Gods In Odysseus

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Your own careless actions almost always result in unfortunate events. However, you cannot be held responsible for actions performed as a result of another. The gods in The Odyssey are that someone, causing Odysseus and his crew to encounter unfavorable situations. Although at first glance, it seems like the crewmembers made their own decisions, the gods were really pulling the strings. While Odysseus and his men surely thought they were in charge, it was the gods that manipulated Odysseus and his men, to the point that they can not be held accountable for even their own successes . They can twist the environment and weather at will, instill emotions into Odysseus and his men, but can also use their powers to help and motivate.
The easiest way to travel in Odysseus’ time was by ship and sail, and the gods used this to their advantage when trying to prevent his return, manipulating weather in an …show more content…
The unfavorable circumstances that often arise as a result of this puppetry cannot be blamed on the men, as this interference is not caused by them. On Hyperion’s island Odysseus had his men swear to leave Hyperion’s cattle alone, but they soon gave in to temptation because the gods lured Odysseus away. Odysseus recounts that “They then cast me into a pleasant sleep. In the meantime Eurylochus was broaching a wicked scheme to his mates” (Homer, 165). The gods took away Odysseus’ will and put him to sleep, while his men were forced to choose between starvation and the fulfilling of a deathly prophecy. The gods had also put Odysseus to sleep on his journey home from Aeolus, leaving his men alone to plot. Odysseus recounts, “I fell fast asleep...After talk like this evil counsels prevailed. They undid the bag…”(Homer, 126). Odysseus cannot be held responsible for this, as he was put to sleep, and could not do anything about

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