Comparative Analysis Of Heroes: King Arthur, Odysseus And Batman

Odysseus a man of great intellect, Batman a man who dares to live on the edge, and King Arthur, a man of great chivalry. These three men come from completely different stories yet they all share similar qualities with one another as well as contrasting attributes. Odysseus, Batman, and King Arthur all share the quality to be admirable leaders to their people, but they are different because of the tragic flaws that they faced as leaders.

The characteristic that is shared amongst the three brave heroes is the ability to be a good leader towards the people around them. Odysseus used his leadership skills to guide and help his people with their needs. “My child, what strange remarks you let escape you. Could I forget that kingly man Odysseus? There is no mortal half so wise; no mortal gave so much to the lords of open sky.” This quote shows that Odysseus was a man whom no one forgot, his leadership abilities improved the lives of everyone in the people. His people remembered him, even though he had not been in Ithaka for over ten years. Like Odysseus, King Arthur and Batman show very in-depth leadership skills. King Arthur was chosen by God as the future king of Camelot when he pulled out the sword of Excalibur. King Arthur was seen as a very generous man, who did have many flaws, but he was seen as a leader when he made all his knights sit at a round table. He did this because it sent the message that these were his equals, his knights. King Arthur used Merlin’s advice to better the lives of the people of Camelot. Batman uses his skills as a leader to protect the people of Gotham. As a leader, he works with others to improve and prevent more conflicts from arising. Batman does not let the fact that he does not have superpowers to prevent him from protecting his city. This shows that even when at a disadvantage, he is still using his skills as a hero to benefit others. Just like any leader he learns from his mistakes and grows from them as well. “Batman’s character is not free from contradictions. Batman does not kill people because he doesn’t consider himself above the law but he does break other laws.” They all share the ability to be great leaders, but Odysseus, King Arthur, and Batman are all different in how they lead their people.

These three heroes have many good qualities, but that does not mean they do not have flaws. Odysseus, King Arthur, and Batman all lead differently, whether they used good or bad methods. Odysseus is a good leader, but he can become very stubborn and does not listen to what his men have to say. If Odysseus had listened to his crewmates when they told him to leave Polyphemus’ cave, they could have lived. He completely disregarded the pleas of his men when regarding the Kyklopes’ cave. “Why not take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back, throw open all the pens, and make a run for it? We’ll drive the kids and lambs aboard. We say put out again on good salt water! Ah, how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished to see the caveman”. This shows that Odysseus disregarded what his men truly wanted, and only went into Kyklopes’ cave for his own benefit. Odysseus doomed himself and his crewmates the moment he stepped into the Kyklopes’ cave. Odysseus is not the only who does not lead with the best intentions, King Arthur‘s biggest problem as a leader was that he let his emotions overpower himself when making crucial decisions about Camelot. An example of this semi negligence is when he finds out that his best friend, as well as his best knight, runs away with his wife, Genivere. Sir Lancelot and Genivere ran away from the kingdom of Camelot and King Arthur pursued them, but when he left, his nephew, Mordred, took the throne and caused chaos in Camelot. When King Arthur returned back to Camelot, many of his knights died or were brutally injured, and as a result, he threw the Excaliber back into the lake. King Arthur did not listen to Merlin’s warning about what would happen if he left Camelot. This shows that King Arthur, even though he was a great leader, he let his emotions overtake his judgments, which jeopardized his people. Batman’s biggest leadership mistake is that he breaks the law to accomplish his needs as a protector of the city. When he commits these acts illegally, he is doing it so he is able to protect the ones closest to him. These mistakes he makes can majorly hurt the ones around him. This shows where Batman as a leader fails, he does not realize his mistakes until it is too late. Even though Odysseus, King Arthur, and Batman make huge drastic mistakes as leaders, that does not undermine the fact that they learned from their mistakes.

Odysseus, King Arthur, and Batman all share the characteristic of being a phenomenal leader, but their differences lie within the fact that as leader they all learned from their mistakes differently. These three men all are great leaders, who led their men with pride and confidence. Odysseus was a man who was remembered by all of his people, King Arthur was a man who treated all of his men as his equals, and Batman was a leader who used his skillsets to protect the city of Gotham. These three are different because as leaders they all display their faults and flaws. Odysseus let his stubbornness get in his way, which prevented him from listening to his men. King Arthur let his emotions get the better of him and allowed Camelot to go into complete disarray, and Batman let his illegal workings jeopardized his friend’s lives. Odysseus, King Arthur, and Batman were three righteous heroes that improved the lives of others, but every hero has their faults.