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Lack Of Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

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For those who fail to adhere to any form of a decree by the Gods, experiencing heightened free will comes at the cost of suffering some form of punishment. Having adequately warned them of perchance of crossing roads with a dangerous fate, Odysseus had reminded his crew-mates to not harm the Cattle of the Sun; however, his starved crew eventually disregards the prophecies of the Gods and the insistences of Odysseus. Although the crew exercises a form of free-will by choosing to do as they wish, starvation compels their subsequent action, not the Gods. In doing so, they trigger the wrath of Helios and Zeus. Homer highlights the severity of disobeying a divine mandate and develops a destructive and punitive tone with the use of utterly obliterative …show more content…

In this case, the misgivings following the escape of the cyclops-inhabited island were the wrath of Poseidon. And while enduring the punishment of one god, Odysseus admits to a lack of free will, “hardly landlocked of…free will,” then reasons, “I…have angered one of the… gods,” and interrogates a nearby immortal, “which one of you blocks my way” (Homer 2006: 148). However, critics might point out that Odysseus was not a definitively pious hero considering his infidelity, excessive cruelty, and tensions with Poseidon, and Odysseus only sought divine intervention in dangerous situations. Where he lacks in piety, Odysseus makes up for in favorable traits–heroic characteristics that appeal to others in his society as well as a number of Gods including Athena, “[Odysseus is] far the best at tactics…and I am famous…for wisdom” (Homer 2006: 389). And with what diminished piety and favorability among the Gods Odysseus has at the end of his journey, he still admits to losing free will when the Gods

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Although Odysseus proved to have guile on the Island of the Cyclops, he made crucial mistakes. Odysseus’ first mistake was taking his men into the Cyclops cave. This brought upon a dreadful chain of events, for even Odysseus knew. In fact he said “I knew some towering brute would be upon us soon-- all outward power, a wild man, ignorant of Civility” (Homer 8). This quote states how Odysseus had already predicted that the presentence of him and his men would come down on them; but his selfishness made the lives of his men expendable.

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1286 Words | 6 Pages

380-381, 384). By revealing his true identity to the Cyclops, Odysseus unknowingly curses himself and his crew for the rest of their journey. The Cyclops is a son of Poseidon and the god performs countless acts which continuously setback Odysseus and his men on their journey home. This is a perfect example of when Odysseus is overcome with fame and can only think for himself.

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686 Words | 3 Pages

In The Odyssey by Homer, the temptation of food leads to punishment, and as discussed by Nicole Smith in her essay “Food Images and Temptation in The Odyssey”, this temptation and its consequences are seen in “Sailing From Troy”, “The Cyclops”, and “The Lotus-Eaters”. To begin, temptation with food leading to punishment is seen in “Sailing From Troy”. This can be seen when the text of The Odyssey states:

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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.

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1141 Words | 5 Pages

For example, Odysseus taunted Polyphemus and incited the wrath of Polyphemus and Poseidon, which led to the deaths of all his crewmembers. That was incredibly unwise, and not worthy of a leader who is responsible for the protection protect of his men. However, Odysseus learns his lesson, and realizes that he needed to grow through his horrifying experience of the earlier deaths. By the time Odysseus finally returns to his home, he not only has a burning desire to avenge his family by killing the suitors, but he also attained a greater understanding for the suffering of others. Even after Odysseus had satisfied his desire for revenge by killing the suitors, he refuses to gloat, and made sure

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856 Words | 4 Pages

In the beginning of the book Odysseus is impulsive and arrogant. After Odysseus blinds and defeats the Cyclops, he cannot contain himself. Out of pure impulsiveness and the inability to be humble, Odysseus yells out to the Cyclops, “If any man on the face of the earth should ask you/ who blinded you, shamed you do so–say Odysseus,/raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,/Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Homer 9.556-562). Odysseus is so impulsive he has to scream out his name to the gods and the Cyclops.

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1807 Words | 8 Pages

In the book chronicling his trip to Hades, Odysseus undergoes many changes from how he views his family to how he views his past actions. Among these, the most notable change in the identity of Odysseus is perhaps the change that would be most difficult for him to enact: to use his power to curb the wild power of him and his crew so they all return home safely (Od. 11: 117-119). This is not the only change experienced by Odysseus in this visit, as he both renews a desire for his family and faithful wife as well as develops a newfound appreciation for his life outside of the land of the dead. Following receiving advice from Tiresias as well as his overall changed perspective, Odysseus exhibits a major change in action and identity following this point. Though he may have exhibited an inability to control his crew during his sleeping state on the island of Thrinica, up until that point he had interacted with his circumstances in a much more humbled manner.

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567 Words | 3 Pages

Even Hades had turned against him! Hades, of all the gods! While Poseidon could concede that Odysseus was sharper than the average mortal, he was arrogant and impertinent, to him in particular. Who had ensured his journey to Troy would be smooth? Had stopped him from being thrown overboard when the waves were rocky?

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1030 Words | 5 Pages

So we moved out, sad in the vast offing, having our precious lives, but not our friends” (Homer 479-484). In other words, now that they had to leave with a curse on them it gave them time to think about everything that had occurred. Analyzing this, It was a bittersweet moment for them because although they finally escaped with their “precious lives,” their crewmates and close friends were lost because of their arrogance. Moreover, this moment provided an opportunity for Odysseus to go through self-reflection and think about the choices, both good and bad, that he made. He should've realized the fact that most of them could’ve been saved if he hadn’t put his pride in the way of everything.

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1314 Words | 6 Pages

However, Zeus saw the two sides of the gods’ feelings towards Odysseus. “‘Great Odysseus/ who excels all men in wisdom... it’s the Earth-Shaker, Poseidon, unappeased,/ forever fuming against him..’” (1.78-83). Zeus created an equilibrium so that Poseidon could take out his anger on Odysseus through punishment, and Athena receives the duty of making sure Odysseus gets home to Ithaca.

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591 Words | 3 Pages

Just as Achilles is confronted in the Iliad with the problem of balancing his honor with his pride, Odysseus repeatedly faces situations in which self-restraint and humility must check bravado and glory-seeking. In his early adventures, he fails these tests, as when he taunts Polyphemus, inflaming Poseidon. As the epic progresses, Odysseus becomes increasingly capable of judging when it is wise to reveal himself and when it is appropriate to rejoice in his

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1190 Words | 5 Pages

Odysseus suffered the consequence of being away from his son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope for 20 years. Odysseus was told by Athena and other gods, what to do during his journey. All of them told Odysseus that he couldn’t tell his men because they’d suffer a consequence. Odysseus listened to Athena and the gods because he only thought about himself and didn 't think about what his crew would say or do. When Odysseus and his crew passed by the mainland where the Cyclops lived, they were only going to stay for two days, but then out of curiosity, Odysseus wanted to see what kind of beast the Cyclops was which made them almost die.

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909 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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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.

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384 Words | 2 Pages

Poseidon, Apollo, Athena, Zeus, and Hermes are all Greek Gods that appear in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. These gods all play a significant role in The Odyssey by both helping and hindering Odysseus on his 10-year journey home. Homer illustrates the theme of divine intervention in The Odyssey using Poseidon’s wrath, Athena’s providence, and Hermes’ guidance. Poseidon is one of the main gods that appears throughout The Odyssey, Homer shows Poseidon's divine intervention through his wrath on Odysseus during his journey home.

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