ODYSSEUS AS A CLASSIC GREEK HERO Spring 2012

Things to look for while reading…  Deeds of valor  Superhuman courage  Hamartia  A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a hero  Hubris  Excessive pride or self-confidence  Supernatural forces - ie. the gods  Repetition  What stock phrases do you see used again and again?

What makes Odysseus a classic Greek hero? How can Homer’s The Odyssey be characterized as the story of an epic hero? Odysseus is intelligent, but his intelligence is of the cunning, sly type….not the book-smart type. He is, after all, a man of “twists and turns…” The Greek term for this versatility is “polytropos,” or “turning in many directions.” Odysseus is a man of deceptions and disguises. © Microsoft ClipArt 2000

This guy named Aristotle…  Greek man that created the characteristics that a tragic hero must have

Tragic Heroes are…  Born into nobility  Responsible for their own fate  Endowed with a tragic flaw  Doomed to make a serious error in judgment

Eventually, tragic heroes…  Fall from greatness or high esteem  Realize they have all made an irreversible mistake  Faces and accepts death with honor  Meet a tragic death

For all tragic heroes…  The audience is affected by pity and/or fear

Common Traits  Hero must suffer more than he deserves  Hero must be doomed from the start, but bear no responsibility for possessing a flaw  Hero must be noble in nature, but imperfect so that the audience can see themselves in him  Hero must have discovered his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him  Hero must see and understand his doom, as well as the fact that his fate was discovered by his own actions

Common Traits cont.  Hero’s story should arouse fear and empathy  Hero must be physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death  Ideally, the hero should be a king or leader of men, so that his people experience his fall with him  The hero must be intelligent so he may learn from his mistakes

Recap…  Noble birth  Well-liked  Tragic flaw (hamartia)  Downfall

Modern day tragic heroes…  Darth Vader  Jack Bauer from 24  Arnold from Hey Arnold!  John -117 from Halo video games  Romeo from Romeo and Juliet  Rocky Balboa from Rocky  Wolverine from X-Men comics  Sirius Black from Harry Potter  Harry Potter from Harry Potter series

Odysseus is a wanderer who seeks to return home.  The sharpness with which he led his men in the Trojan War is the same devious aptitude he uses to find his way back home after the war. It is also the same intelligence he uses to outwit monsters and other foes who block his path and threaten his men’s lives. © Microsoft ClipArt 2000

Odysseus mocks reliance on strength alone. Strength without cunning is what dooms the suitors to Odysseus’s deception. Odysseus cuts his losses to Charybdis and Scylla through careful navigation. Odysseus is also able to use the strength of his mind to enjoy the siren’s song without falling prey to their seductive dangers. Even Odysseus’s encounter with Achilles in the Underworld is a reminder of how brutish glory brings a short, violent life. Odysseus’s glory, or kleos, is won by his wits and will yield him a long, peaceful life. © Microsoft ClipArt 2000

Physical Strength  Odysseus demonstrates cunning, farsightedness, adaptability and other aspects of intellectual prowess  He is not enormous, but he is powerful, and he is both an excellent athlete and a formidable soldier.  This combination of intellectual and physical excellence is called “arete” in Greek.

In order to use his cunning and his strength, Odysseus must be willing to face danger with courage. He does not shrink away from his leadership role in times of great peril. From

Fortunately……  Odysseus also has the help of the gods at times. In the beginning of the epic, Athena represents Odysseus favorably to the other gods at council meetings. Ultimately, Zeus helps Odysseus rule peacefully once he finally arrives home.  Of course, the gods are not always pleased. Poseidon makes Odysseus’s journey a true test of his wit and valor. © Microsoft ClipArt 2000

What else?  Odysseus is also an aristocrat.  He is a member of the ruling class who seeks to recapture his “rightful” place after his long years away at war.  He returns to one last battle in which he takes revenge on interlopers…rude, crass suitors for his wife’s affections and possessions…and reasserts his claim to his palace, a beautiful wife and a loyal son to be his proper heir. From

A few notes on his unusual status….  Yes, like most classic heroes, Odysseus must prove himself again and again and again, and the perceptions others have of him are of vital importance to his heroic stature, but……….. From

….unlike heroes such as Beowulf who search out the dragon and the danger….  Odysseus is always willing to find another way around the danger if possible. He doesn’t run, but he is willing to hide…behind disguises, behind well-timed silences, amongst sheep and at a dinner table.

As with many tragic heroes, Odysseus has faults that lead to disaster. Unlike tragic heroes, Odysseus is able to use his conniving to escape the ultimate price others have to pay for his mistakes.

Odysseus has a voracious appetite and a mortal’s weakness for comfort.  He wastes valuable time from his “nostos,” or journey home, on Calypso’s island where he indulges in sex, food and a basically hedonistic lifestyle. When he finally misses the excitement of activity and glory, he politely leaves for home.  He wants to colonize the Cyclops’ island. When he and his men are trapped and in severe danger of being eaten down to the last man, Odysseus thinks of a clever ruse to escape the monster. Just before he and his men are truly free of the beast, his appetite for fame makes him careless and he reveals his name. By doing this, he earns Poseidon’s wrath.  When Odysseus and his men slaughter the Sun’s flocks, and when they eat the fruit of the lotus and forget about their homes, Odysseus as the leader is responsible for the fall into temptation.

Let’s review…  Odysseus possesses a cunning wit, and he uses it more than he uses his aging physical strength.  He is brave, but he prefers to defeat his enemies with clever deception rather than meet them head-on.  He is on a journey home, and he must pass many trials to reach the safety of his home.  He must take the hero’s journey into the underworld and return, emerging as a new, wiser and more mature man.  He has weaknesses, but he manages to overcome them to complete his journey and reclaim his home and family.  He interacts with the gods and receives both their favors and their curses.  He is ultimately a heroic figure, a literary icon and an adventurer’s idol.