"The Odyssey"

Paper Summary:

Despite the fact that Homer's gods and goddesses often behave like petty, vindictive, and spoiled men and women, Homer's Olympian deities remain powerful beings who play a critical role in shaping human destiny. The paper shows that Homer's Olympians are not more moral than their human counterparts in terms of their actions and various types of involvement over the course of the story line of the epic poem "The Odyssey." It shows, however, in the face of the gods' tendencies to play favorites amongst humans and to manipulate the fate of mortals, human hubris is powerless. Fate, or the will of the gods may be cruel and unfair, but it is inexorable.

From the Paper:

"The tale's stated reason for Odysseus' extensive wanderings lie in the fact that the hero has offended the god of the seas, whose favor he requires so he can return home via boat. Odysseus was trapped in the lair of the man-eating Cyclops, and cleverly blinded the beast so he could escape. One might say that it was fair that Odysseus committed such an action. If he had not, he would have sacrificed not only his own life, but also the life of the other sailors in his care. "Eater of guests/under your roof! Zeus and the gods have paid you!'" cries Odysseus. (9:522-523)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 1999.

More papers on "The Odyssey":

• Poem Review # 127032 : "Homer's "The Odyssey"
• Comparison Essay # 6789 : "The Odyssey" and "The Mill on the Floss"
• Analytical Essay # 55690 : "The Odyssey"
• Analytical Essay # 47275 : "Women in Homer's "The Odyssey"

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