In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus spends ten years trying to return to his home Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War and must overcome a multitude of obstacles while abroad and after his return home. While some of his trials are surmountable with effort and focus, others are beyond his control such as the will of the gods; an element featured almost consistently throughout entirety of his ten-year journey. The interference of the gods both helps and hinders Odysseus, but he is ultimately at the mercy of their will, as the gods are not acting solely in his interests. Rather, the gods intervene in the affairs of mortals to uphold or further their own interests. These interests vary from upholding universal laws, such as xenia the guest-friendship laws of Zeus, to personal interests such as vengeance or favouritism.
The universal law of guest-friendship is demonstrated in Book 14 of the epic and provides evidence for Zeus’ interference
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in Odysseus’ affairs. Odysseus has returned home to Ithaca but has been advised by Athena to remain inconspicuous and disguises himself as a beggar. He travels to the home of his swine-herder, Eumaeus, and is nearly attacked by his hounds. Eumaeus scares off the dogs and explains that if a guest were to be harmed in his care, the gods would surely punish him. Eumaeus also mentions the loss of Odysseus, and imagines him as a wandering beggar in some distant land. Homer seems to imply through this dialogue that it is important to follow xenia, as one never knows whom they are hosting and one must ensure the welfare of their guest. Though Eumaeus is a poor man, he adheres to the laws of guest-friendship to the best of his abilities. He gives his guest a warm welcome; offering food, company and provides his own bed as place for Odysseus to sit. Odysseus compliments Eumaeus on his reception, but Eumaeus explains that is his duty to provide for his guests. Strangers and travellers are under the protection of Zeus and whatever one can provide is sufficient. This further suggests that regardless of class, xenia is universal and all people must adhere to it. Eurmaeus apologizes to Odysseus only being able to provide a meal of two thin pigs of which he attributes to his status as a slave under the rule of the suitors. However, he also attributes this to the greed of the suitors occupying Odysseus’ home who consume all the choice hogs, even though the hogs are not theirs to consume. The laws of guest friendship are applicable to the behaviour of guests as well as hosts and the suitors show a complete lack of respect for this. Therefore, the gods responsible for upholding such laws, namely Zeus, will surely punish the suitors for disregarding this universal law. Eumaeus compares the morality of the suitors to be worst than bandits, as even bandits fear retribution when they steal. The suitors believe that Odysseus is dead and continue on with their deeds indiscriminately. They fail to court Odysseus’ wife properly, lay waste to his home, and refuse to leave. Eumaeus predicts that Zeus will inevitably punish the suitors for their poor behaviour and disregard for xenia. In Book 22, the consequences of failing to adhere to the universal law of Zeus are made evident. After infiltrating his own home and observing the crimes of the suitors, Odysseus reveals himself and prepares to slaughter the suitors. He mocks the suitor’s for assuming that their actions would have no consequences and highlights that in their arrogance they did not even fear the wrath of the gods. As explained previously, the law of Zeus is universal and this divine law supports Odysseus’ revenge. The actions of the suitors have sealed their fates and Odysseus’ actions also serves to satisfy the interests of Zeus, whom ordained Odysseus return to Ithaca. Eurymachus, one of the suitors, attempts to deflect all the blame to Antinous, who acts as the leader of the suitors. Antinous set the example for the rest of the men and was the first to act without respect to xenia. Furthermore, he attempted to kill Telemachus and covet the throne, though the will of Zeus prevented him from doing so. The suitors offer monetary compensation but Odysseus refuses and will only accept their lives as compensation. Odysseus gives the suitors the option to fight or flee if they hope to have a chance at survival. However, this is a hollow offer, as the suitors have no way to escape or weapons to defend themselves with. Additionally, Zeus is punishing them, by proxy, for violating his laws and thus their fate is unavoidable. The gods not only intervene to uphold laws, but also for personal reasons.
