“Only you can control your future” -Dr. Seuss. In life, this common rule guides many humans into believing they have power over their lives. However, in The Odyssey by Homer, the mortals do not have the slightest control of their future. The mortals in the story make few of the final decisions in their lives. The gods and goddesses in The Odyssey manipulate the lives of the mortals in positive and negative ways depending upon the gods feelings. Through the law of xenia, in Odysseus’ journey, and in the daily lives of the mortals, the gods and goddesses determine the fates and outcomes in the mortals’ lives. The gods and goddesses watch the actions of the mortals in order to dictate their fate. The gods and goddesses watch for the presence …show more content…
The gods look to reward or punish the mortals based on the law of xenia. In the beginning of Odysseus’ journey, he and his men stop at the island of Ismaros. However, Odysseus and his men begin raiding the island and eventually are banished from the island after the loss of six men from every ship. When Zeus saw the disrespect and absence of xenia Odysseus and his men exemplified, Zeus expresses how he felt: “Now Zeus the lord of cloud roused in the north a storm against the ships and driving veils of squall moved down like night on land and sea” (IX. 74-76). The storm punished by Zeus shows his reaction to the absence of xenia. This action represents a way the gods would penalize mortals for not following the gods’ rule of hospitality. The storm Zeus sent beaches the men, postponing their journey. In many parts of the plot, characters follow xenia to please the gods. The characters’ needs to please the gods through hospitality demonstrates the ongoing influence the gods place on a mortal’s life. The act of …show more content…
In the very beginning, Athena begins meddling in the life of Telemakhos, Odysseus’ son: “With this Athena left him as a bird rustles upward off and gone. But as she went she put a new spirit in him, a new dream of his father, clearer now, so that he marveled to himself divining that a god had been his guest” (I. 368-373). Since the beginning, Athena masters a plan to bring Telemakhos and Odysseus back together. Athena visits Telemakhos in a disguise of Mentes, Odysseus’ friend. During this part of the plot, Athena began her plan when she gave Telemakhos hope his father was alive and the desire to go look for him. Athena plays a huge role in The Odyssey as the god who interferes the most: “If grey-eyed Athena loved you the way she did Odysseus in the old days in Troy country, where we all went through so much-never before have I seen the gods help any man as openly as Athena did your father” (III. 235-239). When Lord Nestor proclaims these words to Telemakhos, Athena’s contest divine intervention is verified. After Telemakhos and Odysseus complete their journeys, Athena meddles in final days of the suitors. Athena disguises Odysseus as a poor beggar. Odysseus the beggar confronts the suitors who then mock and torment Odysseus. A real beggar soon arrives and the two beggars are challenged to a fight. However, when Odysseus appears weak, Athena steps in: “Athena stood nearby to give
Every day people make decisions. Some are more important than others, but all decisions have consequences, no matter how small. The decisions that you make, and the decisions others make could affect your life. They may have positive effects, but they may also have negatives effects like in The Odyssey by Homer. In general, Odysseus and his men made some decisions that lead to some very negative effects.
In The Iliad, the gods and goddesses have completely different roles. The females are usually the ones in the battle fighting, while the male gods are putting courage into hearts, but that isn’t to say that is all that they do. This is a completely different role than the mortals have. While the men are out in battle, the women are knitting and cooking. The women are also described so that it seems like they are property and not humans, and that they don’t have any feeling. Where the female gods act and are treated as if they are equal, if not ranked higher.
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
dangers to come, "Circe forsaw for us and shared with me,/ so let me tell her
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
In the ancient world, the gods of the Greeks had been predominately confined to cosmological deeds prior to the works of Homer. "As Hesiod laid out the roles of the gods in his Theogony and the Works and Days, it is apparent that though the gods were active in the creation of the cosmos, natural phenomenon, and cyclical events such as seasons, they were not however, functioning in any historical way"(Bloom 36). This strictly cosmological view of the gods was in no way unusual to the ancient world. Though the breech of theology into historical events was perhaps first introduced by the Hebrews at the turn of the first millennia B.C.E., it was soon echoed in the religious paradigms of homo religiosus throughout the Near East and Europe. In the seventh and sixth centuries B.C.E. another predominate thought swept the ancient world; life is suffering. An obvious question arises from the mixture of these two thoughts; if the gods are functioning in the historical reality of mankind why do they allow and/or cause suffering? This is the dilemma that Homer sets out to solve in the epic poem The Odyssey.
Her description of him, so close to his father's, helps Athena make Telémakhos realize that he is indeed the son of the great Odysseus, and he can easily become a man like him, which seems to be the young man's dream. Even Mentês' reminiscence of dining with Odysseus in the old days being linked to eating with Telémakhos makes this assertion of his likeness to Odysseus more real for the young man. Before Athena talks to Telémakhos, as far as anyone can tell, Telémakhos is but a boy, meaning that he has not yet traveled the seas and has yet to stand up to the grown men wronging him.
