The Role of The Gods in The Lives of Men

The role of the gods in the lives of men is very apparent in many works of literature. The gods play a significant, if not dominate role in each and every one of these works. The gods use their powers for many diverse and essential actions. In the numerous works, readers can see the gods determining the events in the lives of men time after time.

In The Odyssey, the Greek Goddess, Athena, uses her power to influence many aspects of the lives of both Odysseus and his son, Telemachus. Athena has an extraordinarily close relationship with Odysseus. She is Odysseus’s guardian. Athena directs Odysseus and Telemachus both physically and mentally throughout their many life changing adventures. In the beginning of the Odyssey, Odysseus is being held by Kalypso on her island. Athena begs her father, Zeus, to send Hermes to make Kalypso release Odysseus so that he may return home to Ithaka. Athena says, “…my own heart is broken for Odysseus, the master mind of war, so long a castaway upon an island… (The Odyssey, Book 1 pg. 226).” While Zeus sends Hermes to demand Odysseus’s release, Athena, disguised at Mentor, visits Telemachus. She sends Telemachus on a journey to find news of his father which, in turn, keeps him safe from the suitors. When Odysseus is allowed to leave Kalypso’s island on a raft, Poseidon sends out a strong storm because Odysseus has previously blinded his son, Polyphemus. Athena once again steps in to help Odysseus. She controls the winds so that he washes upon the shore of the Island of Scheria. When he reaches the shore, Athena send Odysseus into a deep sleep. While Odysseus is resting, Athena goes to Nausikkaa, a princess, in a dream and tells her to go to the river and there she will find Odysseus. To do this, ...

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...sent a treaty immediately. Lysistrata begins making a speech in which she states that they live in the same area and worship the same gods and kill one another like savages anyway. The commonalities between the two forces should bring them together not lead them into a war against one another. The fact that the two forces worship the same gods shows that they are not having a war to honor the gods, and therefore should not be at work. The role of the gods in Lysistrata is to provide a reason to keep peace between the forces of men and even go as far as to unify them in the worship of their gods.

Works Cited

Lawall, Sarah N., and Maynard Mack. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Second ed. Vol. A. New York: Norton, 2002. Print.

Lawall, Sarah N., and Maynard Mack. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Second ed. Vol. B. New York: Norton, 2002. Print.