Odysseus as a Hero of Practical Intelligence - Essay Example

Odysseus shows mastery of wisdom and is always scheming in a way that ensures that he goes through whatever kind of adversity that faces him.  During the war that was christened ‘Trojan’, for instance, he faces a lot of challenges as he traverses across the land to get back to Ithaca where he was to claim the kingship as his rightful position thereafter. Occasionally, he is compelled to act in secrecy and not even reveal his name in order to flee and protect himself from vengeful people. The following discourse focuses on Odysseus in view of his personality. In evaluating his personality, the discourse tries to address why his name is viewed as that of courage and intelligence even in modern-day life (Barnouw 91). Particularly, the discourse focuses on how Odysseus schematically gains his position as the King of Ithaca.

The war of Troy is the most memorable as Odysseus' most courageous moment. Naturally, to be a king, one had to be brave and fierce during battles. This was the character of Odysseus. However, for him to leave his palace and go participate in a war that would take him close to twenty years to get back home is a show of courage that is incomparable to none. Besides, he left his family (Penelope as the wife) and went to the war. This act shows the bravery and courage that the name is associated with to date.

An incident that shows the intelligence of Odysseus is when he makes his way back to his former palace in Ithaca. At the time, he had to conceal his identity as a beggar. In a rather humorous way, he makes his way up to the then ruler who was called Antinous.  He retells his own story to the king while he is dressed as a beggar. This is quite ironic and diabolical to an extent. For instance, he talks of a story in which he is the character yet he does not reveal his identity. In fact, through the narration, the intention of Odysseus is quite obvious but this passes the king since Odysseus managed to conceal his identity. This is one of the instances where he is forced to conceal his identity in an intellectual way in order to escape persecution as he awaits to regain his position as a king. In fact, this incident reveals the characters of Odysseus.

The relationship that he had with Poseidon is a show of Odysseus’ character. Human beings have been known to be obedient and respectful to gods. However, Odysseus in several instances disobeyed Poseidon. He neither feared the wrath of Poseidon nor worried about the consequences of his behavior. He only heeded to Athena who showed him divine favors. All these tend to show the clever personality that Odysseus had.