To keep the fate or create your own Odysseus
Webster’s dictionary defines Free will as the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion. Fate is defined as the development of events beyond a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. In Homer’s Odyssey, mighty Odysseus has been lost among the ancient world for ten years following the legendary Trojan war. Throughout this epic poem Odysseus often emphasizes the control the gods possessed over his seemingly endless journey home, and this repetition of the gods control causes me to raise a few questions: Do humans in the Odyssey obtain free will to alter their reality? Are they destined to blindly abide by fates will or are there possible alternatives to these lives? In response to these questions, the constant obedience to the gods by various characters in the Odyssey further enforces the belief that fate has a stronger authority in the universe than a personal free will.
In the Divine Justice and Cosmic Order in Early Greek Epic William Allan states “With perceptiveness and wisdom Zeus now ‘directs the fate of the world according to moral principles, which alone create and preserve order.” Allan views Zeus as the leading divine nature of the Odyssey creating and controlling the world below him. To further support this below is an excerpt that highlights the recognition of Zeus’s authority, it is also seen that his authority doesn’t just apply to mortals, but also to those of a divine nature.
“You ask me, goddess to god, why I have come. Well I’ll tell you exactly why. Remember you asked. Zeus has ordered me to come here; I didn’t want to. Who would want to cross the endless stretch of deserted sea? Not a single city in sight Where you can get a decent sacrifice from men. But you know how it is: Zeus has the aegis, and none of can oppose his will.” (Homer 5.97-104)
Within this excerpt Hermes is conversing with Calypso, explaining why he has showed up at her door. He makes multiple references of not desiring to visit Calypso but being commanded by Zeus and not having the ability to challenge his commands. Presenting the full depth of Zeus’s power, even those who are of the divine and live by their own rules are still under the authority of mighty Zeus. This is interesting considering the fact that the Gods are known for controlling mortals’ fate and meddling in where they shouldn’t, but even they cannot question Zeus or his commands. The authority of the gods isn’t just seen throughout the third person perspective of Odysseus, but also through his wife Penelope. “O father Zeus and Athena and Apollo, bring Odysseus back with the strength he first showed in Lebos once” (Homer 17.137-140) During this poem, Penelope is seen begging the gods bringing her to the closing point which confirms again that there is truly no free will in a Homerian epic, only the path of the Gods who wish to manipulate to their heart’s content.