Is Odysseus a Hero? Essay -- Homer, Odyssey Essays

Throughout the epic, Odysseus is portrayed by his friends and peers as a magnificent piece of music, a godlike figure. But, throughout the journeys of The Odyssey, Odysseus true char pieceer shows. Heroes are no exception to human nature all people tend to act differently in public than in private. A commonly recognized definition of a sub is, a man of distinguished bravery or ability, admired for his brave deeds and master qualities. Odysseus has not shown the noble characteristics of a hero by acting cowardly, barbaric, selfish and greedy in certain situations such qualities do not deserve such a title. To be a hero, you must have a noble and resolute purpose. As The Odyssey moves along, Odysseus is revealed not to be a hero through his dishonourable acts. Homer uses the character of Odysseus to depict false morality which undermines the concept of his heroism. A main reason why Odysseus is not a hero is because he manipulated the truth and achieved his victories through lie s. Achilles, the hero from the Iliad explains his thoughts on the matter, I hate that man like the very Gates of Death / who says one thing save hides another in his heart (Knox, 37). Bernard Knox who wrote the introduction to the Odyssey explains how Odysseus prides himself on his ability to skip and manipulate the truth. Bernard also says, He will gladly employ cunning to win victory (Knox, 38). A hero is a man of awarding with a noble purpose and heart, but Odysseus has neither. The main characteristics of a hero are that they can do heroic things, but retain their nobility. If we ritual killing the truth for progress then we are no better than the monsters that we fight. deceit and cheating to get things done is wrong and usually has bad consequences. other reaso... ...did not fight with morals. As Odysseus is killing the suitors he explained how he scorned the fact that they had drained his estate and courted his wife. You dogs You never imagined Id hang from Troy - so cocksure that you bled my house to death, ravished my serving-woman - wooed my wife behind my gage while I was still alive (Homer, 22.36-39). What is very interesting astir(predicate) this line is that the first thing that he accused the suitors of was using up his estate. This line is also very important because the last crime he charged against them was the wooing of his wife. This line proves that Odysseus cares more about his wealth than heretofore his family. No hero should care that much about personal possessions. base on the facts that Odysseus cares more about himself and that he has no moral enactment I strongly believe that he should not be attached the title of hero.