The Odyssey was written 3,000 years ago by Homer. It’s about the 10-year struggle of Odysseus and his journey, which takes place in Greece right after the Trojan War (650 B.C.). In the Odyssey, Homer explores the concept of fate. The God’s control and use their power to influence the outcomes of Odysseus and his family’s life.
One of these gods is Athena the goddess of wisdom. Athena helps Odysseus by using her power to get him back to Ithaca and dodging war with the suitors. For 10 years, Odysseus was stranded at sea with his men by the works of the gods. Athena, however, adores Odysseus and speaks to Zeus while Poseidon (the God who has a grudge against Odysseus) is away. Athena says, “If all the gods now agree that Odysseus shall return …show more content…
On Odysseus’s journey, he runs into the land of the Cyclopes and blinds Polyphemus in his attempt to escape from his cave not knowing that Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon. Odysseus tells Polyphemus of his name and the cyclops tells his father. Homer writes, “Poseidon, god of the sea, who bore a lasting grudge against him all the time… he may never reach his home” (Roushe 13). With Odysseus’s actions, the gods punish him, changing his fate. If Poseidon never had a grudge against Odysseus for blinding his son,he would have made it back to Ithaca without a problem. But due to Poseidon's anger, he uses his power, making it nearly impossible for Odysseus to return home. Additionally, Zeus also uses his power to control the fate of Odysseus and his men. Once Odysseus and his men arrived on the island of the sun, the men are ordered to take an oath stating they weren’t to eat any of the cattle. Unfortunately, while Odysseus was asleep, his men took one of the cattle and ate it. The Sun complained furiously and informed Zeus of the matter. “Zeus Cloudgatherer answered… and to mortal men upon mother earth. I will soon strike the ship with a thunderbolt, and smash it into smithereens in the middle of the sea!” (Roushe 158). Once Odysseus and his men set out on the ships back home, Zeus sends a huge storm killing all of Odysseus’s men, sparing only Odysseus barely …show more content…
Before the incident with Zeus and the cattle of the sun, Odysseus and his men find themselves on another island. Odysseus stays behind while his men explore and run into Circe, a powerful witch who turns them all into pigs for her entertainment. In Odysseus's curiosity to figure out where his men went, he goes out to find them and encounters Hermes who gives him a potion that stops the effect of Circe's magic on him. In Circe’s wonderment, she reverses her spell she put on his men and offers Odysseus and his men a luxury place to stay for a while. After this offer, Odysseus explains to his men, “Then bestir yourselves and come with me, all of you, and you shall see your companions in the sacred house of Circe, eating and drinking. They have enough and to spare” (Roushe 129). Circe gives Odysseus a nice place to stay although she turned his men into pigs. With Odysseus's sudden change in mind, we can assume that Circe has seduced him in some kind of way to make him stay and to convince his men to stay as well. Circe uses her power to first change the appearance of multiple men and convinces Odysseus to stay with her affecting him by keeping him from his home. Furthermore, one year later Odysseus and his men are still at Circe's abode when finally, after all this time, Odysseus's men finally decide to talk with Odysseus about leaving and returning to Ithaca to all of their
One of these gods is Athena the goddess of wisdom. Athena helps Odysseus by using her power to get him back to Ithaca and dodging war with the suitors. For 10 years, Odysseus was stranded at sea with his men by the works of the gods. Athena, however, adores Odysseus and speaks to Zeus while Poseidon (the God who has a grudge against Odysseus) is away. Athena says, “If all the gods now agree that Odysseus shall return …show more content…
On Odysseus’s journey, he runs into the land of the Cyclopes and blinds Polyphemus in his attempt to escape from his cave not knowing that Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon. Odysseus tells Polyphemus of his name and the cyclops tells his father. Homer writes, “Poseidon, god of the sea, who bore a lasting grudge against him all the time… he may never reach his home” (Roushe 13). With Odysseus’s actions, the gods punish him, changing his fate. If Poseidon never had a grudge against Odysseus for blinding his son,he would have made it back to Ithaca without a problem. But due to Poseidon's anger, he uses his power, making it nearly impossible for Odysseus to return home. Additionally, Zeus also uses his power to control the fate of Odysseus and his men. Once Odysseus and his men arrived on the island of the sun, the men are ordered to take an oath stating they weren’t to eat any of the cattle. Unfortunately, while Odysseus was asleep, his men took one of the cattle and ate it. The Sun complained furiously and informed Zeus of the matter. “Zeus Cloudgatherer answered… and to mortal men upon mother earth. I will soon strike the ship with a thunderbolt, and smash it into smithereens in the middle of the sea!” (Roushe 158). Once Odysseus and his men set out on the ships back home, Zeus sends a huge storm killing all of Odysseus’s men, sparing only Odysseus barely …show more content…
Before the incident with Zeus and the cattle of the sun, Odysseus and his men find themselves on another island. Odysseus stays behind while his men explore and run into Circe, a powerful witch who turns them all into pigs for her entertainment. In Odysseus's curiosity to figure out where his men went, he goes out to find them and encounters Hermes who gives him a potion that stops the effect of Circe's magic on him. In Circe’s wonderment, she reverses her spell she put on his men and offers Odysseus and his men a luxury place to stay for a while. After this offer, Odysseus explains to his men, “Then bestir yourselves and come with me, all of you, and you shall see your companions in the sacred house of Circe, eating and drinking. They have enough and to spare” (Roushe 129). Circe gives Odysseus a nice place to stay although she turned his men into pigs. With Odysseus's sudden change in mind, we can assume that Circe has seduced him in some kind of way to make him stay and to convince his men to stay as well. Circe uses her power to first change the appearance of multiple men and convinces Odysseus to stay with her affecting him by keeping him from his home. Furthermore, one year later Odysseus and his men are still at Circe's abode when finally, after all this time, Odysseus's men finally decide to talk with Odysseus about leaving and returning to Ithaca to all of their