Most notably Poseidon infers in Odysseus’ journey home after Odysseus blinds his son Polyphemus, the Cyclops, in Book 9. After driving a stake through the Cyclops’ eye, Odysseus and his crew escape to his ship and Odysseus taunts Polyphemus as they sail away. In addition to mocking the Cyclops, Odysseus slights Poseidon by claiming that no one will heal Polyphemus, including his father. The Cyclops responds by praying to Poseidon and asks him to prevent Odysseus from returning home. However, if this is not achievable, he asks that Poseidon delay Odysseus’ return, without his crew and with problems awaiting him at home. Poseidon hears the prayer and the Cyclops hurls a massive boulder at the ship, narrowly missing it. Odysseus and his crew make an offering of a ram to Zeus once they are out of danger but the passage indicates that this offering does nothing to convince Zeus to spare them from future challenges of which many are caused by the wrath of
Poseidon. While it is apparent throughout Odysseus’ journey that Poseidon acts as a major obstacle, Book 13 provides further explanation of Poseidon’s motives and his limits in regards to hindering Odysseus’ progress with respect to Zeus’ interests. Near the start of Book 13, the Phaecians send Odysseus off in a ship laden with treasure and land in Ithaca. Poseidon is enraged by this and argues in a conversation with Zeus that Odysseus cannot return home unpunished since he blinded Polythemus. Poseidon argues that this will reflect poorly on him as a god in the eyes of the other immortals as a mortal cannot show a lack of respect towards a god and not face consequence. Additionally, Poseidon wishes to punish the Phaeacians as well for aiding Odysseus and providing him with bounty and a peaceful journey. However, Poseidon acknowledges that Zeus pledged to return Odysseus home and he knows that he cannot go against the word of Zeus by killing him and preventing his return to Ithaca as Zeus’ interest of upholding his universal law surmounts Poseidons personal interests. In response to this, Zeus assures Poseidon that he is free to enact whatever punishment he deems just. As a god slighted by mortals he has all the power to do as he pleases. Though Poseidon still cannot kill Odysseus, he decides demonstrate his authority by turning the departing Phaeacian ship to stone and sinking it. Zeus further demonstrates his support for Poseidon by suggesting that he sink the ship once it is returning to the shores of Scheria, in view of the Phaeacians, and then block the port. With Zeus’ permission, Poseidon does as he suggests and the Phaeacians are forced to reconsider whom they host in the future. Thus, Poseidon’s personal vendetta against Odysseus is complete; Odysseus returns to Ithaca alone and battered. While the gods intervene as matters of law and vengeance, they also intervene for the sake of their favoured mortals. Athena is a crucial ally to Odysseus and Book 13 demonstrates Athena’s allegiance and why she favours him. Odysseus arrives on the shores of Ithaca but is unaware of where he has landed. Athena comes to him disguised as a shepherd boy and tells him he has arrived on Ithaca. Odysseus, still cautious, does not reveal his true identity and instead tells her he is a traveller making his way home with the bounty he won from Troy. This deception pleases Athena and she reveals herself to him: complimenting him on his cunning. She claims that any man or god would have to be a cheat to match his intelligence as even at the end of his journey, still he retains his cleverness and guile. She continues to heap praise on Odysseus and compares him to herself. Both are highly intelligent and they are the best tacticians amongst their peers. These compliments suggest that Athena favours Odysseus for his similarities to her and how well he embodies the attributes she is associated with. Athena continues by disclosing to Odysseus that she has been helping him since Troy and she planned the encounter with the Phaeacians since he first set out for Ithaca and she convinced them to aid him. She further proves her allegiance by offering to assist him in hiding the treasure he received from the Phaeacians and warns Odysseus not reveal his identity yet, as there are still trials he must face. She mentions Odysseus’ shrewdness by remaining cautious and not relaying on information from others until he can confirm it himself; further suggesting that Athena admires him for his intelligence. Athena goes on to explain that she knew of the trials Odysseus faced on his journey home, including the loss of his crew, but was unable to help him as much as she could, as she did not wish to contend with Poseidon and his own interests. Based on this, it can be assumed that Poseidon’s personal vengeance