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Odysseus loyalty to the gods
Odysseus relationship with the gods
The relationship between odysseus and the gods
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Question 4 Most of the women in the Odyssey were seen to have a lot of power. The most obvious example would be Athena, the daughter of Zeus, and a powerful goddess in her own right. Throughout the story she provided divine assistance to Telemachus and Odysseus.
The role of women in The Odyssey is to exhibit the many roles that women perform in the lives of men. There is a quote that states that behind every successful men there is a woman; to which homer would probably agree. As it was stated before, we can make reference to such quote by picturing The Odyssey without woman in the epic. Without woman, Odysseus would probably make it faster to Ithaca or would probably die in many of the obstacles that Zeus was putting in his way. Men’s position or respect, in ancient Greek mythology, was determinate by the things had successfully fulfilled in their life but no men had ever recognize that such success is part of the role that woman have in their lives.
Without the female characters in The Odyssey, there would be no story. Because women like Athena play such an important role in developing the book. The Odyssey by Homer, written in the 8th century and speaks about the main character Odysseus; a veteran of the Trojan war. He begins on a long journey where he meets many other characters who help him with his overall goal of returning to Ithica after 18 years. Women play a very momentous role in the journey of Odysseus throughout The Odyssey.
Have you ever thought how cool woman is? It's like they have magical powers. They can take control of almost anything, even if you don’t exactly want them to. They have a tone of voice that can stop disputes between siblings. They have the way to make the room go silent with just a look.
Zeus, the supreme god and ruler of the olympian gods, played a minor but significant role in The Odyssey. His story begins when Zeus’ father, Cronus, was afraid that one of his children would overthrow him; so he began to eat his children in order to prevent losing power. In an attempt to save Zeus, his mother Rhea, “deceived Cronus by giving him a blanket-wrapped stone to swallow and secretly sent the infant to safety on the island of crete,” (Zeus UXL). The nymphs on Crete nurtured Zeus as he grew, with a vengeance and a quest to save his siblings.
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.
Importance of Women in The Odyssey In ancient Greece, women are not considered as great as men and cannot qualify as a hero. They usually rely on men and the heroes for help. Women are little helpers, such as Ariadne, or trouble makers such as Medea. They are not considered important because of the men by their side: Theseus and Jason in this case.
Since the beginning of time, parents have told their children stories about heroes. Heroes who fight monsters, save maidens, and return to their homes with honor. They make the hero sound so special, or brave, or kind, to inspire their children to want to be like them. Telling these types of stories is a good way to impress good morals on them. The ancient Greeks were a group of people who used a similar tactic to teach people their core values.
Women are the foundation of life and help make it much easier than it has to be. The epic poem “the odyssey” by homer is about Odysseus travels during his time lost at sea after the trojan war and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus problems with the suitors trying to seduce Penelope to take Odysseus's land power. The epic poem “The Odyssey” by Homer explores the role of women and reveals that the role of women is just as important as a man's role in any story. Also, that without their help life would be much harder than it already is. Despite what people may argue women like Penelope, Athena and Circe make life much easier and play important roles in stories like the odyssey.
An example of Odysseus fearlessness is conveyed when he makes a speech and tells his men; “Old shipmates, friends, the rest of you stand by; I’ll make the crossing in my own ship, with my own company, and find out what the mainland natives are”(Homer 374). It is logical to conclude that Odysseus is a hero who will not just stand by but instead puts himself to take action and face the danger that awaits him. He is a fighter and does not let fear hold him back. When they finally met polyphemus, there was a battle between them, they had made a plan to stab the cyclops in the eye to escape the land of the cyclops and so as they did the men“...fell back in fear. Clawing his face he tugged the bloody spike out of his eye” (Homer 380).
Greek Allusions Greek Mythology Explanation/ Description Implication: When you see this term in a poem or text, what is the purpose of including this reference? Zeus/ Jupiter Zeus was given a lot of power/ control when him and his siblings divided the universe amongst themselves. Zeus was in charge of the clouds, rains, and the sky. Zeus’ power surpassed the power was more than all the divinities’ power combined, which is why he gained a lot of respect from others.
Homers complex writing is devoted to the extend he gives on the perspective into the Greek underworld, stories in which were prevailing in the Greek society. The numerous conditions of the reality of the afterlife are deeply described rather than the setting of the underworld. The underworld is described as the House of Hades which is where your death and inevitable fate lies. It is signified in The Odyssey Book XI, concretely in the scenes of Odysseus mother’s death in the Cimmerians, the Greek culture expresses a depressing but inevitable view of death as a complete dichotomy of the fate but shows the indication of more than just one afterlife.
Is there value in celebrating certain individuals as heroes? Heroes encourage individuals to aspire to be greater. Heroes possess attributes such as bravery, honor, and justice. On the other hand, heroes aren’t perfect they do have flaws. However, flaws do not negate the positive influence heroes possess.
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.
The relationships between the Greek gods and mortals have always been complicated. The gods can be generous and supportive, but also harsh and destructive towards the humans. They claim to be all powerful beings with unlimited power and influence, but in truth, they are far more human than they are perceived. They meddle with human lives, not because they are wise, but because of their own selfish reasons. In Homer’s
