Throughout the epic, Odysseus is portrayed by his friends and peers as a magnificent man, a divine figure. But, throughout the journeys of The Odyssey, the true character of Odysseus appears. Heroes are no exception to human nature; everyone tends to act differently in public than in private. A commonly accepted definition of a hero is "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his courageous deeds and noble qualities." Odysseus did not show the noble characteristics of a hero by acting cowardly, barbaric, selfish and greedy in certain situations; such qualities do not deserve such a title. To be a hero, you must have a noble and courageous goal. As the Odyssey progresses, Odysseus reveals himself to be no hero because of his dastardly deeds. Homer uses the character of Odysseus to depict a false morality that undermines the concept of his heroism. One of the main reasons Odysseus is not a hero is because he manipulated the truth and achieved his victories through lies. Achilles, the hero of the Iliad, explains his thoughts on this subject: “I hate this man like the gates of death / who says one thing but hides another in his heart” (Knox, 37). Bernard Knox, who wrote the introduction to the Odyssey, explains how Odysseus prides himself on his ability to conceal and manipulate the truth. Bernard also says, “He will gladly employ deception to gain victory” (Knox, 38). A hero is a man of honor with a noble purpose and a noble heart, but Odysseus has neither. The main characteristics of a hero are that he can accomplish heroic things, while maintaining his nobility. If we sacrifice truth for progress, we are no better than the monsters we fight. Lying and cheating to get things done is wrong and usually has bad consequences. Another reason...... middle of paper ...... I didn't struggle with morality. As Odysseus kills the suitors, he explains how much he hates the fact that they have emptied his estate and wooed his wife. “You dogs!” You never imagined that I would return from Troy - so sure of yourself that you bled my house to death, raped my maid - wooed my wife behind my back while I was still alive! » (Homer, 22.36-39). What is very interesting about this sentence is that the first thing he accused the suitors of was depleting his estate. This line is also very important because the last crime he charged against them was wooing his wife. This line proves that Odysseus cares more about his wealth than even his family. No hero should care so much about personal property. Since Odysseus cares more about himself and has no moral code, I strongly believe he should not be given the title of hero..