What Role Does God Play In The Odyssey
In the novel “The Odyssey” Homer displays the main character Odysseus with god like qualities which results in him judging others through tone and actions. When the main character Odysseus came from his confrontation with the goddess Circe his group of men are happy and grateful to see him. His men are gathered around him as if they are the sheep and he is the Shepard that guides them through every step of the way. Odysseus is a well respected man who is admired by his men and is like a higher power to due his god like qualities . While odyssey’s crew is stranded without his leadership and advice, they are unsure where to go due to lack of knowledge and no mentor to lead them.
In Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey”, Homer has successfully used his knowledge of epithets to paint a picture in the reader’s mind that visualizes Odysseus as a godly being. Throughout the story Odysseus has been constantly referred to as “wily” and “godlike”. Although through his actions Odysseus has exhibited more behaviors that are usually associated with the behavior of mortal men and not of the gods. Such as in the 5th book after he has landed on an unknown island, and after he has regained his consciousness, “He turned away from the river, sank into a bed of rushes, and kissed the good earth (5.468-469)””. With the words “bed of rushes” empathizing on the cruel nature of the land he has just entered.
Another god that assisted Odysseus on his quest home was Athena, who helped Odysseus in many ways as well. She was with him through his whole story and never left him. Athena aids Odysseus in his fight against the suitors by making sure each arrow hits its target. She also aids him afterwards when the other gods are contemplating whether Odysseus is guilty or not. They decide he isn’t by saying, “There will be killing till the score is paid.”
Gods are an active problem to Odysseus. Odysseus has to conquer several obstacles on his journey these hardships wouldn't be so difficult if the gods didn’t interfere. A case of this in the novel is when Circe baits Odysseus and his men with meat and bread, then turned into pigs except for Odysseus. This causes them to stay on the longer for a more extended period of time than they had hoped for. While on the island, Odysseus says, “So day by day we lingered, feasting long/ on roasts and wine until a year grew fat.”
In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus possesses several character traits. He is portrayed as a great hero who excels in many different fields. Throughout the story, Homer emphasizes how admired Odysseus is. For example, King Nestor says to Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, “Your father, yes, if you are in fact his son… I look at you and a sense of wonder takes me” (3.137-138). There are a few different occurrences when Odysseus is in need of help and receives it.
Throughout the story of Odysseus’s journey told by Homer, there are many defining examples of interaction between humans and their gods. The gods primarily interact with humans by either siding with or against them. The gods would often side with humans since they wanted to help them such as Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, helping Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, whereas the gods seeking revenge such as Poseidon, who sought revenge on Odysseus for slaying his son Polyphemus, would turn against them. While actual interaction between gods and humans seems to be a rather risible idea, there was much guidance given to humans by the gods throughout the Odyssey.
The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.
Homer, a poet from ancient Greece, wrote The Odyssey in which the values of the Greeks are revealed. As the hero, Odysseus, embarks on a journey home from Troy after ten years of war, one sees the traits that he is praised and rebuked for. Odysseus’ incredible strength and courage as well as his confidence both positively and negatively affect the outcomes of his decisions. Odysseus exemplifies exceptional strength and confidence. More often than not, these two characteristics are what keep him alive; however, he relies on them more than he needs to, which gets him in trouble.
Greek Gods Vs. The True God How Humans Relate to Both Sometimes Christians forget just how blessed they are to have Jesus Christ as their perfect Lord and Savior instead of the Greek gods who you never knew what kind of mood they would be in! The Greek gods and the true Jehovah are completely divergent. How did the characters in The Odyssey consociate to their gods compared to how Christians relate our God? The characters in The Odyssey reacted much differently to Greek gods than they would the true God because of examples set before them, ethics presented to them, and most importantly the attributes of both the true God and the hypothetical Greek gods.
The audience concludes that he receives an abundant amount of outside help and does not overcome his challenges independently. But as Schmidt contradicts, “as if divine aid detracted from the greatness or achievement of Odysseus...an Odysseus who should conquer without divine aid would be nearly meaningless” (Schmidt). He uses logic and reasoning to expand on how divine aid further confirms Odysseus as an epic hero. The presence of the supernatural is what makes his challenges seem more riveting and heroic to readers. The word “meaningless” again emphasizes the importance of the deities.
From Odysseus’ time with Calypso in Ogygia up until the moment he takes back his home and wife from the suitors in Ithaca, the struggles he faces help answer what makes for a good life. Homer uses Odysseus’ journey throughout “The Odyssey” to identify four aspects of a good life: mortality, honor, hospitality, and experiences. Homer reveals that mortality is necessary for a good life when Odysseus denies the opportunity for immortality that Calypso offers, he shows the significance of honor in his description of Odysseus’ bravery in the Trojan war and the consequent respect that Odysseus’ crew has for him, Homer reinforces the importance of hospitality in each city Odysseus travels to, and he conveys that experiences, good or bad, define a good life. The Greeks held their gods in high esteem and therefore when Homer or other characters in the epic refer to Odysseus as being “godlike,” this is one of the highest compliments he could receive.
In the book, The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus was a military leader, father and a husband. There are many different aspects of Odysseus’ life that can be viewed as a similarity to a biblical perspective. When looking at Odysseus as a leader and comparing his similarity to Moses in the bible we can see Odysseus role as a military leader. His patience, loyalty and perseverance are also areas that will be covered in this paper to uncover Odysseus’ character. When recalling Odysseys’ story it is easy to compare the leadership limits that Odysseus and Moses of the bible had to overcome.
There are many lessons Odysseus and is men learn on their journey home in the Odyssey. Unfortunately, only Odysseus makes it home and the rest of men are dead because of their foolish actions. In the Thrinacia and The Cattle of the Sun episode of the Odyssey Odysseus’s men once again disobey him and cost them their lives. The men and Odysseus learn valuable lessons throughout their epic journey, but in the episode the most important lessons they learn are; temptation can lead to death, being obedient can save your life, and trust your instincts. If Odysseus’s men would have been more obedient to their leader Odysseus perhaps all of them would have made it back home alive.
My own fame is for wisdom among the gods --deceptions too.” (The Odyssey 13.379-384.) She acts as his advisor and protector, aiding him constantly through his journey to return to Ithaca. She even addresses the other gods about Odysseus’s situation, and “if it... pleases the
Another time she helped Odysseus was when she protected him from the suitors' arrows. Without the providence of Athena Odysseus wouldn't have survived the events of The Odyssey. In book 1 of The Odyssey it says how "The story of Odysseus begins with the goddess Athena appealing to Zeus to help Odysseus, who has been wandering for ten years on the seas, to find his way home to
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