Role Of Hermes In The Odyssey

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When Hermes arrived to mandate Calypso to release Odysseus, she allowed Odysseus to leave the island because her personal virtue of love. The widely known phrase "If you love them, set them free" is revealed through Calypso's actions. She knows she cannot refuse Hermes's request so she says to Odysseus, "Son of Laertes, Versatile Odysseus, / after these years with me, you still desire / your old home?" She wanted to let Odysseus know that by letting him choose whether he wanted to stay or go, she truely loved him. This indirect gesture showed her true colors when she decided to give him freedom of choice.

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