The Odyssey Fate Vs Free Will Analysis

People have been fascinated by the idea of fate for centuries. They are curious if circumstances originate from divine intervention, or decisions people have made. This concept can be summed up as fate versus free will. The characters in The Odyssey subscribe to the idea of fate; this can be seen through their interactions with the gods, specifically how the gods treat them and how the mortals respond. The Odyssey delves into this idea and makes it one of the main themes in the poem. In the poem, the gods and goddesses decide what happens to the mortal characters. This means that the mortals in the poem are victims of fate, not free will. The poem includes many prophecies that foreshadow what will occur later on.

Fate describes a person’s future; it shows what they must do to arrive at their future, and also what that future is. The characters must set specific events in motion by their choices or actions. Fate is significant in The Odyssey because it can explain why every character does a specific thing. It offers a clearer understanding of the character’s motives. Certain events happen in the story that are unrelated to fate or free will. These events are seen as the

When Calypso offered Odysseus immortality he was fated to leave because there were already other prophecies in place involving him in other locations. For those to come true he had to leave and make the journey home. In the case of Polyphemus, Polyphemus reveals that a prophecy had been made about the exact situation. “He told me that all this would happen some day, that I would lose my sight at Odysseus’ hands” (9.508-10). Odysseus was acting out the prophecy even though he didn’t know it existed. When Odysseus divulged his true identity he fulfilled the prophecy as Polyphemus knew it. The Odyssey offered very little wiggle room for the concept of fate. If something was fated to happen, it would. No personal choice could revise