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Who, besides Odysseus, is another hero in The Odyssey?
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Besides Odysseus, both Telemachus and Penelope are considered heroes in The Odyssey. Telemachus displays heroism by standing up to the suitors and embarking on a journey to find his father, showing bravery and loyalty. Penelope exhibits heroism through her unwavering faithfulness, cleverness in dealing with the suitors, and adherence to ethical and moral standards, maintaining Odysseus's reputation and household in his absence.
Telemachus could also be counted as a hero in The Odyssey. He stands up to the suitors, men who are quite contented to exploit the rules concerning hospitality and plot Telemachus's death. He is also brave enough to sail out, away from home, to go in search of news of his father, Odysseus. The dutiful son who helps to avenge the wrongs done to his father is very much a hero to the ancient Greeks—Orestes, the son of Agamemnon who slays his mother and her lover after they killed his father, is also revered as a hero.
It's true that Athena helps Telemachus quite a bit, but she—and other gods—help his father, too, and that doesn't make him any less of a hero. In fact, the gods often do not help individuals they find unworthy, so the favor Telemachus finds with Athena is really to his credit. Then, once...
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Odysseus returns to Ithaca, Telemachus bravely assists him in slaying the suitors and reclaiming his rightful place. For these reasons, Telemachus can be seen as a hero as well.
Of course we could list several “heroes” from The Iliad, but the single name from The Odyssey that immediately stands out is Penelope. Not only in her faithfulness and trust that Odysseus will return, but in the way she fends off the suitors while still keeping the Greek codes of hospitality, and the way she teaches Telemachus to love and respect his absent father, are of heroic dimension. Her sacrifice of the protected life the suitors offer her is heroic, as well as her faithful preservation of Odysseus’ reputation, represented by her care with his weapons. Heroism in not always physical sacrifice; it registers in the adherence to ethics, morals, and loyalties in a crisis, in the face of hardship and temptation.