Odysseus: An Epic Hero Argumentative Essay
The Odyssey is a Greek mythology epic poem that describes Odysseus’s journey and how he uses his epic hero traits along the way. An epic hero is “the main character of an epic poem that tells the story of a grand quest in which they use their extraordinary or superhuman abilities to achieve great things” (Dictionary.com). Homer, the author of The Odyssey developed Odysseus to have great extraordinary traits, but some he made more visible than others. In The Odyssey, Homer highlights Oysseus’s epic hero traits of leadership, cleverness, and loyalty in order to prove that Oysseus is an epic hero.
First, one of the important traits of Odysseus is his leadership. Leadership is “the action of leading a group of people or an organization” (Dictionary.com). Odysseus had to have great leadership skills to lead his crew. The text states in The Odyssey, “I stormed that place and killed the men who fought” (1047). The quote from The Odyssey shows Odysseus’s great leadership skills as he takes control and storms in. The text also states, “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches” (1047). Again, Odysseus took charge of the men and helped his crew. Because Odysseus had great leadership skills, it helped make him an epic hero.
In addition to being a great leader, Odysseus had great cleverness. Cleverness is being “mentally bright and having a sharp or quick intelligence” (Dictionary.com). The text states in The Odyssey, “ I carried war along the line, and laid it thick in their ears” (page). It was clever to do this, because if they would have heard the Sirens, it would have pulled them into the water. The text also states, “If I killed him we perished there as well, for we could never move his pounders door way slab aside” (1063). By Odysseus having cleverness, it not only saved him, but it also saved his crewmates.
Finally, Odysseus was a very loyal person. Loyalty means “giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution” (Dictionary.com). Being loyal is a good thing because it shows how devoted you are when doing something. The text states in The Odyssey, “ My home is on the Peak Sea-mark of Ithaca under Mount Neions wind-blown robe of leaves...I shall not see Earth a place more dear” (1047). Odysseus was very loyal to his home in Ithaca during his journey because he returned home. The text states, “As a father, brimming with love, welcomes home his darling son in a warm embrace” (1081). Odysseus was loyal and committed to his family as well as to his home in Ithaca.
In conclusion, by Homer giving Odysseus extraordinary character traits of leadership, cleverness, and loyalty, he makes Odysseus an epic hero. Odysseus shows his leadership by being a good leader to his men. He also shows cleverness by being smart and getting out of situations, and he shows loyalty to his family and by returning home to Ithaca. In The Odyssey, Homer highlighted Odysseus as a great epic hero, and Odysseus proved these character traits by his actions throughout the epic poem.