She later sparks a flame inside of Telemachus to embark on his journey to find his father. At the first destination Telemachus arrives at, Athena appears once again in the court of King Nestor. She appears in the form of an eagle to represent that she is beside Telemachus in his righteous journey to find his father. When hearing of her son’s departure, Penelope becomes extremely distraught. In an attempt to reassure and comfort her, Athena appears as a “glimmering phantom” and says these comforting words, “Take heart, and don’t be so afraid. The guide who goes with him is one many men pray for to stand at their side, a powerful ally- Pallas Athena. And she pities you in your grief, for it is she who sent me to tell you this” (Homer 342). There are many motivators for Athena in The Odyssey. Some could argue she relates with Penelope, and provides protection for her household throughout the years. Others may say she is enamored with Odysseus because of their relating character traits. Athena basically takes on the motherly role of watching over both Telemachus and Odysseus. She monitors both of the men’s journeys, and allows them to go through tribulations in order to grow emotionally and spiritually. Brian Lower a literature professor from Union College wrote,” Athena allows Odysseus to experience the storm, but not die. She knows that it will make him stronger for it. There is an
In every journey the hero also has a mentor. In this story Athena, the gray-eyed goddess of wisdom, has taken on this role for both Odysseus and Telemachus. Athena was by Odysseus’ side as a guide for much of the beginning of his Journey. Athena also is a guide to Odysseus when he’s not even aware o...
The reader first finds the character of Telemachus sitting among the suitors in his father’s palace. This seemingly unimportant detail yields information regarding his temperament. The suitors, whom Homer portrays as malicious usurpers, continue to take advantage of Telemachus’ hospitality. Instead of defending his home, his mother, and his belongings from these men, Telemachus numbers among them. This lack of assertiveness displays his frailty and his helplessness given the overwhelming circumstances. At this point, Athena, disguised as Odysseus’ old friend Mentes, visits Telemachus in order to “inspire his heart with courage” (I.105). The two share a meal and engage in a lengthy conversation. The goddess discusses how Telemachus should handle the troublesome suitors and suggests a journey to try to ascertain the whereabouts of Odysseus. The conversation appears to immediately galvanize the young man’s resolve. In fact, immediately after her departure, he summons the courage to confront the suitors, demanding that they are to leave his house at once. The assertiveness that Telemachus displays in this instance is a dramatic departure from ...
In The Odyssey, the hierarchical relationship between both gods and humans is a key aspect in the overarching unity that is the epic. These can both be in contrast with each other and it can been seen that there are similarities between the types of people we meet in The Odyssey as well as the gods we meet also. Homer uses this theme and system of hierarchy to effectively display aspects of his worlds though The Odyssey. The main features that help prove this point are: that society within The Odyssey is hierarchical, the upper class and the servants (with equivalent gods) are focussed on, (Hierarchy of Greek Gods, 2015) and finally, the gods parallel their respective opposites on earth. These features help to show Homers world of The Odyssey.
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.
The world may never know if we have power to control our ultimate destinies or not. However, it is clear in Oedipus the King and The Epic of Gilgamesh that free will does not exist. Oedipus and Gilgamesh are puppets being controlled by the gods above, helpless to exercise free will. No matter what course they take, Oedipus cannot escape from killing his father and marry his mother and Gilgamesh cannot escape death. Nevertheless, their fears cause them to try to manipulate their actions and stop their fates from occurring. It is only a matter of time before these two characters fail in their attempts and realize that trying to control destiny is futile.
Religion was deeply intertwined with 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 for the difficulty Odysseus faces returning from Troy, they are equally responsible for motivating and assisting Odysseus and Telemachus in their respective travels.
In the stories/plays and poems of Gilgamesh, Oedipus the King and Achilles in the Iliad, there are three main heroes who have their fate decided for them by the Gods. Each hero has had fate placed on them according to the god’s, however as fate is understood there is also the idea of free will. Gilgamesh is two-thirds god and one-third man, who feels as though he has no equal, Gilgamesh feels superior to all men until he meets Enkidu, a creation sent to stop Gilgamesh from his reckless and wild ways. Oedipus is the king of Thebes and his fate was prophecies by the blind soothsayer Tiresias in which he was to kill his father and marry his mother. In the poem the Iliad, Achilles was the hero that would win the war with Troy, the prophet Calchas predicted that Achilles would die at an early age. In all of the epics, each character had a destiny to full filled, blessed with extra ordinary powers and abilities, each had the a...