Odysseus is a Hero Essay Example

Is the man who helped win the Trojan War a hero? A man named Odysseus helped the Greek army take down the Trojan army, but was he the hero in this? The answer is yes. My first example is that he saved many of his men from creatures. My second example is that he is loyal. My final example is that he is humble. One counter-argument could be that Odysseus is a very selfish man. One example is when "his goal was to return home safely with his companions." He achieved this goal himself. " He made unwise decisions, leading to the deaths of his fellow companions. Another example of him being selfish is " On Aiaia, they forced Odysseus to sleep with Kirke to save his men from staying in swine." Even if it was to save his men, he still losses them later on and cheats on his wife. Even though he is selfish, most heroes are selfish. If you look at many Greek heroes, they benefit from what they do. One example is Achilles. He was invincible and a hero. He also did not share his secret with his army to save them from dying, which makes him selfish as well, but we do not think of him that way. Therefore, being selfish is a flaw in almost all heroes, making it an invalid argument.

One reason Odysseus was a hero is that he saved his men from creatures. One example is when Odysseus has his men plug their ears with beeswax to protect them from the alluring song of the Sirens. Another example of this is when he rescued his men from the Lotus Eaters, who gave his men fruit so they would not want to go home. Instead, Odysseus ties them up and sails off with them, saving them from the Lotus-Eaters. My final example is when he came up with a plan to save his men from the cyclops, even though he lost some men, although he saved most from impending death.

My second reason is that Odysseus is loyal in many situations. Odysseus mentions wanting to return to his home and wife multiple times. One example of this is "Each day Odysseus would sit alone upon the shore of the wine-dark sea and weep with longing for his wife and home." This shows how loyal he is; all he wants is his home and family. My second example is "So Odysseus wept tears of grief and despair over his endless captivity." This shows he is sad and not that he was treated poorly but that he just wanted to be home. My final example is in the book. All of his travels are to get there. He does not care about the places he stops. He just wants to be home.

My final reason is that Odysseus is a humble man. He does not want love from other gods or goddesses, he does not want some fancy gift, and he just wanted to see his men get through the journey home. One example is in the text Athena asked Zeus to send him to the shore and when he got there, he was met by the king he was treated lavishly and like he was royalty he excepted the kind gesture. My second example is that even when given the option to marry an immortal nymph, he knew that he loved his wife even if she was mortal. My final example is when he was challenged to an athletics competition by the prince he humbly declined and when pushed he finally proved he was athletic he humbly asked if the prince thought he could beat him. 

In conclusion, Odysseus is a hero he is loyal and humble and wanted to protect all the men he led in and out of battle. So, was he all of the things that a hero is? That is what you have to decide based on your picture of a hero.