ipl-logo

Odysseus Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

476 Words2 Pages

Odysseus, the great and powerful, was a leader among many, and the fearless king of Ithaca. Even with all of his amazing qualities, he did not control his own fate. After winning the war in Troy, Odysseus begins his journey back to Ithaca, but not without complications. On his journey, he battled monsters and the god Poseidon, who made his journey long and treacherous. Although Odysseus was a strong leader, he needed the help of the gods to get home. In the novel "The Odyssey", by Homer, It is clear that Odysseus was a puppet of the gods and could not control his own fate because He needed the help of the goddess Athena and the God Zeus to be released from Calypso, and because Athena and the witch Circe helped him, he was able to escape Scylla and Charybdis. …show more content…

While on the island he had many affairs with Calypso, and became unfaithful to Penelope, but he longed for home each night. Showing that he was not strong enough to leave the island, he became as useless as a ragdoll, and relied on the gods to set him free. Athena was on his side so she used her power, and persuaded Zeus to order Calypso to let him go. With out the help from the gods and doing what Athena wanted, which was for him to leave Calypso's island, and return to Ithaca, we would have stayed on the island with Calypso for eternity. This event is a clear example of How Odysseus was a puppet of the gods, and could not control his

Show More
Related

  • Good Advice In Odysseus Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

    671 Words  | 3 Pages

    Choices to leave good advice caused disaster to unfold throughout the Odyssey. Odysseus was a legendary hero in Greek mythology, king of the island of Ithaca and the main protagonist of Homer's epic, the Odyssey. He was the son of Laertes and Anticlea, and is well known as an eloquent speaker, ingenious and cunning. Odysseus had to leave his home to fight the war in Troy. They had been fighting the war for years and then Odysseus came up with a plan.

    Read More

  • Calypso's Determination In The Odyssey

    598 Words  | 3 Pages

    After being held captive, Calypso remained as a seductive, enticing force that threatened to stray Odysseus from his journey home. Although Odysseus desired to escape Calypso’s island, he was detained for seven years. As a result, Calypso forces Odysseus to sleep with her against his will. In the

    Read More

  • Examples Of Odysseus Being A Greek Hero

    479 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ithaca was the island in which he ruled over, and where his wife and child stayed during his absence. Like the hero Heracles, Odysseus conquered many monsters and accomplished many feats, such as killing the cyclops, Polyphemus, creating the Trojan horse, and escaping Scylla and Charybdis, the monsters that prevented him from getting through an abyss (they are also the myths that created the saying “in between a rock and a hard place”). He also fought to return home after he was forced to join in the Trojan War, and acted insane when a leader in the war came to accompany him on a boat to the war by acting like he was going to run his newborn child, Telemachus, over with a plow (unfortunately, that strategy didn’t work). Odysseus was a clever, perspicacious hero unlike other supposed heroes like Daedalus and Icarus who were the embodiment of hubris, and he had many adventures and difficulties like that of

    Read More

  • The Free Will Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    828 Words  | 4 Pages

    When the gods force Calypso into releasing Odysseus, she tries to manipulate and scare him about the challenges he will face, into staying with her on the island, but her tactics don't work on the ever loyal Odysseus and only increase his determination to reach home. Odysseus loves his home and his family to such a great extent that he will face life-threatening trials to reach them. Despite Calypso's beauty and her attempt to manipulate him with the things she says that would make a lesser person second guess their relationship with the knowledge of the power they could gain, Calypso’s attempt to make Odysseus second guess his relationship with Penelope remained futile, and because of this he remained loyal to his wife giving up powers and a chance to live forever with a beautiful goddess who was completely in love with him. Much to Calypso's disdain, Odysseus showed a strong resistance to her advances because Odysseus and Penelope have years of loyalty to each other and created a strong healthy relationship built on love and trust which will not break. So, undeterred by Calypso's advances, he never gave his heart to

    Read More

  • Theme Of Gender Roles In The Odyssey

    456 Words  | 2 Pages

    She used her beauty and manipulation for years and no matter what she did, Odysseus grieved and cried every night and wished to go home to his real lover that he missed dearly. Once Calypso let him leave the island, she ultimately accepted her time she had with her lover and agreed to help him. She helped him build a raft to leave her island, along with directions for his journey. In conclusion, Calypso is a strong beautiful goddess that defied traditional gender roles and

    Read More

  • The Will Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

    1189 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus experiences a powerful craving on his journey home. He must pass the island of the Sirens in order to return home but also must avoid landing there; doing so would mean certain death for him and his crew. Although he cannot control his impulses in the moment, Circe’s keen advice beforehand and his crew’s steadfastness save Odysseus from his own desire. In looking at The Odyssey, we will consider Circe’s directions to Odysseus and the way the Sirens and Odysseus act at their meeting to find that Odysseus cannot control his appetite and needs specific guidelines, in this case from Circe, to survive a life-or-death situation.

