The Odyssey

Entry #23 (Epic Hero, 2 entries)

11/24/03

Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, is the story of Odysseus' extensive journey home from the Trojan War and the tribulations he confronts upon his return.  The journey itself is quite the adventure.  Odysseus and his men come in contact with many obstacles that they must overcome, and there are more hurdles to jump when Odysseus reaches his destination.  Odysseus is an epic hero who, besides showing superhuman characteristics in strength, bravery and cleverness, also proves himself through his emotions, leadership, and the corrections of his faults.

Odysseus’ emotions are rare, yet profound enough to enhance the way that he is viewed as an epic hero.  The first sign of Odysseus’ true emotions occur once Odysseus chooses to take the path through the Scylla, a six-headed monster who devours sailors in passing ships, rather than the one through Charybdis, a ship-swallowing whirlpool.  While Odysseus and his crew begin to enter the Scylla’s territory, the Scylla snatches six of his best men, one for each of her heads.  Seeing his trusted men being devoured is truly an upsetting experience for Odysseus.  When Odysseus returns to his home in Ithaca, many more emotions come into play as he comes in contact with people he has not seen for twenty years.  Odysseus tells Telemachos, his son, what his true identity is, and the men weep and embrace one another.  Also, Odysseus has feelings that he has to hide when he sees Argos, the dog he trained from a puppy, being mistreated and not properly cared for.  However, since Odysseus is in disguise, he cannot reveal his true emotion and succeeds in hiding all but a single tear.  These examples of Odysseus showing or hiding his emotions provide the reader with an accurate portrait of Odysseus’ character.  Epic heroes, who already have superhuman strength and many other attributes that exceed those of humans, need a way to connect with their audience through a common characteristic; emotion is a universal quality to which anyone can relate.

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Odysseus takes on the role of an intelligent leader in The Odyssey.  Odysseus is “never at a loss,” and he always seems to know exactly what to do.  Odysseus’ intuitiveness aids in several unfortunate experiences during his voyages.  On one particular occasion, Odysseus and his men are trapped in the Cyclops’ cave by a slab of solid rock, and the blinded Polyphemos refuses to let the men leave.  Odysseus is quick to come up with a solution to the problem.   Each of Odysseus’ men hide beneath three of the Cyclops’ rams while Odysseus clings to the underside of the ...

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