Odysseus A Hero Essay Research Paper Odysseus

Odysseus: A Hero Essay, Research Paper

Odysseus: A Hero

Heroism was not an invention of the Greeks. Yet, through the first hundreds

years of their civilization, the Greek literature has already given birth to

highly polished and complex long epics that revolved around heroes. These

literature works gave many possibilities of definition of heroism. The Greeks

illustrated heroism to obey the rules laid down by the gods and goddesses, and

those who obey the rules would gain honor and fame. The Greeks regarded

intelligence as one of the highest gifts that all heroes must posses. The

Greeks required that all heroes must have courage. Odysseus, one of the heroes

of the epic “Odyssey” standout. He was constantly expected to be a true hero,

always obey the rules laid down by the immortals, posses wisdom and courage.

The Greeks believed that all heroes must always obey the Guest/Host relationship

rule– which all guests must treat the hosts with courtesy, and the host must

treat the guests properly– laid down by the gods and goddesses. Those who did

not obey the rule would be punished severely. Odysseus throughout the epic,

demonstrated that he obeyed the Guest/Host relationship rule. Odysseus always

following the Guest/Host relationship rule, a characteristic that all heroes

must have according to the Greeks’ tradition . All heroes must followed the

rule because if they did not, they would be punished by the immortals, and would

not be recognized as heroes. When Odysseus reach the land of the Cyclops race.

Odysseus decided to pick his best men, goods offered as gifts, and headed toward

a Cyclops’s cave. When his men saw cheese, pens, and lamb on lying on the racks,

they pleading to Odysseus, “Why not take these cheeses, get them stowed, come

back, throw all the pens, and make a run for it? We’ll drive thekids and lambs

aboard. We say put out again on good salt water!” Odysseus dismissed the

suggestion, “I wished to see the cave man, and what he had to offer.” Odysseus

dismissed the suggestion of his men, and choose to wait to greet the Cyclops

with the gifts as in the custom of the Guest/Host relationship rule. Those

actions and sayings showed that Odysseus was always following Guest/Host

relationship rule, an example for his men to look up to. Odysseus’s actions

spoke for his character. He posses the characteristic that meets the criteria

of always obeying the rules laid down by the immortal as defined in the Greek’s

tradition of all true heroes.

The Greeks believed that intelligence was one of the highest gifts that all

heroes must posses Intelligence was so important to the character of all heroes

because intelligence would be used in novel situations where cunning would most

needed. Odysseus posses intelligence as expected in the Greeks’ tradition of

heroes. Odysseus displayed intelligence when he went to the goddess Circe to

rescue his men who were turned into swine by the goddess Circe. The goddess

spoke to him, “Put up your weapon in the sheath. We two shall mingle and make

love upon our bed. So mutual trust may come of play and love.” He was asked to

go to bed with a beautiful goddess, and yet he responded, “Circe, am I a boy,

that you should make me soft and doting now? Here in this house you turned my

men to swine; now it is I myself you hold, enticing into your chamber; to your

dangerous bed, to take my manhood when you have me stripped. I mount no bed of

loved with you upon it. Or swear to me first a great oath, if I do, you will

work no more enchantment to my harm.’ She swore at once, outright, as I demanded,

and after she had sworn, and bound herself, I entered Circe’s flawless bed of

love.” Odysseus was asked by the goddess Circe to make love with her in order

to build trust between her and Odysseus. However, Odysseus realized that the

goddess wanted to go to bed with him, not to build trust, and as a result,

Odysseus used his cunning to ask Circe to make a deal in which Circe had to

swear to reverse her spell on his men in trade for him to make love with her “as

to build trust”. The goddess accepted the deal because both sides would get

what they want?Circe would go to bed with Odysseus, the goddess would reverse

her spell on Odysseus men. Odysseus’s intelligence enable him to save his men.

His actions showed the quality of a hero who posses the most important trait

according to the Greek tradition?intelligence.

The Greek required that courage was a trait that all hero need. Courage was

defined in the Greek tradition as to conquer fear or despair in order to save

oneself or others. Courage was vital to the characteristic of all heroes

because there would be inevitable situations where courage would be needed.

Odysseus posses courage through out the journey home. When he asked Circe about

what lay ahead in his journey home, Circe replied “There lay are a pair o

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