The Free Will Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

The name Odysseus means “he who gives or receives pain”, is this name true for the character Odysseus in The Odyssey by Homer? Odysseus exemplifies this definition in numerous ways, first by blinding the Cyclops, killing the suitors as well as being separated from his family for twenty years. In this epic Odysseus is not exempt from pain and clearly inflicts pain on others. In the Odyssey by Homer, portions of the Call including divine intervention, the Challenge where he faces Polyphemus, and the Return when he comes home to face both his dog and the suitors, all of which have the deepest impact on Odysseus as an epic hero.

Divine intervention decides Odysseus’s fate in returning home to Ithaca to restore his rule and save his son, Telemachus.

Athena pleads to Zeus to aide Odysseus’s return home and to gain support of the gods. She pleads her case to Zeus, “Father Zeus- you other happy gods who never die- who never let any sceptered king be kind and gentle now, not with all of his heart, or set his mind on justice- no, let him be cruel and always practice outrage” ( Homer 152). Athena specifically references Poseidon when talking about how the gods allow him to be so cruel to Odysseus. Even though Athena and Poseidon are both gods, Poseidon is seen as better and of higher authority due to the fact that he is a man. Although, Athena argues against Poseidon, she uses kind words and tries to not be as rude and disrespectful to him. As well, Athena uses many compare and contrast words to emphasize; demonstrated by the sentence structure allowing this to occur to help benefit her point. She discusses how the gods are both “happy”, “kind and gentle” but also how they can let other gods be “cruel” and “practice outrage”, demonstrating how the standards for specific gods can vary. Next, Zeus sends Hermes to Calypso to tell her of the god’s decision that Odysseus was allowed to leave the island. Zeus’s announcement to Hermes is, “Announced to the nymph with lovely braids our fixed decree; Odysseus journeys home- the exile must return” (Homer 153). When Homer uses the term, “fixed decree” Homer is explaining to the readers that Zeus is very set in his ways on this point. He is specifically telling Hermes that there is no room for error or debate. Once the gods decide a verdict, their answer will not change. Calypso will have to let Odysseus go and help him return home. Calypso does agree with this and lets him go but she is mad about their double standard. Men are allowed to keep mortals as lovers but she feels that if men get to why can't she. In Ancient Greek culture, women were respected but they did not have the same rights in all cases. Also, the important yet very short description of Calypso helps the readers understand why Odysseus didn't argue more for being stuck on the island. Odysseus acts as if he is going back home to save his wife, but is he really? He doesn't complain about making love to the gorgeously stunning nymph every night which allows for the readers to see deep down he really is. Odysseus is a man of great pride but with that pride comes selfishness. While Penelope follows the theme of loyalty and refuses to marry a suitor, Odysseus goes against his loyalty and willingly sleeps with another women. Odysseus Call to going home to Ithaca is aided by the divine intervention which allows him success in leaving Calypso’s island after seven long years.
As Odysseus faces hardship after hardship, he encounters one specific challenge that deeply impacts him both emotionally and physically, Polyphemus the cyclops.

After escaping the wrath of the Cyclops, Odysseus boasts, “Cyclops- if any man on the face of the Earth should ask you who blinded you , shamed you so- says Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Homer 227). Odysseus’s hubris and hamartia are evident when he boast to the cyclops that he, Odysseus blinded him exemplifying his ignorance and greed. Odysseus wants everyone to know that he beat the mighty Cyclops that tried to eat him. His hubris ends up causing him to face further hardships down the road. When Odysseus uses the phraseology “raider of cities”, it again shows his hubris. Odysseus is especially greedy and believes that he is superior to others. He believes that every man on the face of the Earth should know about his ultimate battle win, proving his overbearing pride. Challenges allow his bad qualities to shine through even though many would change and step up to the game. He goes against the theme of the cliche motto, “treat others the way you want to be treated” and treats the poor, lonely Cyclops like the gum on the bottom of his shoe. What further makes this hardship even worse than just the Cyclops himself is the father of Polyphemus, Poseidon. When Polyphemus tells Poseidon that Odysseus blinded him, Poseidon acts rather rashly and harshly.

