the odyssey

Greek literature has given a start to long and complex epics that revolved around heroes. This type of literature shows many possibilities to what heroism really is. The Greeks defined heroism as obeying the rules stated by the gods and goddesses, and those who obeyed the rules would gain honor and fame. Intelligence and courage were two of the highest gifts that all heroes must posses in ancient Greece. Odysseus is the main hero of the epic “The Odyssey,” translated by Robert Fitzgerald. He was constantly expected to obey the rules laid down by the immortals, and posses’ wisdom and courage. Courage, intelligence, and hospitality were the ingredients for heroism in its purest form.

Courage was defined in the Greek tradition as conquering fear or despair in order to save ones self or others. Courage was vital to the character of all heroes because there would be many overwhelming and challenging situations. Odysseus possesses courage throughout the epic. When he asked Kirke about what lay ahead in his journey home, Kirke replied

"There lay are a pair of cliffs. One of them/ with its jagged peak reaches up to the/ spreading sky, wreathed in dark cloud that never parts./ Halfway up the clip is a murky

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Odysseus almost always following the hospitality rule, a characteristic that all heroes must have according to the Greeks' tradition. Kirke would go to bed with Odysseus; the goddess would reverse her spell on Odysseus men. / I mount no bed of loved with you upon it. "/ To this I said:/ "Kirke am I a boy,/ that you should make me soft and doting now?/ Here in this house you turned my men to swine;/ now it is I myself you hold, enticing/ into your chamber; to your dangerous bed,/ to take my manhood when you have me stripped. When his men were turned into swine by the goddess Kirke, he made her swear to reverse her action in return for him to make love to her. When his men saw cheese, pens, and lamb on lying on the racks, they plead to Odysseus, "Why not/ take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back,/ throw all the pens, and make a run for it?/ We'll drive the kids and lambs aboard. cave,/ facing north-west to Erebus, and doubtless it is past this, Odysseus, that you and your men will steer your vessel. Odysseus rejected this suggestion, stating, "I wished to see the cave man, and what he had to offer. / Inside lives Skylla, yelping hideously;/ her voice is no deeper that a young puppy's,/ but she herself is a fearsome monster. Odysseus displayed intelligence when he went to the goddess Kirke to rescue his men. Odysseus demonstrates hospitality when he lands on the island with Kyklops and brings gifts as an offering to Kyklops. However, Odysseus knew that the goddess wanted to go to bed with him, not to build trust, and as a result, Odysseus used his intelligence to ask Kirke to make a deal in which she had to swear to reverse her spell on his men in trade for him to make love with her "as to build trust. Odysseus's intelligence is what leads him to save his men. The goddess spoke to him,

"Put up your weapon in the sheath.

Approximate Word count = 1198
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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