To be known as a hero takes a lot. But what is a true hero? To some, a hero might just be a person who has a lot of courage and bravery, to others a hero might be a person that is a strong warrior and leader who wins battles; still to others a hero might be a person who uses his brain just as much as his muscle to win battles. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus proves that he is a true hero in all of these ways. Courage and bravery are two things that Odysseus has a lot of Maybe even a little too much.
In the movie, he does something that although takes a lot of courage and bravery, has more to do with his pride. He defies the god Poseidon, telling him that he is unstoppable and that even the great god Poseidon can’t stop him. Odysseus then gets back on his ship on starts to sail on Poseidon’s waters back to Ithaca. Pride is good to have, but in Odysseus’s case, it’s a little too much. On the other hand, he does things that make him a great hero. When Circeturned his crew into animals, he climbed straight up a mountain, risking his life just to save his crew.
He will do anything to get back to Ithaca and see his wife and son, no matter how crazy it is. He even goes into the underworld to speak to a prophet about how to get back to Ithaca. Being brave and courageous is all about being willing and able to go to the extremes to help or possibly save people or even a place in need. As well as having courage and bravery, Odysseus is also a strong warrior and leader. Living as king of Ithaca, he leads his fleet of warriors across Poseidon’s sea into a great battle against the Trojans.
It is here where Odysseus and his fleet of warriors defeated the Trojans because of his great leadership. Knowing that he cannot defeat the Trojans from outside the immense walls, he comes up with a different plan. A plan that will get him through the walls with a little help from Poseidon. He makes a giant wooden horse (Trojan Horse) and has a person present it as a gift to accept a peace with them. The Trojan accept the gift and open the walls for the horse, not knowing that inside the horse was Odysseus and a small fleet of soldiers. The Trojans had a great celebration for what they thought was a victory.
As the Trojans finally went to sleep, Odysseus and his fleet crept out of the horse and completely laughtered the Trojans in a very bloody battle. Ithaca was victorious and could now return back home happy, all because of the great leadership of Odysseus. Yes, Odysseus and his soldiers were mighty warriors and did have the strength to defeat the Trojans, but Odysseus used something that was more powerful than his strength. Intelligence. This is something that Odysseus has the most of and also the reason why he not only defeated the Trojans, but also survived the great journey he went through to get back to Ithaca.
Throughout the story, Odysseus often hesitates before acting. This being because he uses his reason and his gift of intelligence to evaluate what the situation is. This patience is one of his most important attributes. It has saved him and his men many times, and can be easily seen in numerous instances throughout his journey, not only when he makes the wooden horse, but times such as when he disguises himself as a beggar when he finally reached Ithaca. Here he used his patience and waited for the right moment to reveal himself.
Many people in his situation would’ve been too anxious to wait and would immediately show who he was, risking a chance of being killed. Odysseus hesitated and used his reason to think of a better way to show himself. He succeeds and things work out just the way he wants. Like many heroes, Odysseus does have weaknesses such as his chronic cheating problem and his problem with pride. Nonetheless, Odysseus survived all that happened to him. His courage, bravery, wits, and endurance enable him to come through each and every challenge and eventually arrive home safely. Thus proving himself worthy of being a true hero.
