courage. Also, his oratory skills and resourcefulness made him very instrumental during the Trojan war and his successful long voyage back to Ithaca, his home. The epic poem titled The Odyssey by Homer was a representation of Odysseus' life (Cartwright, 2012). Today, the term odyssey means an epic journey similar to that of Odysseus, which took him ten years to reach home amid many challenges. The poem by Homer 'The Odyssey' has continued to be taught in schools as it is considered the greatest journey in literature because of the role Odysseus played and the adventures he encountered on his journey back home.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The poem is worth exploring as it brings out various issues, such as the characteristics of the Greek gods and how they associated with the Greek heroes at the time. Additionally, the poem gives insights into how Odysseus was able to deal with all these challenges and emerge victoriously. In his poem, Homer depicts the Greek gods and other spiritual beings as vengeful characters that were driven by jealousy, extravagance, and violence because the gods always involved themselves in the lives of the Greek heroes.

In the case of Odysseus, the gods were responsible for the adventures he encountered on his way home that delayed his arrival. For example, Poseidon (god of the sea), who was very vengeful, prevented Odysseus from going back home, and the nymph Calypso held him captive, evil Circle enchanted him. At the same time, the wise Athena fought him (Mazzeno, 2020). However, Odysseus is a man full of intelligence wiles. He uses logic in assessing challenging situations and coming up with creative ways on how to defeat his enemies. Unlike the typical heroes who are honest and straightforward, Odysseus uses many tactics such as stealing and lying to achieve his objective, demonstrating his complicated character.

Another example is whereby Odysseus showcased his strength when he encountered the great leader Cyclops, Polyphemus, in Book 9. The achievement is considered as the greatest because he can keep himself and his men safe through his intelligent ways. During the encounter with Polyphemus, he tricks him that he is known as Noman to be anonymous and escape any wrath of the gods he had earlier offended, such as the god of the sea, Poseidon, who was after him. To achieve his victory, he bore a steak to the eye of Polyphemus. Cyclops stated, on the off chance that anybody tends to asks you what it's identity was, that puts your eye out and ruins your beauty, simply state it was the valiant warrior Ulysses, Laertes' child , who stays in Ithaca.' (Book 9). However, he was finally allowed to lead his men away from Polyphemus's cave. Odysseus could not resist the urge to let Polyphemus know that it was he who had defeated him. Besides, he also tricked Polyphemus by disguising his men as sheep for Polyphemus to allow them to leave his cave.

According to some readers, the example illustrates an instance whereby Odysseus' pride was greater than his common sense. However, other readers note that him disclosing his real identity was an act of showcasing his heroism, especially after the victory of the Greeks during the War in Trojan. Therefore, Odysseus' objective at that moment ensured his victory over the strong Polyphemus recorded risking his life and that of his men. This objective demonstrates the importance of honor and fame to a hero's being.

Another example that depicted Odysseus' heroic traits is in Book 11. whereby he is being advised by Circe to travel to Hades the underworld to get to know about his fate from Teiresias, the dead prophet. This trait is a risky undertaking for anyone, and only a few people have attempted the journey, and they include; Aeneas, Achilles, and Hercules. The people who embark on the journey faced with the possibility of remaining in the Hades, and in his case, there was still no guarantee of him being able to return to the land of the living. He was, therefore, taking a huge risk with his life just as he had always done during the war.

Another instance where Odysseus demonstrates his intelligence, cunning, and discipline traits was in Book 17. Here, Odysseus decided to return home masquerading as a beggar to understand the kind of opponents he would be dealing with during his revenge for the men that had defiled his homestead. At one instance, during interactions with the suitors, an argument arose between him and one of the suitors of his wife known as Antinoos, who on impulse tosses a stool towards Odysseus. When the stool hits his back, Odysseus' reaction was as follows to the insult; Ulysses stood strong allowing not even blow could stumble his way, only to shake the head in calm brooding on the payback. (Book, 17).

Any other warrior with no heroic traits would have instantly started a confrontation with Antinoos and compromised his final revenge plan on all suitors. However, due to Odysseus' discipline enhanced over the many years of war, he can assume the insult as he focused on his revenge. A hero, warrior, and king, his main aim was to reclaim his household and kingdom, which to him was worth more focusing on than engaging in an insult.

Conclusion

Throughout Homer's poem The Odyssey, Homer demonstrates Odysseus as an epic hero in both the major and minor roles. He personalizes traits of a warrior king whose additional traits, such as endurance, intelligence, and ability to inspire his men, enabled him to lead Greek into victory during the Trojan War and survive the journey back to Ithaca to reclaim his kingdom. On his journey back home to Ithaca, Odysseus faced risky adventures, some of which the Greek gods were responsible for them. However, despite the challenges, Odysseus was resilient and never gave up on returning home to his wife and son and retaking his kingdom. Unlike other heroes, Odysseus had a complicated character whereby he used any means, such as lying to defeat his enemies.

Works Cited

Cartwright, Mark. 'Odysseus.' Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 31 Dec 2012. Accessed on 07 Jan 2020.

Homer. 'The Odyssey'. Penguin, London, 1948.

Mazzeno, Laurence. 'The Odyssey - The Poem.' Critical Survey of Literature for Students Ed. eNotes.com, Inc. 2010 eNotes.com. Accessed on 7 Jan, 2020 http://www.enotes.com/topics/odyssey/in-depth#in-depth-the-poem