Odysseus As A Leader And A Hero

3 Pages 631 Words

“… Be quiet; keep it from the others, else I warn you, and I mean it, too, if by my hand god brings the suitors down I’ll kill you, nurse, r not, when the time comes…” I would like to start off by showing Odysseus’ non-heroic or “leader” side. Those words he spoke to Eurymakhos, the women who nursed and raised him since his birth, are cruel and somewhat selfish. I don’t understand how anyone could even think of killing a person who cares so much about you, and after not seeing Eurymakhos for twenty years he should be happy to see her! But Odysseus, the leader, won’t let anyone get in the way of his plans.

Another big part of Odysseus’ leader side was Aitheon, the man he disguised himself as. Almost every time Aitheon spoke a new lie was created. Odysseus didn’t have time to think of what he would say in which situation, which is why we often found him improvising while playing the role of Aitheon. “Of all that breathes and crawls across the earth,
our mother earth breeds nothing feebler than a man.
So long as the gods’ grant him power, spring in his knees,
he thinks he will never suffer affliction down the years.
But then, when the happy gods bring on the long hard times,
bear them he must, against his will, and steel his heart.
Our lives, our mood and mind as we pass across the earth,
turn as the days turn …”
Odysseus spoke these words to Amphinimos, one of the suitors. This quote caught my attention because it shows the new role Odysseus had to take on and how well he disguised himself (aside from his scar). This quote represents his leader side and all of the lies and stories Odysseus told in order to get revenge on the suitors. Odysseus fits his part as a beggar so well that sometimes you (the reader) start to forget that Odysseus was once a great hero.
Odysseus also has a heroic side to him. He doesn’t let fear get in the way of his actions.
“Son of Laertes, versatile Odysseus, a...