and status are prioritized over Athena’s favouritism, rather than a lack of effort on her part. Odysseus is grateful to the goddess and she continues to help him until the completion of the epic. Despite, Athena’s obvious attitudes towards Odysseus, her interference in Odysseus’ life can also be linked to Zeus’ interest of upholding universal law and punishing the suitors. This is supported early on in the epic at the beginning of Book 5. Athena appeals to Zeus to make good on his promise and send Hermes to convince Calypso to release Odysseus so he may return home. She is moved by the plight of Odysseus, and implies in her appeal to the council of the gods that the outrage directed towards Odysseus has gone on long enough and he needs to be released. Moreover, Odysseus’ son Telemachus, who set off in search of news for his father, is in danger as the suitors are plotting to kill him when he returns. Zeus counters that he has not forgotten Odysseus, and assures that Athena’s interests will be achieved in addition to his. Odysseus will return and enact justice on the suitors. As for Telemachus, Zeus argues that she can protect him herself. Zeus instructs Hermes to tell Calypso to release Odysseus and through his instructions, it is possible to ascertain the possibility that Athena’s interests are aligned with Zeus’. Zeus decrees that Odysseus land in Scheria, the home of the Phaeacians, who will send him off laden with treasure as he is destined to return home to Ithaca. As aforementioned, Athena ensures that these events come to pass. Therefore, this may indicate that Athena’s interests are not only motivated by her favouring of Odysseus, but also motivated by punishing the suitors for violating the law of Zeus. The Odyssey demonstrates that gods intervene in the affairs of mortals to uphold or further their own interests. These interests may help or hinder mortals but it is ultimately the interests of the divine that propel intervention in the affairs of mortals.
The sea served as an object that could stop Odysseus from getting where he needed to be. Modern day soldiers have many obstacles that they must overcome. These obstacles can be many things such as drug or alcohol use if they are offered some, and they must overcome the fear they face if they see someone in their unit be killed. The men being killed can also relate with Odysseus when his some of his men were eaten by the cyclops Polyphemus when they entered his home (a cave). Later Odysseus and what was left of his man took a wooden stake and drove it into the eye of Polyphemus to be able to escape from his cave. Little did they know that Poseidon (god of the sea) was the father of Polyphemus, he told his father of the terrible thing Odysseus had done and Poseidon caused Odysseus to have a rough journey
The first bad decision that Odysseus made was poking Polyphemus’ eye out. Even though it was necessary to escape, poking the sea god’s son’s eye out is never a good idea. To make matters worse, Odysseus bragged about his accomplishment later to the cyclops. The only reason why it took Odysseus ten extra years to get home was because Poseidon was angry at him for severely injuring his son. Also, if Odysseus would not have revealed his name to the cyclops, Polyphemus would never have known who poked his eye out. In return, Polyphemus would never had told his father, Poseidon, that Odysseus injured him and that he should give him a hard time on his journey home. So, if Odysse...
Throughout literature characters have relied upon entities greater then themselves to furnish them with aid as they meet the many challenges they must face. The Odyssey is a tale of Odysseus’ epic journey and the many obstacles that bar his return home. But Odysseus is not alone in this struggle and receives aid from many gods, especially the clear-eyed goddess Athena. There are times when Odysseus beseeches the gods for aid, but other times he is too foolhardy to receive aid from even the immortal gods. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus’ journey revolves around the cyclical phases of his dependence, independence and his return to reliance upon the gods’ aid.
After the incident with the bag of winds it is reasonable for Odysseus to have trust issues, but when it is a matter of life and death, Odysseus is witless. After being punished by Zeus because some of his crew ate Helios’ cattle Odysseus drifts in the ocean until he lands on Calypso’s island. 7 years pass and Odysseus can finally leave after he crafts a ship, after he leaves and sails for a bit, Poseidon sees it as a time to get revenge for his son Polyphemus. Poseidon completely wrecks Odysseus’ ship when he is close to the land of the Phaeacians. A goddess named Ino sees this and offers Odysseus help.
Like David who is favoured by God, Odysseus is favoured by some of the gods and goddesses who reside on Mount Olympos. Zeus, the king, however, feels neutral and will help according to what he sees fit. When Odysseus and his crew realizes they are trapped and are bound to be eaten by the Cyclops, the son of Laertes has the idea of having the big brute drink wine till he is passes out and then drive a burning stake into his eye, blinding him. Of course it would’ve been easier to just kill Polyphemos, but then no one would be able to move the hefty boulder blocking the entrance. So afterwards, all the men clung onto the sheep and rams, hanging from their underbelly, and waited until they would be released into the pasture. With four men eaten, but everyone else free including Odysseus, he hollers from his boat, “‘Zeus and the other gods have paid you back!’” (Odyssey. l. 536) and starts this shouting contest between them. From this, Odysseus tells him his real name. Polyphemos is rather shocked by this knowledge because a prophecy had warned him about this blinding event, expecting someone who was a good-looking giant, and continues to call Odysseus a tiny coward for tricking instead of fighting him. What’s different between Polyphemos and Goliath, other than the fact that one is a mythical being and the other just abnormally enormous in height, is that a god favoured the former of the two. Ever since the Trojan War, some of the other Olympians, especially Poseidon, have been making Odysseus’ journey home a devastating hardship. Polyphemos, as son of the earthquake god, prays to Poseidon that Odysseus return home with a broken spirit after several
Odysseus and some of his men went to investigate to see what these Cyclops were like. Unfortunately, they stumbled upon a Cyclops that had no intention of being nice. His name was Polyphemus who was the son of Poseidon. He took Odysseus’s men and ate them every night and would keep Odysseus and his men hostage. Odysseus made a clever escape and blinded the Cyclops. When Odysseus finally made it back on the ship with the remaining men that went along with him, Odysseus got a little too angry and shouted from the ship to Polyphemus and insulted him. Polyphemus prayed to the god, Poseidon and cursed Odysseus. This was on page 77, lines 526-533, book
To start, within the course of The Odyssey, Odysseus displays hubris through many of his actions. The most prominent instance in which Odysseus shows hubris is while he and his men are trying to escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus. They drug the monster until it passes out, and then stab him with a timber in his single eye. Polyphemus, now blinded, removes the gigantic boulder blocking Odysseus’ escape, and waits for the men to move, so he can kill them. The men escape from the cave to their boat by tying themselves under flocks of rams, so they can easily slip by. Odysseus, now proud after beating the giant, starts to yell at Polyphemus, instead of making a silent escape. Odysseus’ men ask him to stop before Polyphemus would “get the range and lob a boulder” (436). But Odysseus shows hubris by saying that if they were to meet again, Odysseus would “take your life” and “hurl you down to hell!” (462; 463). Polyphemus, now extremely angry with Odysseus, prays to his father, Poseidon, to make Odysseus “never see his home” again, and after which, throws a mountain towards the sound of Odysseus’ voice. (470). Because of Odysseus’ hubris after blinding Polyphemus, Poseidon grants the prayer, and it takes Odysseus 20 years to return home, at the cost of the lives of all his men.
Before letting him leave the island, Circe tells Odysseus that he must face Scylla, a sea monster, and Charybdis, a whirlpool. Circe says, “Better by far to lose six men and keep you ship” (274). Odysseus is told beforehand that no ship could pass unscathed, but he chooses to not to tell his crew. He knowingly sacrifices his crewmembers’ lives and has no qualms about it, which shows his inner selfishness. He makes sure to protect his own life, but he sees his crew as disposable. Homer characterizes Odysseus this way in order to convey his views about humanity: humans are instinctively selfish. Odysseus also carelessley kills his remaining crew when he taunts the Cyclops. After hearing Odysseus’s name, Polyphemus prays to Poseidon and asks that Odysseus “never reaches home” but if he is destined to return, make sure he returns “a broken man—all shipmates lost, alone in a strangers ship” (228). If Odysseus had never told Polyphemus his name, he and his crew might have made it home more quickly and safely. Instead, his hubris causes an inescapable curse. Odysseus cannot bear the thought of forfeiting his fame, which leads to even more hardship on his quest to return home. Homer uses Odysseus to demonstrate the danger of egotistical
Poseidon wasn’t happy with Odysseys when his men killed Poseidon’s cows for food. Poseidon created the storm on the high seas and blows Odysseus on Calypso Island where he was captured. Due to having multiple gods in Greek religion, each god has a certain domain and they can’t interfere with another domain. All of the gods wanted Odysseus to be able to return home and reunite with his family except for Poseidon. “But my heart breaks for Odysseus, that seasoned veteran cursed by fate so long-far from his loved ones stills, he suffers torments, off on a wave-washed island rising at the center of the seas” (Homer 1.57-60). Athena’s appeals to Zeus about all of the Odysseus past sacrifices moves Zeus to take pity as well. When Poseidon is absent from Mt. Olympus, the other gods are able help Odysseus home. Athena guides Odysseus to Ithaca, getting him past many dangers and obstacles.
