Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Odysseus: Hero or Anti-Hero?
While discussing The Odyssey in class, we have already come to a slight break in the class of those who view him as a hero and those who view him as an anti-hero. Claire's point in class really brought this home to me and why I loved Odysseus's character. It's largely due to the fact of how unheroic he acts. In the standard archetype the hero is humble. Odysseus shows time and time again how he has to beat people in every way. When asked to play in games by Laodamas and Broadsea he declines but after a few insults his spirits are high and he decides, not only to talk back, but to also show them up (8. 190-215). This is not the kind of hero we would expect from an epic poem. We would expect someone who would have calmly talked down the men and declined their offer. Not someone who took pleasure in embarrassing them in front of all their people verbally and physically. This is not the only time that Odysseus hot headedness has got the better of him. While escaping from Polyphemus' Odysseus has the audacity to yell and taunt at the blinded giant from his boat (9. 558-562). It seems like such a human thing to do and not so much of a trait of a hero. You would have thought Odysseus would have been happy just getting away but that was not enough for him. He had to rub it in. Even his crew mates try and calm him so Polyphemus is not able to kill them all (9. 549). It just goes to show Odysseus' is very brash and not at all humble. Odysseus may not be a very conventional hero but that is what strikes me as one of the most interesting parts of The Odyssey. Odysseus is a very modern character and is really quite complex. It seems like he is more human than most characters that are on journey's such as these. Don't get me wrong, I love Edgar Rice Burroughs esque heroes. The larger than life and impossibly impeccable characters. Odysseus is simply not that. He is a man with the help from a Goddess. I think Odysseus being a hero or anti-hero is still completely up to interpretation but I thought I would just share a few points that I find interesting.
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Excellent post, Jackson. I agree with nearly all of the points you make here. I personally find it really troublesome that he lacks the humbleness and humility found in many heroes. I think you highlighted the major examples here in favor of the antihero side. It is good, however that Odysseus does have some flaws, it makes the story seem a bit more realistic.
ReplyDeletei completely agree and it is one of the many reasons I enjoy the poem. I just feel as if it is almost too modern for Homer to have such a fleshed out character. Most myths involve larger than life heroes and Odysseus is very much human.
DeleteYeah, I have to say that I was pretty surprised that Odysseus wasn't a perfect hero, with the Odyssey being held up as one of the biggest examples of a hero's journey narrative. I noticed a couple people complaining about heroes not being flawed enough when we were talking more generally at the beginning of this class, but I feel like pride is a more difficult flaw to forgive. You're definitely right that it does make the story more interesting.
ReplyDeletePride is definitely his biggest downfall and, like we said in class, it is something to help differ from a hero and villain. Bernard is very boastful and such about killing Jahns while Juliette is very humble about starting a revolution. It shows a major contrast between the characters.
DeletePersonally, I don't see Odysseus's actions as unheroic, largely because emotions are running high in the situations you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteFor example. with Polyphemus, Odysseus and his crew have escaped from an almost certain death at the hands of the one-eyed monster. Odysseus's wit saved the day, and if I was him, I'd be pretty pumped that I was able to make it out of there alive. I believe that taunting Polyphemus would have to be my impulse, considering that I'm going to live. As such, I find Odysseus's actions relatable to myself as a human, so I don't think they injure his hero status.
Many literary heroes (Odysseus, Harry Potter, Frodo, etc.) are humans or human-like, and have their flaws. I think a lot of people see the hero as perfect, even though they don't have to be (like your post on musicians, for example). That's another reason why, at least in my opinion, Odysseus's actions don't make him less of a hero. If he was an always heroic figure, he'd be uninteresting, because he'd always do the heroic thing. These flaws are part of what makes a hero heroic, because they break up the potential monotony of heroism.
I agree with what you're saying but isn't his boasting what gets all of his crew endanger? It seems as if it is too an extreme. Harry Potter and Frodo had flaws like anyone else but not to the point where it jeopardizes everyone they are trying to save.
DeleteThe fact that he has all these flaws, major and minor, is what makes the story truly interesting and engaging for the reader and what makes Odysseus a truly dynamic character. Although he struggles to reach his home and then battles against the suitors to regain his life, he also battles against himself. I say this because he is inclined to stay at many islands and makes many bad decisions that endanger him as well as his crew, thus he must overcome these temptations as well as the actual physical obstacles. I would consider him a hero, though not a flawless one.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting seeing this dynamic in a hero story this old. I have not studied Greek myths but it seems as if they are very modern in their thinking. They all seem to resemble soap operas my mom would love. I think Homer is just following suit and his poem will resemble previous myths.
DeleteI'm interested in how this perception of Odysseus's boastfulness and lack of humility fits next to the other dominant image of him, as long-suffering, weeping in self-pity, and tragic. There's a sense in which the great war hero has been *humbled* by fate, by the gods and Poseidon specifically (a direct response to his ill-advised boasting with the Cyclops). Homer is trying to depict a "broken man," or a man who *should* be broken by his suffering, only he isn't, and that's heroic. So maybe his apparent egotism needs to be seen in this light.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point. Odysseus is described as "broken" quite a bit but not once did I feel as if he was. Other than the occasional breakdown, he seemed to be very driven and optimistic.I don't know if the breakdowns were supposed to hit more towards his emotional state and how he really was upset about what was going on and everything else was an act, or if he really felt all of these emotions.
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