Odysseus Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

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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