Is Ulysses a hero? There are many heroes throughout “The Odyssey,” but none of them are as important as Odysseus. “The Odyssey” is a narrative poem written by Homer (c. 800–600 BCE) to show the many adventures and experiences Odysseus had. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus, a prominent Greek epic hero, seeks to return home to Ithaca; to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. Just like in real life, not all heroes are perfect; they all have imperfections. In this case, Ulysses sometimes shows himself to be insolent and discourteous; but he is still considered an epic hero because of the many heroic qualities he possesses. Odysseus proves to be an exceptional hero in a variety of ways, including showing loyalty, intelligence, bravery, strength, and courage, all of which are some of the most important qualities of a hero. If a real hero can prove that he is a real hero, that makes him a real hero. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus shows us a great amount of bravery and courage; the first thing a hero needs. In book 9, when Odysseus fought Polyphemus (the Cyclops) in an attempt to save the lives of all the crew members held captive in the cave, he showed courage the entire time because the true meaning of courage is to 'having the ability to defy fear or danger, which is exactly what he did in this situation. Even though Odysseus was afraid to confront the Cyclops, he still did so in order to get him and his crew members out of the Cyclops' cave alive; despite the 2 men that the Cyclops ate. Another way Odysseus shows courage and bravery is when he didn't make us part of his crew even when things got difficult, for example, when he faced Scylla knowing he would lose his... .... middle of paper ...... to he must say. Honestly, I think Odysseus was a great leader because, he did his best to keep his crew safe, he never abandoned them; even if they were in a bad situation. Odysseus has all the qualities necessary to be a true hero. Not only did Odysseus fight on behalf of the Greeks at Troy (Trojan War), but everything he experienced he learned a valuable lesson in the end; Odysseus endured so much on his journey back to Ithaca, but he never abandoned any of his principles. He also had good escape strategies and would risk his life to save others. Imagine you were on the same journey that Odysseus took, do you honestly believe that you would have survived? He made some minor mistakes along the way, but no one is perfect. This is why Odysseus is a hero because he is strong, intelligent and able to get out of sticky situations..