FREE ESSAY ON ODYSSEUS

ODYSSEUS

Odysseus, the Hero The Odyssey is an epic story that has been a significant piece of
literature since it wasfirst composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the
reasons it has been so isbecause of the hero, Odysseus. Odysseus is one of the first
Greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as hismuscle. He is a man with an
intelligent mind, and he is also a man with outstandingbravery. I also must not forget
that he is a top-notch athlete which only adds more to thisseemingly insuperable
character. It is no wonder why many people refer to Odysseus as apowerful mythic
hero.Odysseus often hesitates before acting, because he uses his reason and gift to
evaluatethings. This patience is one of his most important additional attributes. This
has saved himand his men many of times, and it can be easily seen in various instances
throughout histravels such as when he disguised himself as a beggar when he finally
reached Ithaca,waiting for the right moment to reveal himself.As great as he was,
Odysseus still had some weaknesses that prolonged his voyage back toIthaca. His most
important weakness that he possess is that of his pride. Pride is good tohave, but in
Odysseus' case he had to much of it. This is clearly evident in the episode onthe
cyclopes' island. When Odysseus and his men are clearly safe away from the islandOdysseus
braggs about his exploit. Polythemus hears this and hurls giant boulders in thedirection
of the ship. A couple came very close to sinking the ship. Still that was notenough for
Odysseus. Carried away in his pride he unwisely gave away his identity toPolythemus. With
that Polythemus called upon his father, Poseidon, to punish the manwho had harmed him.
That incident hurt Odysseus more than losing a few men, becausePoseidon made his travel
home ever so longer and arduous.Yet another weakness of our hero is his sensualness.
Odysseus enjoys women. He stayedwith Circe for one year before his men reminded him of
home. He also stayed withCalypso for seven years. Although we must take into thought that
there were some otherreasons why he stayed with her for so long, like that she was an
immortal and he didn'twant to have her against him.Nonetheless, Odysseus survived all
that happened to him. His courage, wits, andendurance enabled him to come through each
and every difficulty and arrive home safely. Therefor I believe that Odysseus is a hero.