The Odyssey Essay

Kaitlin Peterson
January 13, 2014
English, Period 1
The Odyssey Essay
Oh, Thoughtful Goddess In The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, there is a great deal of adventures and powerful women who carved Odysseus’ path home to Ithaca. Throughout the journey home, Circe, Penelope, Ino, Athena, and a sundry of other women all had a great impact on Odysseus’ life. Out of all these women, Athena was the most influential, aiding Odysseus to get away from Calypso, keeping him from death’s gates, and helping him win Penelope back. On his way home to Ithaca, Odysseus gets shipwrecked on the nymph, Calypso’s, island. She didn’t want him to leave, but, instead, to be her lover forever. If not for Athena, Odysseus would have been held miserable by Calypso’s infatuation with him. Instead, when Athena saw Odysseus’ melancholy she wanted to help him. So when the time came, she begged son of Cronus, Zeus, “Have you no care for him in your lofty heart? . . . If now it pleases the gods then wise Odysseus should return home” (pg. 80). Because of her willpower to help Odysseus, She convinced All Mighty Zeus to force Calypso’s hands off of Odysseus. Odysseus was a warrior in the Trojan War, making it through the ten years of fighting without meeting death; when his journey home begins so does his encounters with the evil he stayed away from for the past ten years. If not for Athena’s aid, there is no doubt Odysseus would have not made it home, or worse, died. On his travel home, after leaving Calypso, Athena guides the winds to Scheria when his boat crashes. Athena also keeps peace between Odysseus and the suitors’, who he killed, families. She interrupted before the worst saying, “Hold back, back from brutal war! Break off—shed no more blood—make peace at once!” (pg. 485). Saving Odysseus and his army of four from fighting to an army over eight times the size of theirs. Once again Athena saved him from death’s threshold, allowing him to finally get to his beloved wife. Throughout his journey home, all Odysseus wanted was his wife and because of Athena’s aid he made it home to her. Although he arrived, he could not go to her right away due to a couple obstacles standing in the way; suitors were trying to court his wife and he was in a forced disguise. Athena helped Odysseus with a strategy to get Penelope back, saying first he must be in disguise, “no one must know you. . . [Soon] the earth will swallow down a few of those young gallants who eat you out of house . . .” (pg.299-300), with that they went their separate ways to begin their plan to get rid of the mischievous suitors. Without Athena, Odysseus would not have thought and would have ran right into his home to fight the suitors all himself, sending himself to his own funeral. Athena’s wisdom and great knowledge of war helped Odysseus get rid of the suitors and finally be with his wife. Odysseus was a clever, courageous, and determined man. He was willing to do anything to get home to Penelope and it clouded his judgment. All he wanted was to be back with his beloved and Athena saw that. She knew he needed help so she did everything she could to get them together again. She convinced the king of gods to help, kept him from the most imminent deaths, and finally helped him get back to his only love, Penelope. Because of her help, Odysseus’ one dream, to get home, was achieved, making her the most influential women in the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer.