The Free Will Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

Odysseus had to go through a series of trials to achieve respect by his people with the help of external guidance both mentally and physically. Odysseus’s hero cycle was progressed by trials and completed when he came home. Athena was the guiding force to help him not only come home, but be mentally ready for the challenges he would face. To achieve respect by his people, he needed to kill the suitors who so dishonorably were courting his wife.
Odysseus was stranded on Calypso’s island and the lovely nymph held him captive. Seemingly no hope, and no way to get home. Athena summoned a God's meeting and “began, recalling Odysseus to their thoughts…” (5.5-6). Bringing the idea up in first place gave attention to his situation and a desire for help. Giving the truth to why he should go home was convincing enough for Zeus to tell his son to inform Calypso to let him free. Zeus also pled that “‘odysseus comes home- the exile must begin. No, on a lashed, makeshift raft and wrung with pains...he shall see his loved ones, reach his high-roofed house, his native land at last’” (5.33-46). Intentionally, but not directly, Athena gave Odysseus a plan to make it back home. Coming home would mean murdering the cold hearted suitors from his own house to regain his king status; Her influence was the reason he came home.
sleep in a swift wave delivering him from all pains and labors, blessed sleep that sealed his eyes at last” (5.543-547). Athena gives Odysseus emotional release by putting him to sleep in order to seize a night of restless crying. The night full of sleep assures him to rest in order to fight the coming battles that possibly face. A night full of sleep also lets his emotions pan out and be well thought to a more mature and stable way of handling them. Coming home with a healthy mind takes people aback, considering the extremes he's been through and able to overcome with a positive