Homer’s The Odyssey, a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism, still fascinates scholars and casual readers alike today in the same way it fascinated its audience at the time it was written. The Odyssey, a journey of determination, patience, and virtue, tells the tail of Odysseus, the main character, on his voyage home to Ithaka after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus goes through many unforeseen trials and tribulations, which exemplify his character. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character.
In The Odyssey the gods are responsible for controlling many aspects of where the story goes, but the people still have to choose to go. The gods in The Odyssey are who held Odysseus captive for over eight years. They were responsible for his capture in the first place and then refused to let him go for almost a decade. When they finally decided he should be allowed to find his way home they made it known to his captor Kalypso. However Odysseus still had to choose to leave. Kalypso tried to keep him by offering immortality. "You would stay here, and guard this house, and be immortal" (Homer 267). Odysseus could have stayed but he chose to go. Some say that the gods knew Odysseus would not stay and that is why they decided to let him go.
In summary, the Odyssey has instances of fate and free will so people in their time could make their own decisions but the gods could change their lives. In the life of Odysseus he had to spend twenty years trying to get back to his family. In this way the gods controlled his life but he still got to make decisions of attitude which in my opinion is very
In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, gods play a very important role to the plot of the story. They are the one deciding if someone can survive or not according to the sacrifice that the person made for them. In the book 1, Athena said to Zeus her father, “Didn’t Odysseus please you with sacrifices beside the Greek ships at Troy?” (Homer 65, book1). In this part Athena was trying to plead with her father Zeus in favor of Odysseus because she wants to help him to go home, while others are trying to provoke his death. This love that Athena has for Odysseus and his family is revealed throughout Homer’s epic. Although Athena supported Odysseus throughout his voyage, other gods including Poseidon, Calypso, and Circe made it difficult for Odysseus to return home, such in our real life, some people will make your life hard, but you have a good faith as Odysseus, you should always find your way out. Our God is omnipr...
Religion was deeply intertwined the culture of the ancient Greeks. In their stories, they prayed to the gods to satisfy their needs and offer assistance in their endeavors, and the gods would occasionally appear to select Greeks to give counsel, gifts, or other forms of aid. Alternatively, if the desires or endeavors of a mortal or mortals displeased one or more of the gods, they would also interfere with the fulfillment of their goals. In Homer’s Odyssey, the gods appear to or interfere with both Telemachus and Odysseus, either to help or hinder them in their journeys. Although the gods are responsible the difficulty Odysseus faces returning from Troy, they are equally responsible for motivating and assisting Odysseus and Telemachus in their respective travels. If not for divine interference, neither Odysseus nor Telemachus would have journeys to make.
I said that after going through much hardship and losing all his men he should come home again in the twentieth year and that no one would know him; and now all this is coming true” (14). This shows how the gods did interfere and would tell the people on earth with symbols. The gods knew from the beginning the fate of Odysseus because they predestined it. The gods are those who gave Odysseus misfortune, and they are also the ones who fated him the way he did. Through these examples of hospitality, pride and fate, one can learn many important Greek principles.