The Odyssey: An Epic By Homer

A detailed Summary of The Odyssey: An Epic By Homer


What do you consider to be a hero? What traits should a hero have? My hero is Odysseus. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus proves to be a true epic hero through his intelligence, bravery, and loyalty.

One way that Odysseus uses his intelligence is to help his men. For instance, He puts beeswax in all of his crew's ears when passing the Sirens. The epic states "Going forward I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears" (Homer 706). This helps them get past the Sirens successfully. Also, his intelligence helps him handle difficult situations. Like when they are in the Land of the Lotus Eaters, he only sends out three of his men so that everybody wouldn't eat the flower. In his story, Odysseus says "Then I sent o


ut two picked men and a runner to learn what race of men that land sustained" (Homer 685). Even though the three men ate the flower, the other men were able to get them back on the ship. Odysseus is not only an epic hero because of his intelligence, but also because of his bravery.

Odysseus shows his loyalty to the gods. He sacrificed a lamb and an ewe. While stating his actions, Odysseus says, "I pledged these rites, then slashed the lamb and ewe" (Homer 700). Sacrificing is one of the many ways that Odysseus is loyal to the gods. Also, Odysseus proves to be loyal to his men throughout the story. After Odysseus and his men defeat Polyphemus, He divides the cattle up evenly to his men. " Then we unloaded all of Cyclops' flock to make division, share and sha

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Approximate Word count = 514
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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