Who is more heroic Achilles or Odysseus?.
I wanted to take a different approach with this paper, because I am sure it gets old when you read about the stories and nothing else. I am going to go more in depth about two intriguing characters. I read the Iliad a couple of months ago and I just read the Odyssey. .
Who is more heroic, Odysseus or Achilles? In Webster's Dictionary, a hero is defined as a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of purpose, especially if this individual has risked or sacrificed his life. It can also be used in reference to a mythological or legendary figure, often of divine ancestry, who is favored by the Gods, endowed with great courage and strength, and celebrated for his bold exploits. War and dangerous adventure is the hero's normal occupation, In my opinion, Odysseus is much more heroic than Achilles. Throughout both the Iliad and the Odyssey, Odysseus showed more cunning and acts of bravery than Achilles. Both men did make an attempt to avoid fighting in the Trojan War, however, neither succeeded. After Odysseus was tricked into serving the Greeks, he was sent to recruit Achilles. Disguised as a peddler, he approached Achilles, who was dressed as a woman hiding among the maidens, and displayed trinkets and fine weapons. "While the girls flocked around the trinkets, Achilles fingered the swords and daggers." After Odysseus discovered him, he persuaded Achilles into coming to the Greek camp and joining their army. This shows that Odysseus was smarter and cleaver than Achilles. Odysseus also showed cunning when he came up with the plot to defeat Troy, using the Trojan Horse. Odysseus fought bravely throughout the entire Trojan War, whereas Achilles spent quite awhile in his tent pouting after Agamemnon kidnapped his prize maiden, Chryseis. He also lets his best friend, Patroclus, go into battle alone to die by Hector's spear. It takes a great loss like this for Achilles to get up and fight again.