The Heroism of Odysseus
...ts profound care towards his men occurs when he tells about the great agony he felt as he saw his men being eaten by Scylla. “Of all the pitiful things I’ve had to witness,/ suffering, searching out the pathways of the sea,/ this wrenched my heart the most.”(12. 280-282.), he recalled. This substantiates the fact that the lives of his men were very valuable to Odysseus. A third account proving that Odysseus would readily put the lives of his men before himself, transpires when Odysseus refuses to eat the food that Circe offers until his men are freed. He says, “ Circe-/ how could any man in his right mind endure the taste of food and drink before he’d freed/ his comrades-in-arms and looked them in the eyes?”(10. 422-425.) Such an act appears exceptionally rare for a king to show to his men, especially during the time period in concern. A further heroic quality within Odysseus is that even after being seduced by two goddesses during his journey, Odysseus still remains faithful to his family. Though life with Calypso was very comfortable, most of the days Odysseus spent on Ogygia, he wept to return to his wife and son. According to Homer, “ all his days he’d sit on the rocks and beaches, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish, gazing out over the barren sea with blazing tears.” (173-175.) This proves that Odysseus had no desire to live with Calypso. Afterwards Calypso asks why Odysseus remains so eager to return to Penelope while she had given Odysseus several luxuries and even promised immortality. Odysseus replies, “Look at my wise Penelope. She falls far short of you,/ your beauty, stature. She is mortal after all./ and you, you never age or die…/ Nevertheless I long-I pine, all my days-/ to travel home and see the dawn of my return.” (5. 239-243.) This incontestably verifies the fact that Odysseus persists with faithfulness towards his wife even after being given such incredible offerings. Towards the later stages of the epic, after revealing himself to Telemachus, Odysseus illustrates an unfathomable affection towards his son as he weeps after seeing the son he left as a baby. “ And with those words Odysseus kissed his son and the tears streamed down his cheeks and wet the ground,” (16. 215-216.), confirms Homer. An additional genuine heroic characteristic of Odysseus is his unconquerable determination and fortitude. Circe first observes this characteristic as she sees that Odysseus remains unafraid after hearing the great destructive power of Scylla. Astounded, she says, “Hell-bent yet agai...