by Graydyl

Created on: May 30, 2008

In every fairy tale there is a hero to save the imprisoned princess from dragons, to save the world from fiends and villains. Most of the time, the hero is flawless, infallible, and loved by all. However, not all heroes are depicted in that way, as evident in Homer's The Odyssey. Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic poem, demonstrates numerous heroic character traits but also displays human weaknesses. In comparison to fairy tale heroes, Odysseus is not flawless; he is fallible and despised by many, including the gods. Nevertheless, he does possess many heroic qualities as well. The three quintessential aspects portrayed in Odysseus is his patience, his human frailties, and last but definitely not least, his cleverness.

Patience is a trait that all heroes possess, whether in fairy tales or in Homer's The Odyssey. Odysseus is certainly not an exception; he always demonstrates patience throughout all his adventures. During the ten years of the journey back to Ithaca, Odysseus must patiently direct his men and watch over them. When they reach the country of the Lotus-Eaters and a few of Odysseus's men consume the drugged fruits, Odysseus does not lose his patience and leave them. Likewise, when the men open the bag of winds which in turn blows them back to their starting point, Odysseus still does not direct any anger towards them. Odysseus's ability to persevere through an extreme number of obstacles shows a great deal about his patience. If he had not been patient through the twenty years of his journey, he may have perished or given up.

In addition to showing patience abroad, once back home in Ithaca, Odysseus also displays patience in keeping his identity concealed. Being confronted by the suitors with contempt and insolence most likely incited anger within Odysseus, but he was patient and did not give his identity away. At the conclusion of the epic, it is proven that Odysseus's unrelenting patience has finally paid off. One never would have regarded patience as a highly significant trait to possess, but Odysseus confirms that it is possibly in fact the one trait that is capable of altering the outcome of one's decisions.

Throughout the epic from one adventure to another, it becomes more and more apparent to the reader that Odysseus possesses human weaknesses alongside heroic qualities. Driven by the desire to go home and be with his loved ones, Odysseus plows through obstacles, one after another. However, occasionally his drive of attention is diverted and his

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