Odysseus

Odysseus, a hero?

What comes to mind when we think of a hero? Generally, we think a hero is someone with some super powers, and has the ability to save the world. The Odyssey, by Homer, a Greek mythical epic, includes Odysseus, someone who would be considered a hero, by what bravery he had shown. But as his life and the epic progresses, almost every time Odysseus faces a difficulty, he chooses to do the right thing, yet his pride and selfishness always get in the way, bringing him down and sacrificing the lives of many. Odysseus is not a hero because even though he is brave and very intelligent, he doesn’t use his intelligence wisely. He is very egocentric, and can do anything in order to achieve his selfish motive of recognition.

Even though Odysseus is brave, very intelligent, and has many heroic qualities, he does not portray the attributes of a hero. In fact, Odysseus uses his mind wisely as he tricks the oversized Cyclops, Polyphemus, into his trap to stab him in the eye, blind him so that he may escape the Cyclops’s cave among his crew. “In a smithy one sees… the way they make soft iron hale and hard -: just so that eyeball hissed around the spike” (Homer 1219). Any hero would probably be clever enough like Odysseus, to use his intelligence wisely at the right time and place. He cleverly ‘saved the day’ by using his intelligence wisely. A true hero lives with the bravery to battle those critical issues, that others wouldn’t even rise from their beds to face, and Odysseus seems to fit into that category. However, even though Odysseus primarily presented his heroic character, he later on, proves his selfish and egocentric motives behind the issues and tribulations him and his shipmates faced.

Having heroic attributes does not transform Odysseus into a true hero, as he does not use his intelligence wisely. To emphasize, Odysseus ‘saves the day’ at the Cyclops cave, but he invites catastrophe, as he gives the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon enough information to put him under a curse. “Cyclops if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son whose home’s on Ithaca!”(Homer 1216). A true hero does not only think about the present, but the future also, whereas Odysseus only thought about the present after him and his men escaped, Odysseus goes back to boast and put the lives of both his and his shipmates life in danger. Not thinking wisely he gave enough information to the Cyclops that would be used to put a curse on him. Moreover, instead of freeing his men from Circe’s clutches when Odysseus reaches Circe’s power, he slept with her each and every night. “…’I myself, you hold enticing into your chamber to your dangerous bed’… I entered Circe’s flawless bed of love’… ‘ Captain, shake off this trance, and think of home – if home indeed awaits us, if we shall ever see your own well timbered hall on Ithaca”(Homer921, 925). A true hero would never forget his true motive, but here Odysseus forgets home, his men have to persuade him to let go of Circe and her island. This shows that Odysseus always got off track, and needed to be forced on. Therefore, I would not call Odysseus a hero, and if he were to be one, he would be a self-centered hero, a man absorbed by treachery.

Odysseus is not a hero as he can put anybody 's life at stake for himself and his selfish reasons. For instance, after escaping from the Cyclops’s cave, Odysseus insists that he return, just to boast that it was he who blinded the Cyclops, and even the shipmates know their life will always be at stake at these points in life. " 'Godsake, Captain! Why bait the beast again? Let him alone! '"(Homer 1221). At first Odysseus heroically saved his shipmates from the Cyclops cave, but then wanted to return to fulfill his egocentric motive, to gain recognition. He wanted to and did let the Cyclops know who he was, and was cursed by the son of Poseidon. A hero would not go back into a trap and put his shipmates’ lives at stake after saving them. Furthermore, Odysseus always searched for such situations that may harm him and his companions. Another example was where he wanted to fight Charybdis, a whirlpool, who is impossible to defeat. " '...how, if possible, can I pass Charybdis... 'Must you have battle in your heart forever? The bloody toil of combat?" (Homer 1233). Here, even the goddess is surprised to see to see that instead of sacrificing some of his men to Scylla, Odysseus still wants to fight Charybdis, a risk or a death trap for him and his entire crew. A true hero thinks of solutions to solve a situation or problem, while Odysseus wants to be known for the solution, for his quick wits.

A true hero does not take pride in what he does, but Odysseus did. Wherever he went, whatever he did, he was filled from top to bottom with pride. He was cursed, only because he revealed his identity in pride. Pride remained as a weakness in Odysseus, if only his ego wasn’t as immense, he would 've been a true hero, and survived everything that he went through in the past ten years. Odysseus possessed most of the attributes required in a hero, but he let his ego and pride take the best of him which brought catastrophe for him and his loved ones. Even in reality, we should be proud of ourselves, but having excessive ego like Odysseus, can mark the downfall of one.

Works Cited

Homer. The Odyssey. Holt McDougal Literature Grade 9. Ed. Janet Allen et al. Evanston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. 1204-1265. Print.

Cited: Homer. The Odyssey. Holt McDougal Literature Grade 9. Ed. Janet Allen et al. Evanston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. 1204-1265. Print.