Odysseus: A Beloved Epic Hero

        The next value Odysseus shows is loyalty, which he embraces fairly well many times in this epic poem. Loyalty is faithfulness to one’s country, friends, ideals, etc. (“loyalty”). Odysseus shows loyalty to his friend when he goes back to Circe’s island on their return from the Underworld and gives Elpinor a proper funeral (Homer 114). This proves that Odysseus is loyal because he is faithful to Elpinor and abides by his wishes to have a respectful funeral. Next Odysseus proves he is loyal to his crew because when they are about to hear the Sirens’ hypnotizing song he takes out a cake of wax and chops it into little pieces that he then puts in the men’s ears (117). By doing this, Odysseus proves he is loyal to his crew because he is keeping them from killing themselves over the song of the Sirens’ and shows he cares about their safety.

        Odysseus’ dominant quality is physical strength, which is the level of exertion of bodily effort; Odysseus is on the higher end of this scale. An example of this is Odysseus is at Scheria and is taunted by these younger men about him being too old to play with them in the games. Odysseus joins the men and throws the discus farther than any of the men (Homer 71-73). This shows us Odysseus has the value of physical strength because he was the only man at this event who had the strength to throw the discus such a long distance. In addition, near the end the epic Penelope sets a task to see who of the suitors was the best to be her husband and she promised to wed the suitor who accomplished the task. She told them they first had to string Odysseus’ bow and then shoot it through a row of perfectly aligned axes. Odysseus who at this time is disguised as a beggar is the only one able to complete the task successfully (210). This proves to us that Odysseus had the value of physical strength because the bow was made of thick, sturdy wood that was very hard to bend. Odysseus is said to have been the only man to complete the full task.

        Lastly, Odysseus shows us his wisdom, the quality of being wise or having good judgment (“wisdom”).  Odysseus shows wisdom when he and his crew are in Polyphemus’ cave  and instead of killing the Cyclops, Odysseus only blind him (Homer 84-87).  He was wise enough to realize that even with all his men they did not have the strength to move the large boulder away from the entrance of the cave.  He only blinded Polyphemus so he could get out of the cave.  The last example is when Odysseus chooses to sail by Scylla instead of Charybdis (118).  This again exemplifies Odysseus’ wisdom because it is better to lose a few men than many.  Charybdis would have swallowed the ship whole, but Scylla can only take six men total so it was the wisest decision to go by Scylla.

        Expressing such a diverse array of traits and characteristics, Odysseus embodies that of an epic hero through courage, loyalty, physical strength, and wisdom. Odysseus was courageous because he went into battle fearlessly and he does not take the consequences or the fact that he is inferior in number or size as a threat.  He shows loyalty to his friends by respecting their last wishes and by saving their lives.  Odysseus also shows physical strength by winning the games at Scheria and being the only man able to bend the bow in order to string it.  Odysseus shows wisdom by thinking through his actions and only blinding, not killing, Polyphemus and by sailing by Scylla and not Charybdis.  Overall, Odysseus is an amazing epic hero who shows his strengths but also his weaknesses, and will never be forgotten.