Odysseus Defines An Epic Hero Essay, Research Paper
On a web site posted by instructors at Harker Heights High, an heroic poem hero is person who embodies the values of a peculiar society. He is superhuman. An heroic poem hero is b raver, stronger, and cleverer than an ordinary individual. He is on a pursuit for something of great value to him or his people. The scoundrels that try to maintain the hero from his quest are normally ugly, more evil, and more craft than anyone we know in ordinary life. The heroic poem hero is frequently of assorted Godhead and human birth and so possesses human failings. And eventually, the Godhead universe frequently interferes with the human universe in the hero & # 8217 ; s quest. In the Odyssey, by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Odysseus embodies everything that is an heroic poem hero, aside from being a mix of the Godhead and human birth. The narrative of The Odyssey is non merely of Odysseus & # 8217 ; journey from Troy to Ithaka, but besides one of his journey from a sometimes foolish and about immature warrior to an heroic poem hero.
In book IX, Odysseus begins his narrative of his trip from Troy to Phaiakia.
What of those old ages of unsmooth escapade weathered under Zeus? The air current that carried west from Ilion brought me to Ismaros, on the far shore, a strongpoint on the seashore of the Kikones. I stormed the topographic point and killed the work forces who fought. Plunder we took, and we enslaved the adult females? ( 9.146 )
The beginning of this narrative displays the warrior who left Troy. He and his crew instantly travel to conflict and take control of the metropolis. Although afterwards Odysseus recalls stating his work forces to halt and return to the ship, he ne’er really forcibly tested to do his work forces return, because at the clip it was more about the triumph of a conflict so the message or values that were being fought for. Odysseus should hold taken control and forced his work forces back, non making so merely got them driven out of the metropolis and could hold caused another conflict. This episode shows Odysseus & # 8217 ; somewhat immature nature.
Odysseus and his crew & # 8217 ; s imprisonment with the Cyclops, Polyphemos, show marks of his heroic poem hero features, courage and hocus-pocus, but at the same clip marks of his immature and foolish side, his human failings. Odysseus takes out the oculus of the Cyclops salvaging the lives of himself and his staying crew. But subsequently, after acquiring free and puting canvas, Odysseus taunts Polyphemos proudly saying who he is and that he was the 1 who took out his oculus. Polyphemos so gets his male parent, Poseidon, God of the sea, to raise fury in the sea doing his journey place to be set off class and prolonged one time once more.
Odysseus & # 8217 ; journey to Hades, the land of the dead, shows a symbolic decease for Odysseus and a subsequently & # 8220 ; rebirth. & # 8221 ; Here he meets with Teiresias who warns him of his ulterior journeys and cautiousnesss him of his eventual return place to Ithaka where there is great danger and pandemonium for him. After this event Odysseus is more inclined to return place ; He takes all of the advise and wisdom he has been given and realizes that he can non move unwisely as he had done earlier if he wants to return place alive or anytime in the close hereafter. After his symbolic & # 8220 ; decease & # 8221 ; in Hades, Odysseus has a symbolic & # 8220 ; metempsychosis & # 8221 ; when he washes ashore on the island of the Phaiakians, where he is bare and lost, as he was the twenty-four hours he was born. This & # 8220 ; metempsychosis & # 8221 ; is the beginning of Odysseus & # 8217 ; journey to being a true heroic poem hero.
Once he is back in Ithaka the new changed Odysseus does non move unwisely and assail the suers or instantly haste in, province who he is and get down a conflict. Alternatively, he is wise and clever, and with the aid of Athena he disguises himself as an old mendicant in order to stay clip, measure the state of affairs, and gather aid. With his individuality concealed, he easy roams his land and appraise the
ailments of his disrespectful topics. Here Odysseus displays his sheer strength when he fights Iros.
The two were at close quarters now, and Iros lunged hitting the shoulder. Then Odysseus hooked him under the ear and shattered his lower jaw, so bright ruddy blood Cam bubbling from his oral cavity, as down he pitched into the dust, bleating, kicking against the land, his dentitions stove in./Then, by the mortise joint bone, Odysseus hauled the fallen one exterior, traversing the courtyard to the gate, and piled him against the wall.
Everyone is amazed at the unbelievable strength of this old mendicant. With one Swift motion Odysseus effortlessly breaks Iros & # 8217 ; jaw, picks him up and carries him outdoors.
Subsequently on after Odysseus fires his bow during the competition to win Penelope, Odysseus & # 8217 ; married woman & # 8217 ; s, manus in matrimony, a conflict ensues. It is merely Odysseus and his boy, Telemakos, against all of the suers, but he is still exultant, turn outing he is smarter, cleverer, braver and besides stronger than an ordinary individual is.
Although his & # 8220 ; decease & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; metempsychosis & # 8221 ; paved the manner for the changed Odysseus to go a true heroic poem hero, merely his changed province of head and his physical properties are non plenty to label him as a true heroic poem hero ; there are other things involved. Every feature, aside from being of Godhead and human birth, is one that Odysseus possesses. This hero & # 8217 ; s quest to return place to Ithaka is decidedly of great value to him and besides to his people, for in his absence there has been great pandemonium. After being absent for so long all Odysseus wanted was to return to his married woman, his boy, and his castle. His married woman and boy and many of his people could no longer manage the feverish nature of things caused by Odysseus & # 8217 ; absence, they wanted him to return and order to be restored.
The scoundrels in The Odyssey that try to maintain Odysseus from his quest are decidedly ugly, more evil, and more craft than anyone in ordinary life. Poseidon, Polyphemos, Skylla, Kalypso, and Circe are all Gods. There is no uncertainty they are more evil, more craft, and frequently times uglier than ordinary people. The fact that most of the scoundrels in The Odyssey are Gods proves the concluding feature of an heroic poem hero ; the Godhead universe, the Gods, interferes with the human universe. If it hadn & # 8217 ; t been for these scoundrels Odysseus & # 8217 ; journey place from Troy would hold been a instead short and apparent narrative. He would non hold been assist up on an island or had some of his crew eaten and some of them killed in a storm. But, the Gods interfering with the human universe in this narrative are non all scoundrels ; Athena and Zeus besides interfere. Athena feels her and Odysseus are slightly likewise ; she likes him, feels he has been off long plenty, and wants to assist him return place. Zeus is sometimes similar Athena and helps Odysseus, and is besides sometimes one of the scoundrels and hurts him. As he did when Odysseus & # 8217 ; work forces ate one of Helios & # 8217 ; cowss. Zeus so created a storm that killed all of the staying work forces and wrecked his ship, go forthing Odysseus stranded.
In the beginning Odysseus is a careless, foolish and immature warrior who seems to care merely approximately conflict. But in the terminal we see a wholly different individual who has seen the mistake of his ways and realizes the immorality in being merely a disdainful warrior.
He has learned that a adult male is non every bit strong as he wants to be ; a adult male is merely every bit strong as the Gods want him to be. Without the aid of the Gods Odysseus would non be the truly epic leader he has become. He embodies all that is an heroic poem hero, and upon his return place to his castle in Ithaka and his triumph over the suers Odysseus is decidedly a larger than life hero.
Bibliography
Harken Heights High Knights web site
The Odyssey by Homer Trans. by Robert Fitzgerald
