Odysseus is a great Greek hero; however, he is merely mortal. A great Greek hero typically has the qualities of strength, courage, and intelligence, and uses them to achieve a noble goal. Odysseus has these traits and uses them to achieve the noble goal of getting home to his wife and son, but he also has three serious personality flaws of having a lack of leadership, being excessively curious, and having hubris, or excessive pride, which cause him to prolong his journey, endanger his men, and compromise his relationships.

The first great flaw of Odysseus as a hero is his lack of leadership. When Aiolos gave Odysseus the bag of winds to help him get home, he does not tell any of his men what is in the bag, and handles the winds himself for nine days. When they are in sight of Ithaca, Odysseus falls asleep and...