Odysseus: The Heroic Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

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In The Odyssey heroes are defined as brave, intelligent people who maintain a sense of self-control, and perform actions that, in the eyes of others, are seen as heroic. Odysseus, the protagonist of the poem, carried all of these qualities, but he also had flaws. Hubris (pride) constantly took over Odysseus’s sense of judgment when it came to making decisions for his crew and also himself. At times he would be seen as an arrogant bastard for his immature behavior and irrational thinking when it came to taking care of others, but he eventually overcame this with the help of the goddess Athena. Odysseus began to gain self-control when he was returning home from the Trojan War, but little did he know that in his own home was a battle for his throne…show more content…
Odysseus himself has his own fair share of obstacles in which he had to maintain his composure, for example passing through the island of The Sirens. This island was extremely dangerous to anyone who sailed through it, but Odysseus stayed truthful with his men about the passage which in all helped them pass through. “Friends… it’s wrong for only one or two to know the revelations that lovely Circe made to me alone. I’ll tell you all, so we can die woth out eyes wide open now or escape our fate and certain death together,” (Book 12, lines 189-193). In this passage Odysseus is preparing his crew for the danger they are going to face. Being honest with them in all saved their lives which is seen as an heroic act. “Now with a sharp sword I sliced an ample wheel of beeswax down in to pieces, kneaded them in my two strong hands and the wax soon grew soft, worked by my strength and Helios’ burning rays, the sun at high noon and I stopped the ears of my comrades on by one.” (Book 12, lines 189-193) The Sirens sing a song that draw in people who are passing by the island. After one is drawn into the song their ship hits the rocky terrain around the island, destroying the ship, and thus leaving the crew stranded to drown. By Odysseus deafening the crew with the wax saved the crew from destruction of The

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