Odysseus: A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

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What makes a hero in accordance to Greek standards is to possess the qualities of decision making(intelligence), emotional strength(courage), and physical attributes(as well as charmfulness). Odysseus would be categorized as a hero in The Odyssey for having all of these qualities, and for his impervious attitude dealing with all the challenges that would come his way. He demonstrated himself to be a man of action and that failure was never an option. He always had to succeed with honor and glory in the end. Odysseus possessed the qualities of a strong leader throughout The Odyssey. One such characteristic was his quick rational decision making. When he and his crew landed on the Island of the Cyclops, Odysseus rallied his men in a time…show more content…
Odysseus wished to return back home to Ithaca for a very long time and encountered many treacherous obstacles along his journey. "Then Skylla made her strike, whisking six of my best men from the ship" (Od.XII.318-319). Odysseus lost 6 men in the blink of an eye during a portion of his journey. Nevertheless, as the quote supports, Odysseus did not stop his journey to grieve. He was a man on a mission, determined to achieve what he had planned. Odysseus had the body of warrior whose charismatic features could drive fear into the hearts of enemies, and spark devout support from his followers. "...baring his hurdler's thighs and boxers breadth of shoulder, the dense rib-sheath and upper arms" (Od.XVIII.81-83). Odysseus was about to engage in a brawl with Iros, the king of Ithaca stood ready to display his deft moves. Just the sheer physical build of Odysseus is more than enough to make him categorized as a hero according to the Greek standards. Going along with the physical appearance of Odysseus, his charmfulness proved to make quite the effective negotiator. As portrayed in his encounters with Circe and later Nausicaa, he used his charming character to receive support and help from these women. With the help he received, Odysseus would become closer to achieving his goal of returning back
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