The Odyssey: Human Will
In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus lives in a world where there is no room for the human will.
Human choices can make a tremendous difference in his world. The god, Helios, was one who made it difficult for Odysseus to get home with his crew. Another included the witch-goddess, Circe, who delays Odysseus and his men from their homecoming. Odysseus and his men make certain choices that affect their travels home. This is what makes some Gods and Goddesses upset.
As Odysseus and his men travel to an island, they encounter the cattle of the sun god.
They were specifically told not to touch the cattle or to harm them in any way because the cattle were sacred to Helios, who was the sun god. While they were on the island, Zeus worked up a storm that lasted for a long time and it forced them to stay because they could not continue their travels on the water. Odysseus explains to the men that they have enough food to survive and that they could make it last. Odysseus goes away from his crew for a while and the men decided to eat the cattle. Helios immediately became enraged, and could not stand Odysseus and his men any longer. Helios went straight to Zeus and told him to strike a bolt at their ships. Their decisions changed their fate.
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Here, Circe drugs a band of Odysseus's men and turns them into swine. When Odysseus goes to rescue them, Hermes approaches him in the form of a young man. This was a good example of how people do not have certain rights or will. Circe, as she is a goddess, is able to do what she wants to the
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.
Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus’ power was gained through the power of others resulting in three phases of understanding: self-determination, courage, and having a greater vision in life. In order to understand these three phases, one must be able to conquer predominance from those less useful than others. Although Odysseus was physically strong, he was not who he was mentally, without the help and guidance through the gods. Odysseus was like one who has no friends, but when he meets up with more people, he becomes popular. One who was alone and meets new people, has more friends and finds out more interesting subjects about daily life. They are the ones who have more predominance than others because they know more people and have much more interesting subjects. Odysseus was like this because he didn’t know much without the help and guidance from others.
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
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.
Circe and Tiresias warned Odysseus and his men that it would be disastrous if the sun god’s cattle were harmed. Odysseus urged his men, who were fatigued, to avoid the island of the sun god, Thrinacia. Instead of heeding this warning the men landed on the island, but only after Odysseus made them swear not to touch the cattle. On the island, they did not just touch the cattle, they made a meal of them. Helios, the sun god, was infuriated, and he asked for restitution from Zeus. As a punishment for their crimes, the ruler of all gods threw down a bolt of hot lighting and destroyed Odysseus’s ships.
In another instance, Odysseus and his men reached the island called, Thrinacia. Odysseus was warned by Tiresias and Cirice not to touch the cattle on this island. The men on his crew were starving...
The story of the Cattle of Helios symbolises doubt from the crew. The crew is faced with a dilemma, they are out of food on the ship and they have resorted to hunting for food not yet killing the forbidden cattle. However Odysseus wanders off and the gods lull him into a slumber, Eurylocos responds with a speech, “ … the most pitiful death is to starve. Let us [kill] the best of the cattle and sacrifice them to the immortal gods.” Because of Odysseus’ slumber the crew had doubt that they would
Odysseus’s pride and glory clouds his judgement and causes him to make immoral decisions. On his journey to Ithaka, Odysseus and his crew run into the island of the Kyklopes. Odysseus’s crew pleads with Odysseus to leave the island before the Kyklopes return but Odysseus “...refused. I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer-- no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends” (Homer 151). Odysseus regards his crews desire to return to the ship after raiding the kyklopes home and only focuses on his desire. The kyklopes Polyphemos eats Odysseus’s men before they are able to escape by putting a wooden spear through his eye. After blinding the Kyklopes, Odysseus continues
Again Odysseus shows a lack of self discipline while with the witch Circe. Odysseus chooses to stay with Circe instead of trying to make it back to his wife, Penelope, and his kingdom of Ithaca. In the Odyssey it says "he enjoyed the many pleasures of Circe." (Page 913). This proves that Odysseus, once again has no control over himself when he is tempted. He choose the beautiful witch over his very own wife who has been waiting for years for him to return.
When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.
When Odysseus and his crew arrive on Circe’s island, the goddess known for turning men that come ashore to swine. Hermes flies down from Olympus, “But wait, I can save you, free you from that great danger./ Look, here is a potent drug. Take it to Circe’s halls-/ its power alone will shield you from the fatal day.” (Homer 10.317-19). Thanks to Hermes Odysseus proves his strength by resisting Circe’s spell, giving him the edge he needs to talk Circe into releasing his crew from their forlorn fate. Their near disastrous experience binding their relationships tighter. Odysseus uses his leadership to facilitate communal relations amongst people, this group mentality differs from the sense of self that Beowulf represents. Beowulf uses his own power to shield the Geats rather than promoting the society’s
Getting somewhere is not just the destination, but even more so the journey. The goals are our destination and obstacle and temptations litter the voyage. Like Odysseus, achieving these goals is not a cinch. Obstacles must be faced or avoided, and temptations should be resisted.
book takes place in, is called to action and set in motion on his Hero
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.
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.