The Odessy

For twenty years Odysseus overcame each obstacle the

gods handed to him. He was always respectful to the gods, acknowledging

their control of fate and realizing that he needed help if he was to ever

get back to Ithaca and his beloved family. He showed keen observation,

instinct, and caution. He is great at disguises, capable of concealing his

feelings, and a fast, inventive liar: heroic qualities that got him through

his adversities. Odysseus is also very human, and the reader can see these

many qualities as well. He is often moved to tears. He makes mistakes,

gets himself into tricky situations, and loses his temper. We see him play

not only a hero but also a husband, father, and son. He takes on the very

human roles of athlete, warrior, sailor, storyteller, carpenter, beggar,

and lover. He vividly displays human qualities like brutality and boldness,

while being sensitive and shy at the same time. It is these human

qualities that people can relate to. While he is no doubt a hero, Odysseus

is also viewed as a modern man, the pragmatic survivor. He must struggle,

suffer, and deal with the inescapable fate handed down to him from the

great beings atop Mt. Olympus. The average human can relate to Odysseus'

human qualities, while admiring him for the heroic traits they can only

hope to attain, making him so popular. Odysseus has the skills, strength,

and intelligence to qualify him as a hero, yet he still possess the

emotional constraints of a human, which together enable him to survive the

chaotic disorder of his adventure. His journey was rich with people and

places and totally unpredictable, just as life is for everybody. From

ancient Greeks to today's reader, it is easy to commiserate with Odysseus

while at the same time idolize him for dealing with life as it came at him.

To survive twenty years of fighting, storms, and the wrath of gods,

Odysseus proves he possesses the super human qualities of a hero. Odysseus

showed he was a hero early on, as a talented warrior in the Trojan War. He

was a leader throughout the battle, always trying to keep things in order

so the battle for Troy could move forward. He was a great fighter, and

could be ruthless as well as tricky. He was always, "first by a long way

in all plots and schemes." (34). While the warriors had been fighting and

scheming unsuccessfully for an entire decade, it was Odysseus' plan to

invade troy with the wooden horse that led the army to victory over the

Trojans. It was actions like these that exemplified Odysseus' high level

of intelligence, a major qualifying characteristic of his hero status.

Some would describe him as, "a man whose mind was as wise as the gods..."

(150). Odysseus suffered for many long years on land and sea, yet was wise

enough to overcome everything he faced, using his brain to solve problems,

having the capacity of thinking equal to that of the gods. He came up with

great plans to help him on his adventures, such as the time he was trapped

in the Cyclops' cave. He came up with the ingenious plan to take an olive

wood poll and, "rub it into his eye while he was sound asleep." (106).

This way, the Cyclops would be blinded and the sailors could make their

escape. Odysseus also displayed the strength of a hero through his epic

journey. He was an, "indomitable man..." (49). He really was incapable of

being subdued or overcome, possessing great amounts of physical strength.

Most men would succumb to the exhaustion of twenty years of obstacles, but

not Odysseus. His strength never faltered, and the Greeks figured, "he

must be made of iron..." (143). When sailing away from Calypso's island, he

was informed by Ino that Poseidon would destroy his raft, so he swam for

two nights and two days, an act that would have caused a lesser man to

perish. Odysseus also displays his heroic strength when he returns to

Ithaca. Upon arriving home and finding over a hundred suitors trying to

steal his wife, he took his revenge. With only his son to help, he killed

all the intruders, despite the fact that he was greatly outnumbered. While

intelligence and strength were the main defining qualities of a heroic

Odysseus, he had other important characteristics