Term Paper on "Homer's Odyssey"

Term Paper 4 pages (1371 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Homers Odyssey

Homer's Odyssey continues in the spirit of divine intervention the Iliad has set forth. The gods, mighty characters that dispose of human lives as they fancy, are far from perfect creatures, destined to see that divine justice is made above all else. The world of gods in Greek mythology is far from perfect and the divine world in the Odyssey illustrates that.

In spite of their superiority over all men, the gods are presented in the two Homeric epics as characters subjected to emotions and possessed by feelings and desires similar to those men are. In the Odyssey, when human characters are rising through their actins to the virtues of gods, they are often characterized as "godlike." It is, in fact, the humanity that lends its attributes to the Greek Pantheon and Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Helios or Circe become representations of human behavioral patterns. For example, "the actions of Poseidon and Helios in the Odyssey recall the ruthlessness of the gods of the Iliad…The divine background of the Odyssey shows little change: the gods, like human kings and overseers, may show favor to certain selected mortals, and may at times even feel under some ill-defined obligation to step in and exercise their authority in support of the just cause, but this is not their normal or perennial preoccupation."

As seen from the Iliad, the role gods play in the development of the epic is not that of overseeing that justice is done in the human world. Gods may be at times on the side of just causes, as Rutherford explained, but this is often a transitory phase in their interference with the human world. Their seeking for justice is more related with their favoring a certain character than with their overall attitude or character.

When considering the divine characters in the Odyssey, Jenny Strauss Clay points out that the Muse the poet is praying at, at the beginning of the epic, a goddess herself, is above all the one being able to know every detail of past actions of men and gods alike. Not only are Muses able to know the past in detail, but they are also able to distinguish between mortals and gods, even when the latter are not meant to be recognized. The author is thus empowered by divine inspiration from the Muse to know everything related to the human as well as the divine world.

Although, the world of gods appears to be far less perfect than their divine character should make it, some times, Homer describes the place of their dwelling, mount Olympus, as closer to what the monotheistic religions of the our age are envisioning as "heaven": "clear-eyed Athena passed away, off to Olympus, where they say the dwelling of the gods stands fast forever. Never with winds is it disturbed, nor by the rain made wet, nor does the snow come near; but everywhere the upper air spreads cloudless, and a bright radiance plays over all; and there the blessed gods are happy all their days."

Although, gods are supposed to be happy all their days, they are very good at pursuing their often selfish interest that favor one or other mortal or people. Depending on the moods of the gods, people are helped in their pursuits or, on the contrary, kept from achieving their goals. For example, Poseidon is capable of anger and revenge, keeping Odysseus away from the land and making him wonder the sees, as a punishment for having blinded the Cyclop Polyphemus, the result of his unification with the nymph Thoosa, daughter of Phorcys.

Gods in Odyssey are not only subjected to human feelings, becoming weak or strong, good or evil, depending on their inclinations, they are also very likely to loose their temper because of what they might interpret as lack of respect or the insufficient reverence shown by their mortal protejes. All stranger are shown the outermost respect in the Helenic world and a part of it is also due to the supposition that they might be gods in disguise. When Athens makes her appearance among the men of Phylos,… READ MORE

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