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Dylan Linton

Ms. McGinn

English

16 February 2017

Odysseus the Epic Hero

Have you ever read a book with so many big characters that you cant find the main one?

Thats what Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff was like for me. This book, a

translation of Homers The Iliad, has many characters that could be considered an epic hero. An

epic hero is a character with many great characteristics such as noble birth and national heroism.

The book contains many great warriors with great traits, however, I think Odysseus is the epic

hero of the story.

My first reason is that Odysseus was a man of noble birth, which is a trait of an epic hero.

His parents were the king and queen who ruled the island kingdom of Ithaca. Following in his

fathers footsteps, Odysseus became king and married Penelope, cousin to Helen of the Fair

Cheeks. Odysseus became a great war leader as well. He lead the Ithacan Army in the Trojan

War.

Odysseus was capable of great deeds. He was an amazing warrior with a few tricks up his

sleeve, such as great strategies and clever ideas. He fooled his own people as well as the Trojans

to steal one of Troys most prized possessions, The Luck of Troy. He took the form of the old

beggar so his people would beat him and give him to the Trojans. He was given the idea for the
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Trojan Horse by Athena which brought the downfall of Troy. Odysseus was strong, cunning, and

capable of great things.

The Ithacan King was a great warrior that fought in almost all the battles during the

Trojan War. He wasnt afraid to fight for his people and risk his life when he lead his army into

battle countless times--like the time he had the help of Poseidon and he was joined by the

monsters of the sea--towards the walls of Troy. He wouldnt have been able to rally his army

without his great skill and courage. Odysseus also had a sharp mind with great war strategies that

helped defend the greek camp when they were threatened by Troy.

Odysseus was so great, the gods of Olympus helped him along the way. When Greece

fell into a hole of despair where all hope was lost, Athena gave the Ithacan king the idea for the

Trojan horse. The great horse was the key to destroying the Greeks enemies because it allowed

the soldiers inside to get past the walls of Troy safely and let the entire Greek army in to slay the

Trojans in their sleep. Without that idea, Troy would have left the Greeks laying dead on the

battlefield.

All these reason and more support my opinion of Odysseus being the epic hero of The

Iliad. Odysseus was a great king, an amazing warrior capable of great deeds, and a man who was

supported by the Olympian gods. He also had to travel far from his home, leaving his family

behind. Odysseus was humble and loved by his country. This is why I think Odysseus was the

hero of Black Ships Before Troy.

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