The hero of The Odyssey

Odysseus, the hero of The Odyssey, has found himself in many interesting, as well as dangerous, predicaments. Although these predicaments were extremely challenging, Odysseus always found a way to survive. His survival depended on his mind and body combined. Without this important balance of thought and strength, it is obvious that Odysseus would not have made it home safely, or he may have not even made it home at all. Throughout The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus showed amazing personal qualities that enabled him to survive his adventures.

His third stop on his voyage home to Ithaca was the land of the Cyclopes, where Odysseus successfully escaped danger. Odysseus showed guile when creating his escape plan. Odysseus fed Polyphemus (the Cyclops who captured him and his troops and kept them hostage inside his cave) wine to make him drunk. To trick Polyphemus when he was drunk, Odysseus said, “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everybody calls me Nohbdy” (p. 608, lines 298-299). Odysseus showed bravery and strength when fighting the Cyclops. Although Odysseus did not carry out his action, he was brave enough to be willing to risk his life to slay Polyphemus with his sword. Instead of fighting with his sword, he decided to poke out the giant eye of Polyphemus, which not only required his strength, but also the strength of four other men. Odysseus showed amazing intelligence in carrying out his escape plan. As stated above, Odysseus was intelligent enough to recognize the importance of keeping Polyphemus alive, in order to be able to escape. Odysseus also used his intelligence to notice that if he and his men hid under Polyphemus’ rams, when they were let out to graze, they could escape with the rams.

Upon Odysseus’ return to his home Ithaca, he had to get his revenge to save his family as well as his home. Odysseus showed guile in Ithaca as well. He came to Ithaca disguised as a beggar, to test the loyalty of his servants and also to fool the suitors. Odysseus was treacherous when he said, “The hour has come to cook their lordships’ mutton–” (p. 646, line 1238), in which he meant it was time for them to die, but they actually thought he meant it was time for supper. Odysseus showed confidence in regaining his overtaken home. Although greatly outnumbered, Odysseus knew that he could defeat the suitors. He was also confident in the abilities of the Gods, in that they would help him in battle and would not let him be wounded. Odysseus showed tremendous strength in Ithaca. After twenty years of travel, Odysseus could still string his bow, and fire an arrow through twelve ax-handle sockets. Also showing tremendous strength with his bow, Odysseus killed most of the 118 suitors at his home, and the rest were killed by his son, Telemachus, his three loyal sevants, and the Gods at Olympus.

Throughout The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus showed amazing personal qualities that enabled him to survive his adventures. During his adventures, he showed an equal balance of intelligence, strength, confidence, bravery, and guile. Not only did Odysseus need these qualities to get home, he also required the use of them at his home in Ithaca. He needed his personal qualities to get his revenge against the suitors, and capture his own home back from them. Without his amazing personal qualities, he would have never made it back home to Ithaca, and end his dreadful journey.