ipl-logo

What Is The Odysseus Relationship With Mortals

496 Words2 Pages

The Problem With Mortals
Mark Anderson

A recurring theme within The Odyssey is the interaction between mortals and immortals. Divine intervention occurs frequently, both to help and hinder Odysseus. However, divine interference is naturally followed by anger directed towards the meddlers. In the beginning of The Odyssey, Zeus argues against this, stating
My word, how mortals take the gods to task!
All their afflictions come from us, we hear.
And what of their own failings? Greed and folly double the suffering of in the lot of man.
(I, 48-51)
Although it may appear that the gods unfairly play games with the lives of mortals, most if not all of the problems that Odysseus encounters stem from his own actions and humanity. In fact, when the immortals interfere with Odysseus’ quest, it is more often to help than to hinder. …show more content…

For example, Odysseus is stranded on Kirke’s island, and “food and drink remain aboard” (X, 195) the ship, Odysseus sends his crew to explore the island. Previous islands held death for Odysseus’ crew, and the crew protest and “[cry] out” (X, 220) upon hearing the order to explore. The island is inhabited by the immortal being Kirke, who transforms Odysseus’ men into swine. Odysseus is only able to defeat Kirke’s magic and reclaim his men with the help of the god Hermes. Odysseus had little to gain from exploring Kirke’s island. Food was abundant on both the shore of the island and the ship itself. However, Odysseus’ curiosity was piqued, and had to be satisfied. Although stranded and not in the best situation to begin with, Odysseus’ own human qualities increase his troubles, not the gods. In fact, Odysseus requires divine intervention to continue his journey home. Had Odysseus focused on his journey and not given in to curiosity, he would have dodged a troublesome situation. In accordance with Zeus’ speech, Odysseus’ human traits caused more trouble than the

Show More
Related

  • Hypocritical Qualities Of Odysseus

    63 Words  | 1 Pages

    Homer writes about stubborn characters who are challenging for Odysseus because he is losing their trust everyday that him and his crew were not back home to their families. Although he is known for being a cunning and intelligent character, he is not the most mentally stable person. Odysseus has had his hypocritical moments which have caused plenty to question his leadership skills.

    Read More

  • Summary Of D Aulaire's Book Of Greek Myths

    819 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Adventures of Odysseus, the narrative points to the fact that even those individuals who appear to be untouchable or immortal have fundamental flaws and that pride and hubris make them vulnerable. Odysseus is a famed warrior who has been away from his home for 19 long years due to the Trojan War and a troubled journey home. His adventures include fighting a mighty Cyclops, outwitting the sorceress, Circe, and traveling to the land of the dead. When the Gods finally smile down on him and help him find his way home, he faces more hardships, for there are many suitors of his wife that would kill him if they knew who he was. Throughout the story Odysseus shows strength and fortitude through his hardships, but again and again his pride leads him

    Read More

  • How Does Odysseus Reflect In Greek Culture

    1563 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Odyssey, the story of Odysseus, a valiant warrior who is trying to make his way back home from the Trojan Wars, offers great insight into the life of the ancient Greeks at the time, who were believed to be the first group of people to establish a full civilization in Greece and to actually speak the Greek language. Not only does this story tell the tale of a struggling man trying to find his way home, it also provides insight of the way that the Greek culture was ran compared to that of other species, specifically the Cyclops that Odysseus and his crew eventually runs into. The encounter between the Cyclops Polyphemus and Odysseus can be seen depicted on an ancient drinking cup, known as a Kylix, that is kept in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.

    Read More

  • Odysseus And Greed In Homer's The Odyssey

    1277 Words  | 6 Pages

    Penelope, his wife, is greatly affected; as many greedy suitors disrespect her and move into their home to try and win her hand in marriage. Throughout ‘The Odyssey’, the greed and folly of men play a huge part in increasing the difficulty and severity of Odysseus’s situations and ultimately change his fate and the directions of his journey. The greed and folly of men are largely represented by Penelope’s suitors. In the very first book of The Odyssey, the disgusting actions of the suitors were introduced to the readers.

    Read More

  • A Character Analysis Of Odysseus Arrogance In The Odyssey

    414 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Odyssey In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus is bestowed with great abilities. But along with this potential, he is cursed with great arrogance. Conveying that even the labeled ‘perfect’ among us have fatal flaws that causes pain and suffering among the ones closest to them. The author, Homer, uses Odysseus’ arrogance to create a melancholic atmosphere to convey the idea that arrogance is a fatal flaw that will lead those around them to pain and suffering.

