Odysseus as an Epic Hero

A true epic hero has many very defining characteristics. Usually you will find this hero to be the ‘alpha male.’ With an almost super hero personality, epic heroes are extremely above an average human being. This character must be of noble birth, and as a result, this gives them great respect and many resources. There is a deep reverence for the gods and this helps the hero through tough times. An epic hero is bravery than the other characters. They are willing to take bigger risks and reap greater rewards. Despite these strong traits, there is usually an element of deep suffering that the character must deal with through out his story. No matter what, however, the epic hero will always win out in the end in a good vs. evil type of battle.

Odysseus was always the one to take charge and let people know what they needed to get done. He was the boss and no one even attempted to challenge his orders. If you got in his way, it was ‘see-ya’ to that person. He was always willing to ensure his power of people. When the suitors messed with Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, he wouldn’t stand for it. He devised a very detailed plan to see that these men got what was coming to them. They disrespected Odysseus’s house, wife, son, servants, and name, and for that, they paid a fatal price. It was also a way for Odysseus to make an example of people who might try anything with him. He wanted everyone to know that he wasn’t afraid to defend himself and his loved ones.

Because our epic hero is of a noble birth, he was able to have many things he needed at the tip of his fingers. If he needed a ship or a crew or help out of a tough situation, he was able to as a result of his power in Ithaca. It was also a great help to have the assistance of Athena and many of the other gods. He got on Poseidon and Zeus’s bad sides and this caused problems for Odysseus while he was trying to get home. Because many of the other gods though he was a respectable guy, they helped him through obstacles such as over-powering nymphs and storms. While Odysseus was a prisoner on Calypso’s island, Ogygia, the gods talked amongst themselves and decided that Odysseus needed to get home. They sent Hermes, the messenger god to convince Calypso to let Odysseus get back to his wife and son. His problems were not over yet once he left the island, however, because he had made Zeus an enemy. Zeus sent a terrible storm to rip apart Odysseus’s raft with the intentions that he be lost at sea forever. Gods saved him from this fate, though, when Ino and Athena give him a veil to keep him from drowning and changing the wind to make sure the waves carried Odysseus home. It was very important that Odysseus was so reverent towards the