Larger-Than-Life Heroes: Achilles and Odysseus What are the main characteristics of a larger-than-life epic hero? An epic hero is a brave and powerful warrior who is motivated to fight both internal and external conflicts to achieve glory and ranks above a normal man. In Homer’s epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, Achilles and Odysseus are the well-known heroes. Achilles fights Hektor outside the walls of Troy because Hektor killed his best friend, Patroclus. After fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus takes on a journey to return back to Ithaca to see his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus. Through his use of tone, figurative language, mood, and imagery, Homer’s epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey show how Achilles and
After stabbing Hektor in the throat, he ties Hektor’s ankles to his chariot and rides off, dragging him. Hektor uses imagery to show how Achilles ties Hektor to his chariot, and injures him while riding off. Homer also uses tone to explain Achilles’ anger toward Hektor for killing Patroclus. Even so, after slaughtering all of the suitors in his home “Odysseus scanned his house to see if any man still skulked alive, still hoped to avoid black death” (Odyssey. 22. 406-407). Odysseus finally returns to his home in Ithaca disguised as a beggar by Athena. He is only one out of all the suitors to string Odysseus’ bow, because he is Odysseus and stronger than any man alive. Athena then reveals Odysseus and he and his son, Telemachus, kill all of the suitors in his home. Homer uses imagery to show Odysseus looking around his house to find any more suitors that were still alive. He wanted to no suitor was still alive so he could be in peace with his wife, Penelope. His external conflict is not being able to return home in peace. He must kill all of the suitors, for they wanted to marry Penelope and become King of Ithaca. Odysseus needed to show that he had returned as King of Ithaca and was more powerful than all of the suitors combined. Achilles’ external conflict is fighting Hektor and Odysseus’ external conflict is conquering the suitors. Achilles and Odysseus deal with their external conflicts by