The Role Of Odysseus Free Will In Homer's The Odyssey

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus king of Ithaca, treks through his hero’s journey which occurs when returning home from a battle in Troy. As he ventures through various perils and surpasses multiple obstacles, he explores a deep state of self reflection. Throughout this exploration, Odysseus is directed by his fate rather than free will. The decisions and actions that dominate his life are controlled by forces beyond his power. Moreover, noticing the transition that takes place within Odysseus, one can observe how his expectations rely on the concepts put forth by his destiny. Odysseus’ fate guides him along his journey and overall, dominates his life, due to his fixation on his rank in society, godly intervention and self reflection, leading

to a shift in Odysseus’ ideology. Because of this discovery period, Odysseus’ understanding of the importance of open-mindedness and family, strengthens.

His journey reflects modern day ideals and shows readers the importance of controlling one’s life in any way desired.

Odysseus’ idea of his position in society controls many of his decisions due to the never ending preservation of his pride and keeping him elevated from, what he considers, the minority. This is shown when Odysseus confronts the suitors and expresses his feelings towards them. He says, “Not if you paid me all your father’s wealth – all you possess now, and all that could pour in from the world’s end – no, not even then would I stay my hands from slaughter till all you suitors had paid for all your crimes!” (22.65-68). This quotation clearly illustrates the dominance and influence Odysseus’ social standing has on his choices. He is choosing to murder several people, merely for the sake of his

pride, and the showcasing of his power. The action he is committing is very severe, and instead of considering the consequences, Odysseus commits it to attain to his destiny’s needs. The power that his status has over common sense motivates him to slaughter all of the suitors. His flawed decision making emphasizes the strength of mistakes and shows that fate does not always benefit one. It is crucial to logicize life’s decisions, all while following a path to reach a final life goal. The conflicts that arise due to this fixation on power reveal a deeper problem inside of Odysseus. They uncover the instability in the king’s life. Although he has been praised for countless deeds, the inconsistency and fluctuation in Odysseus’ life that is caused by the urge to follow his fate is the underlying problem to be blamed for the loss of control over his decisions. All in all, Odysseus’ fate leads him to continue enforcing his legacy and power on the people, and he will not let anyone or anything interfere with this desire.

Apart from the over-mining influence of power, the godly intervention that occurs throughout Odysseus’ journey, specifically with Athena the goddess of wisdom, seizes control of a huge part of Odysseus’ life. In the midst of his battle against the suitors, Athena, disguised as a mentor of Odysseus, pushes him to heighten his hatred and fortify his drive to eliminate all these opponents. She chants to him, “Where’s it gone, Odysseus – your power, you’re fighting heart? The great soldier who fought for famous white armed Helen, battling Trojans nine long years –nonstop, no mercy, mowing their armies down and grueling battle… How can you –now you’ve returned to your own house, your own wealth – bewail the loss of your combat strength in a war with suitors?”(22.236-243). This quotation demonstrates the influence Athena has on Odysseus. She pushing his rage to elevate and setting his priorities of killing the suitors strait. He may not have voluntarily killed all of these enemies with such passion however, her words force him to become more aggressive towards them. Apart from this incident, Athena has been making episodes like these all throughout Odysseus’ journey. She has been taking control of the main obstacles Odysseus has had to overcome, and his choices that got him to where he is now. Furthermore, the characterization that is conveyed throughout this section clearly displays what power Athena has over Odysseus. She is disguised as a former mentor of his, which metaphorically represents the extent to which she guides him and how much he follows her guidance. Athena is urging him to continue fighting the suitors, and he tends to this urge. The indication that demonstrates that one must cherish usage of their power to control their own life is projected here. This is not refuting the fact that help is beneficial, but emphasizing the importance of “hitting the breaks” when control falls beyond one’s reach. In conclusion, the fate that Athena establishes for Odysseus guides his overall journey.

Beyond these outside forces, Odysseus’ self-reflection and his realization of the fate and original purpose of his journey lead him to reach his final goal of returning home to Ithaca.

This is demonstrated when, after a whole year spent on the witch-goddess Circe’s island, Odysseus finally realizes he has to progress in his voyage. He tells the goddess: “Circe, now make good a promise you gave me once – it’s time to help me home. My heart belongs to home, my comrades hearts as well” (10.532-535). Here, Odysseus realizes he needs to return to Ithaca. He has been delaying his journey so prominently on so many occasions, and not even taking notice of it. The fact that he has a family, a life, and a kingdom back home, pulls Odysseus out of this small dreamlike period in his life and provokes him to realize that he is essentially driven by fate. He is driven by the fate to continue his expedition, by the fate to enforce his authority, and mostly, by the fate to return home and fulfill all of these duties as king. This was his set future. Moreover, the theme of self reflection guides Odysseus to make these important choices, such as leaving Circe’s island, which majorly impact his life. Additionally, his self reflection influences him to follow his fate and aids him in the discovery of self-actualization and self-learning. As Odysseus follows his journey, his self reflection becomes increasingly apparent. He learns more about himself and his destiny, and the primary guidance that

leads him in the right direction to meet this final goal.

On the contrary, some may say that throughout his hero’s journey, Odysseus is lead by free-will rather than fate. They argue that the minor choosings that Odysseus makes himself, for example, leaving calypso’s island, lead to the ultimate turnout of the king’s journey. However, in closer examination, one can conclude that all decisions that impact Odysseus made by any character in the story could be, or was, influenced by the higher authority of the gods. If one is influenced by the gods, then they are considered to be following the path of their fate. Looking at the instance of Calypso’s Island, Odysseus only was able to choose to leave because the gods restrained her captivity on him. Another example where fate can over-mine free will is when Odysseus defeats the suitors. Some may say that the small decisions he made such as to show his authority over them by stringing the arrow, helped sever their confidence and lead to the ultimate outcome of their deaths. However, the unpleasant manner in which they conducted themselves and their poor decision making habits built up throughout the story and unconsciously, yet effectively set them up for failure in the final battle of their fates. Due to the suitor’s ignorance, their destiny’s were to be defeated and murdered by Odysseus, therefore, the gods allowed them to make these irrational mistakes that would essentially let Odysseus slaughter them. Overall, one can observe how all events throughout Odysseus’ hero’s journey are dominated by fate; whether they are his decisions, or the actions of those around him.

In conclusion, Odysseus’ hero’s journey is directed by how his pride and introspection, along with the relationship he has with the gods is played out in his fate, and is not guided by the impact of his free will. His journey from Troy to Ithaca involves several complications, which are specifically maneuvered and resolved to benefit in the continuation of sufficing Odysseus’ fate. In the epic, free will is an illusion, virtually all actions and events that impact Odysseus are out of his control. So now, the question to bear is: Whose life is Odysseus tending to?