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Redemption In The Odyssey

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Homer uses the Gods and Goddesses impact on Odysseus to show how redemption can be earned which is illustrated through Foster's quest theory. Circe, Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, and Helios are gods that symbolize mythological ideas, whereas in the Odyssey they symbolize lessons Odysseus needs to learn. Odysseus is a man that is judged by the gods all the time, he is on a journey to get home to his family from war. Odysseus does not always make the best decisions and it gets himself in big trouble. Circe, the goddess of sorcery, “informs him that in order to reach home he must journey to the land of the dead, Hades, and consult the blind prophet Tiresias” (Homer 699). Circe tells Odysseus the future and lets him make the decisions. When he goes to the land of the dead he must make the right choices that will help him reach his stated reason for his quest, which is to go home. Circe symbolizes the idea of Odysseus having to learn to be a better leader and make smarter decisions. He needs to show the gods he is worthy of redemption since he has angered them. Later, Odysseus must go through challenges and trials in each place Circe foretells him to go in order to learn self knowledge, gain his …show more content…

But, as he goes through the different chapters in his life, he learns little by little from his mistakes which helps him gain more knowledge and grow. Without the help of the gods, Odysseus would have never gotten home, and would have never been able to see his family again, but Odysseus proved himself and gained redemption from the gods. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus is put to many tests and whether he does them correctly would determine if the gods could give him the second chance to redeem himself. Using the quest theory Odysseus has a goal he wants to reach, and using the challenges and trials that he succeeds and fails in, he was able to gain self-knowledge from the gods and from his

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