Odysseus: A Display of Heroism and Humanity

Christofer Smith • October 4, 2023 • 1088 Words

INTRODUCTION

The Odyssey, an epic poem ascribed to the Greek poet Homer, is both the legend of an epic hero and a display of human faults within a leader. While introduced early within the composition as a successful leader against an army of the Cicones (Homer 43-44), Odysseus, the protagonist and narrator of this story, is later revealed to have underlying foibles. These human qualities provide more personal insight into Odysseus, showing that he is both a man of courage and a man of flaws. These underlying faults can prove Odysseus heroic or have him viewed as arrogant.

IGNORANCE OF ADVICE

Throughout the plot of The Odyssey, guidance is conveyed towards Odysseus, and at times, his crew. The choice to disregard these recommendations leads to distress, devastation, and death. The earliest example of this concept is shown by the Achaeans. After he successfully “killed the men who fought” (Homer 43) and left the majority of the local Cicones’ armed forces defeated, Odysseus commands the Achaean, or Greek, force that he is leading, to run “Back, and quickly!” (Homer 46). However, his “men were mutinous” (Homer 47), and they ignored his advice, allowing the fleeing Cicones to run “inland, running / to call to arms the main force of the Cicones” (Homer 50-51), forcing the unprepared Achaeans to battle and losing the lives of six benches of men (Homer 62-63). Had Odysseus’s men heeded the advice of their commander, unnecessary fighting and death would have been avoided. Odysseus, however, is not free of this same imperfection. When investigating a cave on the land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus’s twelve best fighters (Homer 136) urged him to “take the cheeses, get them stowed, come back, / throw open all the pens, and make a run for it” (Homer 167-168). They pleaded to return to the “good salt water” (Homer 170), but Odysseus refused, as he “wished / to see the cave man” (Homer 171-172). This would be a devastating choice, as the Cyclops who returned to the cave, later revealed to be named Polyphemus (Homer 353), consumes half of Odysseus’s warriors (Homer 236, 257, 293) and confines them to his cave with a stone slab (Homer 260). Similarly to the Achaeans and their retreat from the Cicones, Odysseus entangles himself and his crew members in an avoidable conflict by neglecting practical suggestions. One more instance of Odysseus demonstrating hubris and ignoring beneficial advice appears as Odysseus and his company are sailing from the land of the Cyclopes. After pridefully shouting sarcastic and insulting comments toward Polyphemus, the Cyclops tears a section of a hill and hurls it at Odysseus’s ships, sending them backward and beaching them (Homer 430-440). With one taunt resulting in a great, violent fury in Polyphemus, Odysseus’s men protested him cupping his hands, as if he was about to yell at the Cyclops again (Homer 449). As logical as it may seem to heed the crew’s opposition, Odysseus was overcome by his “glorying spirit” (Homer 455) and again shouted at Polyphemus, boastfully revealing his name, the island he lives upon, and the name of his father. Since Odysseus declared this information to the Cyclops, it was relayed to his father, Lord Poseidon, who possessed power over the seas that Odysseus sailed. Polyphemus prayed to Poseidon, “and the god heard him” (Homer 494). Promptly, Odysseus was cursed to lose all his companions, never return to his home on Ithaca, and to find bitter days at home, given that he survives the strenuous years of journey (Homer 484-491). Due to his excessive pride and obliviousness to the advice of his crew, Odysseus became destined to suffer misery, and his crew became doomed to lose their lives.

HEROISM AND LEADERSHIP

The character of Odysseus can be described as both an epic hero and as a leader of his crew, but these terms contain the possibility that one may become confused for the other. The Odyssey raises a dilemma of definition: are heroism and leadership intertwined, or are they separate concepts? Fortunately, an analysis of Odysseus can produce an answer to this complex inquiry. A hero can be defined as anyone who is recognized by others for committing acts of courage or showing ideal qualities, while a leader can be described as anyone who guides, conducts, or escorts. Odysseus displays both of these qualities throughout his tale. He shows heroism through the courageous act of guiding and conducting the blinding of Polyphemus (Homer 325-340), and Odysseus attempts to defend his ship from Scylla, a massive sea monster (Homer 788-790) while escorting his crew towards her (Homer 783). While these are both acts of heroism that require undeniable bravery, they also incorporate the qualities of leadership - guiding, conducting, and escorting. Odysseus can also be considered a hero and leader as he courageously fends off spirits from his blood sacrifice to Tiresias while escorting his crew in the Land of the Dead (Homer 575-577) and protecting his crew by preventing their hearing of the Sirens’ song while guiding his crew towards the creatures (Homer 707-713). Since many of the events that display Odysseus as an epic hero also show him enacting leadership qualities, it can be safe to assume that heroism and leadership are intertwined concepts, where heroism exhibits leadership, while the traits of leading can form a hero.

MODERN HEROISM

Odysseus was an epic hero during his years, but as many readers of this paper can attest to, the world tends to change with the passage of time. As a society and a race, humankind tends to learn and grow an understanding of previous mistakes, making the world more sensitive to topics of disagreement or dismissive of those who have differing opinions from others. While this can be beneficial to the population, it can vastly modify the meaning of older works of art or literature. The Odyssey provides an intriguing, thought-provoking query: would Odysseus be considered a hero as of today? Even if his status as a hero in his day can be proven, it is hard to compare Odysseus to modern heroes. Currently, many heroes of popular culture, such as superheroes, are displaying their faults as they consciously struggle with their morality, unsure of whether their actions are right or wrong. What can make this especially difficult to apply is that Odysseus does not consciously recognize his faults, such as excessive pride and acting in anger. Thus, it should be considered that much of the world today could describe this as arrogance and label Odysseus as egotistical, even when he was a hero in literature.

Works Cited

Homer. "The Odyssey." Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. MyPerspectives English Language Arts Paramus, NJ: Savvas Learning Company LLC. Print.

“Hero Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.Com, Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hero. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.

“Leader Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.Com, Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/leader. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.

“Lead Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.Com, Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/lead. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.

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