It will always be difficult for me to say that Odysseus is the hero of this epic. Odysseus is a tool of Athena. As a man, yes, he does surpass all others in strength and courage, but is this because he truly is that powerful on his own? Is it because he has the favor of the gods, and one goddess in particular, on his side? What would this man be able to accomplish if he was left to face these tasks and trials alone? He would be not be capable of half of what he did with the help of the gods. Therefore, it is hard for me to say that Odysseus is the true hero, when it is actually Athena who gets him home and reunites his family. She gives Odysseus much more help than what was necessary. She makes decisions for him and for other people that allow him to make it back to Penelope. She, the goddess, is the "hero" if there is one at all.
P.S. I commented on Sydni's post
I agree completely! It seems that the story would have been completely different had Athena not had such a heavy influence on everything. Athena is definitely more of the "hero" than Odysseus.
ReplyDeleteOooh, this is a cool viewpoint. It's true, though. Athena does end up doing most of Odysseus's work for him, even down to what he looks like/how people perceive him. And she nudges Telemachus in the directions she wants, too. Not to mention her interfering with so many of the people Odysseus interacts with (Nausicaa comes to mind). Odysseus probably wouldn't have gotten far at all without Athena.
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