Many would argue that Odysseus is more of a villain these days, for every example of his cunning or feats of strength there are several of venality, vice, cruelty or selfishness. . The episode of the Sirens (Book 12) is an example. The only reason Odysseus attaches himself to the mast, when he could have simply plugged his ears with wax like the rest of his crew, is that he makes a perilous choice, wanting to "enter the books” being the first. man to listen to the song of the sirens and live. As a result, he may be endangering the rest of his crew who could return home safely by endangering himself. Although Odysseus' many adventures are very exciting, he spends a lot of time cheating on his wife (along with Circe and Calypso) and doesn't seem to take his marriage vows very seriously (although at present, I don't I'm not sure that men are obliged to do this). make a vow that they would be faithful to their wives!) But for me, the worst thing Odysseus does is the massacre of all the maids in his house, upon his return. They had sided with the suitors, true, but they were bound servants and were probably just trying to side with those they thought were the victors. When Odysseus killed the trapped (and unarmed) suitors, it was bad enough (Book 22) – they were strong men and warriors determined to kill him, but they at least had a chance of fighting back or killing themselves. run away – but for Odysseus to make the maids clean up all the blood and then hang them all was horrible. It’s true that they were disloyal, but he could have beaten them and sent them away – it seems excessive, to say the least, to have hanged them. However, it is possible that Odysseus was only following the rules and practices of his time, when disloyal servants and... middle of paper ... example of "look before you leap". For today's heroes, foresight is a valuable skill. One action may solve a preliminary problem or the "base" problem, but the result could lead to even more serious dilemmas. By thinking ahead, a hero can not only avoid creating more problems for himself, but also find a solution to the root of his problems. In short, Odysseus possesses many characteristics that would make him a modern-day hero - his strength, both physical and mental. , his intelligence, his ability to survive the many extreme experiences he encounters, as well as the fact that he is a human being who must survive not only these experiences, but also his own failures. If the reader could only get as far as volume 12, these arguments might well be valid, but, for a modern reader at least, they would almost certainly be completely undermined - if he read any further..