What does it mean to be a hero? There are several definitions of the word and many examples of heroes in history and in everyone's daily lives. However, The Odyssey also features some acts of heroism. Like the protagonist Ulysses. Odysseus is a very controversial character, with many questioning whether or not he is a true hero. The Odyssey recounts a ten-year journey undertaken by the protagonist, Ulysses. He goes through many obstacles, physically and mentally demanding. The book also raises the question of whether or not Odysseus is a hero. Odysseus is not a hero because he often loses sight of his mission, Odysseus acts very irrationally, he has done several unethical things during his journey and receives a lot of help from Athena to even be considered a hero. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Ulysses loses sight of his mission several times. A hero is there to do the job well and do what's best for everyone. A hero can't be disloyal and forget what he was doing there in the first place. Odysseus stays treacherously with Circe for a year: “Thus she spoke, and we acquiesced. We stayed with Circe for a year, feasting on countless amounts of meat wine,” he loses focus on his return to Ithaca and is instead distracted by Circe. Odysseus is disloyal to Penelope and everyone he promised to return home. A hero is there to get the job done, not easily distracted. Odysseus has an affair with Circe while Penelope remains faithful to him. A hero should put others before himself instead of leaving those ideals behind. Odysseus acts very irrationally. Each hero thinks or at least recognizes the consequences of his actions before acting. On the other hand, Odysseus is fueled by his anger and does not think before acting. Odysseus addresses the suitors on page 284, he growls: "Even if you should give me everything you have... I will not stay my hand until I have paid you all in full... You must fight... and don't run away, none of you will live. Even though the suitors told Odysseus that they would leave and not bother him again, Odysseus decides to treat them irrationally, due to his anger. He does not recognize the consequences of killing the sons of important families. Instead, his pride gets the better of him. Another example would be when Odysseus mocks the Cyclops Polyphemus. He boasts, telling him his name, where he comes from and his great feat. Instead of leaving quietly and not endangering the rest of the crew, he openly and selfishly brags about his achievement. This, in turn, angers Poseidon, which affects the lengthening of Odysseus's journey. Odysseus suffers because of his own mistake, which he then commits again due to his irrational thinking. Another controversial “hero” would be Napoleon. If Ulysses is compared to Napoleon, the similarities are numerous. Like the massacre of his troops in Russia, and Odysseus massacring the suitors. However, even Napoleon considered the consequences of his actions and did not act irrationally. He thought through every attack and used strategies to achieve greatness. Ulysses, on the other hand, did just the opposite. For example, Odysseus did not share the plan of the bag of winds with his crew members, which led them back to where they started. This happened because of Odysseus' fault. A hero should be able to strategize warrior-like and understand the rationality of his actions. Odysseus did several unethical things during his.