    Read More

  • Odysseus And Greed In Homer's The Odyssey

    1277 Words  | 6 Pages

    His fate and journey are ultimately changed by the actions of others who are selfish, greedy, and foolish. The suitor’s greed gave him the extra desire to finally return to Ithaca, and his journey changed as he became desperate to return to Penelope. The selfishness crew caused his journey to be delayed, as he was forced to travel for ten extra days. The foolish crew, and their need to die with full stomachs caused Odysseus to be alone and stuck on an island with Kalypso resulting in more time away from

    Read More

  • Is Odysseus A Hero

    500 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.

    Read More

  • Humility In Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

    846 Words  | 4 Pages

    John Ruskin once said, “The first test of truly great man is his humility”. In The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, the central character Odysseus learns humility through his failures and growth in obedience making him a hero. Odysseus reaches a heroic status through the lessons learned on his journey, which ultimately taught him the value of obedience and the dangers of arrogance. Initially, Odysseus appears to lack the heroic quality of humility, through his narcissistic nature.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Decisions In Homer's Odyssey

    831 Words  | 4 Pages

    In real life we make our own decisions, and some of those decisions lead to bad outcomes, even though we don’t blame ourselves for many of our mistakes, we are to blame. In Greek Mythology, humans make many important decisions in their life, many of them lead to horrible endings. In the journey of Odysseus, he made many choices throughout his journey that eventually led to the death of all his crew members. In other stories from mythology like the stories of Theseus and Icarus, they made decisions that led them and their loved ones to life threatening situations. Even Zeus once stated “My word, how mortals take the gods to task!

    Read More

  • Women's Role In The Odyssey Essay

    522 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Odysseus arrives to the island-home of Calypso, the beautiful nymph, he is quickly held prisoner. Although it may seem that Odysseus felt that he was truly a prisoner, he, at one point in his stay, enjoyed Calypso’s presence and was willingly seduced by her. It is clear that over the seven-year stay, Calypso had fallen in love with Odysseus and he had let his vulnerability to women become his harshest weakness. Her female dominance was even shown at times of manipulation through her ability to hold a man prisoner and prevent him from carrying on with his travels home. Although, when it came upon Athena that Odysseus was eager to arrive home to Ithaca, Zeus sent Hermes to have Calypso free Odysseus.

    Read More

  • Odysseus 'The Odyssey': Movie Analysis

    1109 Words  | 5 Pages

    Hermes comes to tell Calypso to let him go. Calypso explains to Hermes, “And I welcomed him warmly, cherished him, even vowed to make the man immortal, ageless, all of his days” (5.150-151). She thinks that she saved Odysseus from his death. Calypso is in love with Odysseus and wants to keep him there forever, even though he wants to leave the island. She tries to convince Odysseus by stating, “But if you only knew, deep down, what pains are fated to fill your cup before you reach that shore, you’d stay here, preside in our house with me and be immortal” (5.228-231).

    Read More

  • Odysseus Crew In The Odyssey

    1764 Words  | 8 Pages

    In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.

    Read More

  • The Wisdom Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    741 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel tells of Odysseus, who left his home, wife, and son to fight in the Trojan War. He has then been on a mission, to return home to Ithaca. Odysseus shows why he is an epic hero through his courage and wisdom during his redemptive journey back to Ithaca in books: 9,10, and 12. The courage and wisdom of Odysseus help him to prolong his life and survive throughout his whole journey back to his homelands.

    Read More

  • The Destruction Of Odysseus Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

    656 Words  | 3 Pages

    The cave is dark and musty. The beast is gruesome: nasty, brutish and gross. He gobbles down men and sheep for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With only one eye, decaying, rotted teeth, and the stench of his rancid breath filling the confined cave, the journey Odysseus had embarked on, did not look like it had a bright future. But, this was part of the journey that he had agreed to.

    Read More

More about Odysseus Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

Open Document