The epic’s protagonist, Odysseus, is immediately introduced as the hero whose sharp intellect and wit helped win the Trojan war. The Odyssey continues to exemplify his heroic traits in the epic of his homecoming. His cunningness, Odysseus’ most defining heroic characteristic, allows the escape and rescue of him and his men during their many dangerous encounters and obstacles. In Book 9, Odysseus escapes the one-eyed Cyclops, Polyphemus, by blinding the Cyclops and hiding his men under the bellies of the monster’s sheep who hence carry the men out of the cave. However, Odysseus’ “heroic” thirst for glory defies his dexterous prudence that he displays when devising and carrying out the plan for escape from the Cyclops’ cave. Initially ide

Another important heroic characteristic significant of Odysseus is his articulate and convincing way of speech in which is used to manipulate an audience to his benefit. For example, in Book 6, Odysseus is able to win the Phaeacian princess Nausicaa‘s trust through his suave and comforting words. Her father, Alcinous, the king of the Phaeacians, in turn, becomes a tremendous benefactor to Odysseus and his epic quest to return home to Ithaca and his wife, Penelope. However, his use of speech to manipulate others in order to overcome an ideal can also be seen as a flaw as he is also being conniving and dishonest to achieve his convincingness.

Odysseus’ heroism transcends time, fulfilling both the heroic ideals of Homeric ideology as well as modern day definitions of a heroic character. Not only were Odysseus’ abilities a factor in his heroism, but also his loyalty to his belief and culture. His respect for the gods and xenia, overall loyalty to his wife and kingdom, as well as his glorified heroic defeats make Odysseus a well-rounded hero. Many of his actions and deeds throughout the epic demonstrate his shrewd and measured approaches to overcoming obstacles, balancing out his warrior mentality with his cunningness and intelligence. Though aggressive as to defeat hostile parties, he is also

Some topics in this essay:
Scylla Charybdis, Cyclops Polyphemus, Odyssey Odysseus, heroic character, physical strength, heroic traits, return home ithaca, speech manipulate, home ithaca, heroic characteristic, odysseus’ heroism, throughout epic, cunningness intelligence, return home,