Polyphemus tells his father how he wants Odysseus to suffer for what he did to him, “grant that Odysseus...never reaches home. Or if he’s fated to see his people once again and reach his well-built house and his own native country, let him come home late and come a broken man-all shipmates lost, alone in a stranger's’ ship- and let him find a world of pain at home… Poseidon, heard his prayer”(Homer 228). Polyphemus makes it extremely clear through specific details that he would appreciate very greatly if Poseidon could make Odysseus’s life a living hell. Instead of just simply killing Odysseus and letting him have an easy, short, and painful death, Polyphemus feels that he deserves a much more tortuous, long, and horrific punishment. Pictures that are painted in the reader's mind from the specific details of Odysseus torture allows for the readers to see that Polyphemus wants him to suffer. The details help the readers to sympathize with how Odysseus will feel being left alone and helpless due to Poseidon's divine intervention. Feeling the wrath of an angry god can never be a good thing. Soon, Odysseus will learn this lesson and understand that with wit comes suffering. His wit of escaping the “one-eyed monster” led to his demise. Rough spots in Odysseus journey home will deeply change who is he as a person and will allow for him to reach home and defeat the suitors and be victorious.
In the return, when Odysseus comes home he has to face two things, his old dog, Argos, and the suitors.

Both of these confrontations leave a lasting impact on him. Odysseus is faced with the ultimate emotional struggle, seeing his old dog after twenty years while staying hidden so no one can know his identity. The description of the poor old dog on page 363 states, “It was Argos, long-enduring Odysseus’ dog...he lay there, castaway, on piles of dung from mules and cattle… infested with ticks, half-dead from neglect...but the moment he sensed Odysseus standing by he thumped his tail, nuzzling low, and his ears dropped, though he had no strength to drag himself an inch towards his master” (Homer 363-364). Argos held loyalty very close to his heart which was absolutely outstanding. We see by the picture produced by Homer’s words that specifically show how strong this loyalty was. “Only Argos, who is not human, is unquestionably able to recognize the disguised Odysseus”. This piece of literary criticism helps the readers understand how strong the loyalty and bond is between Odysseus and Argos. The bond between them is unbreakable and undoubtedly strong. After being tested for twenty years it remains as strong as ever. Argos stayed alive while being abused and in terrible conditions just to see his master one last time. From Argos laying on “piles of dung” to “thumping his tail” after showing no signs of happiness until Odysseus comes home. A man’s best friend is truly a man’s

best friend. Even though, Odysseus can not reveal himself and spend the much needed time with his dog, he ends up showing a very important character trait that is newly developed. His dedication towards his country, wife, and son. At the beginning, he would have never done something like this and would have revealed his identity to everyone. Odysseus changed from an ignorant, selfish man to a dedicated, selfless man. He took away the right of saying hello to his own dog to protect Ithaca. If Odysseus were to reveal his identity, he would not be able to get the revenge on the suitors and gain his rule back. Ithaca desperately needs Odysseus to come in and gain back all of his power to continue to stay a strong. The word choice of “castaway” is very important because it shows how lonely and forgotten Argos is. After Odysseus leaves for Troy no one pays the littlest attention to him and he is seen as invisible. Argos is very similar to Polyphemus, while Argos was left by Odysseus and forgotten about by everyone else in Ithaca, Polyphemus was often forgotten about by his own father, Poseidon and left alone on an island. The theme of a little bit of love can go a long way is shown when with just Odysseus dragging his hand discreetly across Argos’s head one time, he is able to die happy, feeling as if his life is fulfilled. Odysseus's final battle of killing all of the suitors finally allow him to gain back everything that he lost for twenty years so he can finally be happy. “You dogs! you never imagine I’d return from Troy...ravishing my serving-woman --wooed my wife behind my back while I was still alive! No fear of the gods...no fear that man's revenge might arrive someday- now all your necks are in the nouse- your doom is sealed”(Homer 440). After revealing himself,Odysseus lets the suitors know that they are going to die for disrespecting both himself and the gods. Odysseus shows confidence in himself and his actions, he is sure that killing the suitors is the right course to take. Odysseus from the beginning of the novel shows immense bravery and seriousness when it comes to battling, specifically when it’s defending his city. Again and again the gods continuously help Odysseus due to the fact that he follows Xenia and presents himself as loyal to all of the gods. Athena’s final help towards Odysseus comes with fast end to the battle while Zeus sends an omen to them all. With the divine intervention, Odysseus is able to gain back everything that he lost. He can finally be with his family after twenty of separation and rule Ithaca to greatness. When Odysseus returns to Ithaca, he has to face events that begin with conflict but end up with a prosperous ending.