Book V Of Homer's Odyssey: Gods Vs. Humans

Alex Brown
Critical Response 1
Professor Pitts
20 September 2013
Humans versus gods Are gods and goddesses really all that different from humans? They have feelings just as mortals do, as well as natural desires that humans encounter. In addition, gods and goddesses share many of the same qualities humans possess. For example, they have emotions that they sometimes have difficulty containing, such as love, fear, jealousy, rage, lust, and compassion. In Book V of Homer’s The Odyssey, some of these qualities are revealed through Calypso when she is visited by Hermes, the messenger of the gods. She becomes angry with him and yells, “You gods are the most jealous bastards in the universe- persecuting any goddess who ever openly takes a mortal
Through Calypso’s rage we are given a glimpse of some the characteristics of the gods that are very similar to the way humans behave. In The Odyssey, it is also noted that family is important to the gods just as it is important to many people. This is apparent through Poseidon after his son, the Cyclops, is blinded by Odysseus. Poseidon is infuriated and seeks revenge against Odysseus, just as any father would do, by preventing Odysseus from returning to his home and causing him to suffer. Another instance of this can be seen in The Epic of Gilgamesh. In the beginning of the epic, the gods are fearful of Gilgamesh due to his unrestrained behavior. As a result, the gods decide to make an equal to him with the intention of demonstrating to Gilgamesh that although he may be god-like in his strength, and appearance, he is not invincible and cannot continue doing whatever he pleases. After Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeat Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, the
For one, gods and goddesses are immortal beings where as a select few human beings possess this quality, and the ones that do were granted their status by the gods themselves. This is very prevalent throughout The Epic of Gilgamesh as Gilgamesh spends much of his time searching for a way to become immortal like the gods and goddesses. The only human he encounters with immortality, Utanapishtim, had it granted to him by the gods for following their will and creating the ark as instructed by Ea. Although Gilgamesh’s human body did not find a way to live an immortal life, he unveiled an alternate form of immortality by discovering a way to allow his name to live on forever. Another aspect that sets the gods apart is their ability to control nature. The gods and goddesses have special powers that they control Earth with. Through this power, they can affect the way people live by causing them great despair or by working in the peoples favor. Some gods have more power than others, such as Zeus, but they all have the power to affect the fate of a person. An example of this in Book V of The Odyssey is observed after the gods decide Odysseus has endured enough and Calypso is sees him off. “She put a breeze at his back, gentle and warm” (line 268) and gives him provisions to make the journey with. She uses her status as a