The Problem With Mortals
Mark Anderson
A recurring theme within The Odyssey is the interaction between mortals and immortals. Divine intervention occurs frequently, both to help and hinder Odysseus. However, divine interference is naturally followed by anger directed towards the meddlers. In the beginning of The Odyssey, Zeus argues against this, stating
My word, how mortals take the gods to task!
All their afflictions come from us, we hear.
And what of their own failings? Greed and folly double the suffering of in the lot of man.
(I, 48-51)
Although it may appear that the gods unfairly play games with the lives of mortals, most if not all of the problems that Odysseus encounters stem from his own actions and humanity. In fact, when the immortals interfere with Odysseus’ quest, it is more often to help than to hinder.
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For example, Odysseus is stranded on Kirke’s island, and “food and drink remain aboard” (X, 195) the ship, Odysseus sends his crew to explore the island. Previous islands held death for Odysseus’ crew, and the crew protest and “[cry] out” (X, 220) upon hearing the order to explore. The island is inhabited by the immortal being Kirke, who transforms Odysseus’ men into swine. Odysseus is only able to defeat Kirke’s magic and reclaim his men with the help of the god Hermes. Odysseus had little to gain from exploring Kirke’s island. Food was abundant on both the shore of the island and the ship itself. However, Odysseus’ curiosity was piqued, and had to be satisfied. Although stranded and not in the best situation to begin with, Odysseus’ own human qualities increase his troubles, not the gods. In fact, Odysseus requires divine intervention to continue his journey home. Had Odysseus focused on his journey and not given in to curiosity, he would have dodged a troublesome situation. In accordance with Zeus’ speech, Odysseus’ human traits caused more trouble than the