Odysseus Essay, Research Paper

Most individuals have a conceived concept of the ideals in which one highly

values or desires to acquire. These ideals generally make up the mannerisms of a

person one considers a true champion, whom can be existent or imaginary. This

relatively immaculate code of ethics is also accompanied by achievements one

finds admirable. This person is usually goes through a series of tests or

hardships that prove their importance. This is what one considers a hero. Giving

the term hero such a definition, one’s idea of a hero may completely differ with

another’s concept of such a person worthy of praise. In today’s eclectic

society, everybody’s heroes are different. One’s hero may be a character in an

action movie, surviving against all odds to finally get the bad-guy in the end.

It may be a character with superhuman strength with no concern of death like the

hero in the epic Beowulf. Others may desire more intellectual heroes such as the

Wright Brothers, devoting years of effort to create a machine to make man fly,

or Thomas Jefferson, risking his life by writing the Declaration of

Independence. Some may call one with great moral value a hero such as Mother

Teresa, Pope John Paul II, or even Jesus Christ who suffered and died so we

humanity could enter the Kingdom of God. During the era of Homer’s, The Odyssey,

the majority of the population in ancient Greece had the same basic ideas of the

qualities a hero should have. Espino 2 The Greeks valued a warrior with great

physical strength as well as shrewdness. The emphasis on strength was based on

the fact that battles were frequent from city-state to other city-states. A hero

for those times would need to have a strategic way of thinking and wisdom to aid

in achieving the numerous tasks placed before him. Heroes should also be

eloquent in their manner of speaking, for it was a tool necessary so others

could easily be convinced by the hero’s speech. All the values necessary for a

hero are portrayed in The Odyssey. These are told through the stories and

exploits of the main hero, Odysseus. In Book IV of the Odyssey, Menelaos and his

wife Helen, both tell a story of one of Odysseus’ accomplishments during the

Akhaian war against the Trojans. Helen tells of how Odysseus ingeniously had

"given himself an outrageous beating and thrown some rags on" to

disguise himself as a beggar and slip into the impenetrable city of Troy. Once

inside, he was unrecognized by the Trojans by merging with the townspeople.

Odysseus found Helen and told her of the Akhaian plans to conquer Troy. Once

Odysseus had learned of the Trojan’s war strategy, he left the city and killed

many Trojans on his way out with his sword. Many examples of the concept of a

hero can be seen in this tale. Odysseus used his wits to think of a plan, which

would be useful in accomplishing two goals: to tell Helen of the Akhaian’s plans

of rescuing her while taking over Troy. The other goal was to find out his

opponent’s stratagem. Helen describes the shrewdness of Odysseus in making

himself pass for a Espino 3 beggar, and allowing himself to be humiliated by his

enemies, but without revealing his true identity. He then makes his exit while

killing some Trojans along the way, illustrating his strength. Helen’s tale

portrays some qualities of Homer’s concept of heroism: ingenuity, sagacity and

bravery. Menelaos tells another of Odysseus’ feats after his wife is done with

her tale. He tells of how Odysseus’ will power and leadership saved all of the

fighters inside the hollow horse. He tells of how Helen approached the horse

with Deiphobos and called each of the warrior’s names as she walked around it.

Her voice sounded like each of the fighter’s wives and caused the warriors great

longing to go or to call out to the voice. Odysseus fought down Menelaos,

Diomedes and held his hands over Antiklos’ mouth to prevent him from calling

out. Odysseus thus saved the warriors from being discovered. Menelaos’ tale

depicts Odysseus as a man with patience and strong will-power. Menelaos himself

names Odysseus’ characteristics when he says "never have I seen one like

Odysseus for steadiness and a stout heart." It can also be understood that

Odysseus is a leader that protects the lives of others as well as his own. This

can be seen when he prevents the soldiers from calling out to Helen. Aside from

the qualities mentioned, Homer also adds another concept to heroism which is the

element of altruism. This is clearly evident because most of Odysseus’ actions

are for the for the benefit and well-being of others. For Espino 4 example, the

reason why he is fighting the in the Trojan War in the first place is to help

his friend Menelaos rescue his wife Helen from the Trojans. Aside from these two

stories painting a picture of Homer’s idea of a hero, they also predict some of

the latter events in the epic. These stories give the reader a hint about some

of the tasks Odysseus will encounter since they are similar to each other. This

is especially evident in Helen’s tale of Odysseus because he uses the same

tactic of disguising himself as a beggar back home at Ithaka. With the help of

Pallas Athena, she disguises Odysseus into looking like a beggar so he can study

his enemies without being seen. This can be seen in many of Odysseus’ remarks,

like in Book XVI Odysseus states, "I alone must learn how far the women are

corrupted; we should know how to locate good men among our hands.." Also in

Book XVII, Athena also tells Odysseus to study his enemies closely while under

the transformation by saying, "learn who are the descent lads, and who are

vicious.." Odysseus is once again ridiculed, in his own home this time, but

manages to compose himself and keeps his identity a secret until no longer

necessary. This further expands on Homer’s concept of a hero by also showing

that patience and ability to maintain one’s composure under any circumstance is

a virtue that a hero should have. There are many instances where Odysseus must

watch over his crew to prevent them from being killed or hurt. This is seen in

Menelaos’ story of the wooden horse and how Odysseus fought down three members

of his crew to Espino 5 prevent them from going or calling out to Helen’s voice.

If they had been discovered, the Trojans would’ve killed them. Menelaos’ story

also has many similarities with events that happen to Odysseus later on. In the

event of the Lotus Eaters, three men had eaten the Lotus plant and thus longed

to stay forever on the island to die. Odysseus forcefully brought all three back

to the ship and tied them under their rowing benches to protect them. Odysseus

also risks his life to save his crew in Book X. The goddess Kirke had turned a

group of Odysseus’ men into swine by giving them food, tainted with a potion.

Odysseus became worried after they had not returned and went to find them. He

encountered Kirke and had them changed back into men. This shows the importance

of loyalty and care that Homer’s idea of a hero should have for his friends.

These were the values the people of Homer’s time favored in a hero. Even though

Odysseus comes from a vastly different century than other heroes, most of the

qualities that make them heroes are the same: bravery, intelligence, patience,

and loyalty. It seems as if the basic virtues of a hero have remained unchanged

over thousands of years. Odysseus is still one of the great heroes that we have.

This is why The Odyssey has been studied for thousands of years, and people in

the future will continue to read about great heroic deeds of Odysseus due to the

timelessness of this story.