How would you describe Odysseus?

Homer portrayed Odysseus as a man of outstanding wisdom and shrewdness, eloquence, resourcefulness, courage, and endurance.

What are Odysseus qualities and flaws?

Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic poems The Odyssey and The Iliad, has many strengths and weaknesses. During his journey home, he shows himself as a courageous, smart, and confident leader. But, he has flaws. His arrogance, pride, quick temper, and stubbornness often lead him to dangerous situations.

What type of hero is Odysseus?

Epic Hero
Epic Hero Characteristics

In these stories we find the archetype of an epic hero. Odysseus is considered an epic hero for his role as King of Ithaca, his participation in the war, and his journey home.

Was Odysseus a good person?

In the book The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles, the main character Odysseus can be described as “good guy”. When Odysseus sets out from his home, Ithaca to fight in a long war, he is faced with many problems that lead him to fighting for himself by occasionally being violent to protect himself.

What is Odysseus known for?

Odysseus is probably best known as the eponymous hero of the Odyssey. This epic describes his travails, which lasted for 10 years, as he tries to return home after the Trojan War and reassert his place as rightful king of Ithaca.

What are three of Odysseus strengths?

For example some of his strengths was that he had courage, intelligence, ambition and nobility. His courage shows that when one of his shipmates is down or scared that he will be their to lift them up and he could pick them up and push them to keep on going.

Is Odysseus a hero or villain?

Throughout classical literature, the different depictions of Odysseus range widely: he is variably portrayed as a hero in Homer’s The Odyssey, a villain in Sophocles’ Philoctetes, a self-serving opportunist in Sophocles’ Ajax, a deceitful figure in Virgil’s Aeneid, and a scoundrel in Euripedes’ Hecuba.

What made Odysseus a hero?

Odysseus: A Hero

Odysseus is undoubtedly a hero because he saves many of his men from the cyclops, he rescues his men from Circe, and he ventures into the House of Death alone. Odysseus in The Odyssey by Homer is a hero because he saved many of his men from the cyclops, Polyphemus.

Why is Odysseus not the only hero?

In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus, should not be viewed as a hero because he is selfish, violent, and dishonest. One reason why Odysseus should not be considered a hero is because he is extremely selfish. On several occasions, he is disloyal to his wife.

What are Odysseus failings?

Odysseus was a man of many strengths, but his shortcomings were the cause of his struggles. Shortcomings such as his hubris, his inability to trust others, and his curiosity brought about his calamity. Pride and arrogance has been the ruin of many men throughout history.

How is Odysseus arrogant?

Following the visit to the Cyclops den in The Odyssey, Odysseus shows arrogance by declaring his escape from there to be a success despite having lost six men while trapped. He further proves his vanity by mocking the Cyclops while escaping, 448 Words. 2 Pages.

What are Odysseus vices?

Odysseus is not perfect he is human. Though he has learned much through his perils, the vices of Pride, vengeance, and dependency, all come back to haunt him during the slaughter in the hall, leaving the reader to wonder if he learned anything during his time away from home.

What challenges did Odysseus face?

The Odyssey (obstacles)
  • Polyphemus. By: Abigail Winn. …
  • Sirens. As Odysseus and his men pass the island of lovely sirens Odysseus plugs his men’s ears with beeswax and has them bind him to the mast of the ship. …
  • Scylla. Scylla (or Skylla) is the six headed monster who, when ships pass, swallow one sailor for each head. …
  • Calypso.

How was Odysseus selfish?

Odysseus makes a selfish decision when he leads his crew to stay in Polyphemus’s cave thinking he would offer gifts and Odysseus would “accept (his) help, or any gifts/” he had to “give” (9.726-727). This is a selfish act because he is putting his crew in danger for something that would only benefit himself.

What are examples of Odysseus pride?

Pride is one of Odysseus’ greatest weaknesses. It is what costs him so much loss of time on his way home. A good example of this is when he taunts the cyclops after blinding and outwitting him and is then cursed by Poseidon to keep the cyclops satisfied. His other big weakness is his curiosity.

Why is Odysseus a flawed hero?

By the end of the epic, the tragic hero is humble, wiser and has better judgment and self-control. Undoubtedly, Odysseus’ most significant flaw is his pride and ego. This is the characteristic that causes most of his conflict and for a great part of the story, we see him being extremely boastful.

What was Odysseus biggest mistake?

Odysseus has made some mistakes. No one’s saying otherwise. He blinded a Cyclops, he invoked the wrath of Poseidon, and remember that time he got distracted by a sexy sea-witch for an entire year? (Full disclosure, he also stole some cheese.) But by far his biggest mistake was hiring his crew.

What does Odysseus think of himself?

Odysseus portrays himself as anything but a hero throughout Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus goes through his life believing he is the best. He has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own, and he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods.

How is Odysseus prideful?

Odysseus had pride after the Greek soldiers won the Trojan war. He declared that he was the one who won the ultimate battle. He also thought that he alone had the idea of the wooden horse and that the Gods didn’t help when Poseidon sent a sea monster to destroy the Trojan who didn’t think it was a gift.

How is Odysseus foolish?

Odysseus is a Foolish and selfish leader, who makes rash decisions that kill his men just for his own personal gain. One of Odysseus’s many foolish decisions in the epic is when he lets his men raid and pillage the Kikones.

How did Odysseus overcome his pride?

Eventually Odysseus is able to overcome his hubris when he realizes that the gods are ultimately on his side after all. At this point he comes to the realization that the gods control his life; “It is no hard thing for the gods of heaven to glorify a man or bring him low” (Book XVI, 250-251).

Who destroys Odysseus raft?

Poseidon
The Laistrygones destroy 11 ships. Poseidon destroys Odysseus’ raft.

How is Odysseus careless?

Odysseus makes a selfish decision when he leads his crew to stay in Polyphemus’s cave thinking he would offer gifts and Odysseus would “accept (his) help, or any gifts/” he had to “give” (9.726-727). This is a selfish act because he is putting his crew in danger for something that would only benefit himself.