    Read More

  • Disrespecting The Gods In Homer's Odyssey

    1204 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Homer’s Odyssey, gods and other supernatural beings dominated every aspect of mortal life. All living things and phenomena that occur in the world can be traced back to the gods. Seeing as how gods are responsible for the lives of mortals and the state of the natural world, performing deeds that anger the gods would prove to be disastrous while performing deeds that please the gods would prove to be beneficial. Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca after the Trojan War was took ten years due to angering gods like Poseidon and Helios. However, it was through Athena’s aid that he was able to make it back home.

    Read More

  • Odysseus 'The Odyssey': Movie Analysis

    1109 Words  | 5 Pages

    Greek mythology inspires and helps create new pieces of literature. The bag of wind in Stephen Hillenburg’s movie, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie is inspired by Aeolus’ bag of winds that is given to Odysseus. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the gods cause Odysseus' journey home to Ithaca to last longer. Circe, Zeus, and Calypso cause Odysseus to have more pain than he should have had on his journey home.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Relationship Traits Revealed In Homer's Odyssey

    438 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the epic poem, “Odyssey” by Homer various important relationship traits are revealed. They all had a great impact on Odysseus life. Some are content and others were maligned. Three relationship traits that are significant in the story are the loyalty, disloyalty and accommodating. Once Odysseus returns back home, he finds out who his loyal and disloyal people are.

    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 Transformation Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    688 Words  | 3 Pages

    Naturally, he has much to be proud of: his sexy and loyal wife, his bravery, and his victorious battles from the Trojan War and beyond. However, his arrogance creates a weakness in his character that negatively impacts himself and the people around him. The evolution in Odysseus’s personality turns him from an arrogant flaunter to a humble man, and demonstrates that the strifes he encounters during his journey home is not simply new experiences, but also his beginning of a profound revelation. Starting from the middle of the mountain, Odysseus’s new transformation will allow him to soar to the top with eagle

    Read More

  • The Gods And Mortals In Homer's The Odyssey

    610 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Odyssey, gods like Athena and Poseidon interfere with humans to satisfy their own desires, showing that they are just as imperfect and flawed as the mortals that they rule over. Athena favors Odysseus since he reminds her of herself. He portrays the same cunning, guile, and intelligence as she does; Athena had confided to him that “two of a kind, we are, contrivers, both,” comparing how similar they are. “Of all men now alive,” she says, “you are the best in plots and story telling.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Character Analysis Essay

    574 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, is a man who is loved and respected by many. In the beginning of the book, we learn that Odysseus has left on a journey and, since it has been many years since his departure, many people assume that he has passed. On his journey, he portrays his many traits, not all of them being good ones either. Some of his good traits include his cunning, bravery, and hard work ethic. On the other hand, his negative traits are his excessive pride, immense curiosity, and rather large temper.

    Read More

  • The Love Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    279 Words  | 2 Pages

    Love makes all things possible, even the most impossible happenings could be possible and get the true meaning of happiness. It's all witnessed in this story,the story of Odysseus. I must say its really amazing story, Odysseus adventure gave me some lessons. He was able to face all his fear and weaknesses just to prove that he can do everything without any help of gods and goddesses. I admire his courage when he went to troy and fight for trojans, even though he left his family,his son Telemachus and specially the love of his life, Penelope.

    Read More

  • Role Of Greek Gods In The Odyssey

    1294 Words  | 6 Pages

    In The Odyssey, Odysseus went through countless trials on his journey home. He received multiple helps as well as challenges from both the immortals and mortals. However, the mortals are like servants of the immortals. Throughout the book, the people sacrifice tributes, worship, and pray to the gods, in return, the gods grant people power and fulfill their desires based on the gods’ mood. The gods

    Read More

  • Examples Of Deus Ex Machina In The Odyssey

    805 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the plot of the poem, mythological gods and goddesses are present in people’s lives to aid them when problems arise. In the text, the gods play a prominent role in helping Odysseus travel safely home, blessing men and women, and aiding during a war between two powerful leaders. Even though these stories were written thousands of years ago, they are still applicable to many societies

    Read More

More about What Is The Odysseus Relationship With Mortals

Open Document