Odysseus – The Main Character In Homer'S The Odyssey
Epic poems usually include larger than life characters going on a heroic quest to try and defeat the monster, or win the war. The main character mostly carries the attributes and values of classical heroism; a young mighty hero with a sword in hand, battling evil in search of glory and in the end marrying the beautiful maiden. However, Odysseus, the main character, is not a stereotypical Greek hero; he does not possess such qualities, instead, his wit and cunningness are what get him through most of the dangerous endeavors, and he is not in a quest for glory but he was a war wearied man trying to get back to his homeland and to his family, he is cursed by the gods rather than blessed by them.
The Odyssey dismantles values readers expect from epic narratives and instead puts forth a question on determinism and whether one has free will or should one lay blame on powers beyond his grasp, and it emphasizes the importance of intelligence alongside brute strength. In this journal I will be covering lines from 25 to 48. These lines in particular convey an important theme, that which of free will versus fate. Odysseus found himself trapped on the Island of Ogygia because of a curse Poseidon laid upon him. While Poseidon can delay Odysseus' homecoming as much as possible, he cannot prevent him from going home, which raises the question of whether life is predetermined or do mere mortals control their destinies.
In the ancient Greek polytheistic belief system, the idea of fate and fortune carried a massive weight. Oracles existed to give prophecies to the mortals and give them an idea of what their futures may have for them. "Mortals! They are always blaming the gods for their troubles, when their own witlessness causes them more than they were destined for!", Zeus speaks of how humans are oblivious in regards to their own good, that in an attempt to fulfill their destinies and live up to their best potential, they end up doing more damage. In the case of Odysseus, he simply angered Poseidon because he stabbed his son in the eye, "All the gods pitied him except Poseidon who stormed against the godlike hero". While Odysseus will inevitably get himself back home, his quest will be riddled with difficulties placed there by Poseidon and he will only be able to overcome said difficulties with the help of beings that can match the power of the sea god.
Determinists would say that Odysseus got tangled up in business he had no control on and will only be detangled with the help of immortal beings, whereas believers in one's agency would argue that he made the choice of telling the cyclops his real name, a deadly sin of pride, and that is what caused him to be cursed, his vanity rather than his lack of free will.
