The Role Of Agency In The Odyssey

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Agency is the capability to act and make decisions independently. Most of us believe that we have full control in our lives and our future. However, in the world of The Odyssey, the way agency of humans works is different from how we believe it works today. The people of The Odyssey believe that the gods have great power to affect their lives, however the gods do not have complete control. In The Odyssey, many of the occurrences in the character’s lives are blamed on fate and a predetermined plan. When Zeus decided to help Odysseus, he tells Hermes, “the exile must return…. on a lashed, makeshift raft and wrung with pains, on the twentieth day he will make his landfall,” (5,35-38). Zeus demonstrated that he has the power and control to make

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