Introduction
The poem The Odyssey by Homer is a poem that has within it many different characters. It wholesomely describes these characters’ experiences in their different settings, and what is more, it gives out their understandings concerning those settings. The poem is very encompassing in its description, precisely what makes it an attractive ground for analysis. Some of this poem’s characters have been discussed explicitly, their characters together with their experiences in this paper.
First, Odysseus is described as a hero who had traveled to renowned nations and cities and achieved a lot but could not be able to save his own men’s lives. Odysseus must have been held with such high regard because, indeed, traveling far and wide meant a lot of input and resources had been spent. Aside from visiting such esteemed cities and countries, he was keen and enthusiastic enough to learn these different communities’ manners and customs (Roisman 315). Odysseus was true to be highly esteemed, and aside from that, such great achievements built his self-image so much so that a challenge at that time would have seemed easy to be solved.
However, all such esteem came to naught when he could not save his own men from perishing after consuming meat prohibited from being eaten by people. The meat was from the cattle of Hyperion, the Shun-god; these men ate with that knowledge in mind. Clearly, the men perished through their own utter foolishness. After they ate it, the god prevented them from reaching home. To also be considered is the fact that Hyperion punished them (Roisman 317). Due to their great achievements and fame, which all these men had brought to their community and their gods, it seems unfair that they suffered the same fate as someone who perhaps has done nothing for the community.
Nature of the Gods
The gods seem to have a coded way of running things in that community, so much so that it matters less the person who is in the wrong. One other instance where we see this is when was festivity in the house of Olympian Jove and the sire of gods spoke and said that “Men lay blame upon them on account of their own folly.” (Roisman 321). The words which he used are quite defensive and depict justice from their point of view. Indeed, it is worth noting that justice is one of the building blocks of god’s system of ruling. The sire of gods had specifically uttered these words in response to the incident where Aegithus engaged sexually with Agamemnon’s wife. As was widely known, that was unlawful. What is more, Aegithus sought to kill Agamemnon in order for him to cover it all up. Before he engaged in that grave matter, the sire of gods attests to the fact that he sent Mercury to him to warn him of the repercussions of his actions, but Aegithus choose not to give heed (Roisman 322). Therefore, after all the events passed as he had planned, the sire of gods was behooved to reign punishment upon him.
However, in opposition to the just side, which the gods are prone to show and talk about more, there is also an unjust and inhumane side that has been depicted by the poem. One of the instances is when there is mention of the torture which Ulysses underwent in the hands of goddess Calypso, who apparently had an appetite for a man who is human. A god who has a much higher authority than man is not expected to stoop so low as to desire a man so much so as to punish him for not desiring her too. The injustice in this particular piece is astounding. Away from that, assuming that the relationship is natural, the goddess Calypso should possess certain powers and abilities which can turn the desire of man to whatever is seems right in her eyes. It appears as though they are unable to bring such an occurrence to come to pass.
“Ulysses was longing to go back to his own home country and wife.” (Roisman 317). Here, there appears to be a man who is in distress and frustration. The man, in fact, has a wife, yet goddess Calypso desires to be with him. It is quite contradictory of the gods to act in such a manner because in the event that a man does that, he is put to death. There is an environment of superiority and abuse of power by the gods when this incident is considered (Roisman 315). Goddess Calypso cannot be punished because of what she is doing; this is so because she is inflicting pain on an inferior subject. Ulysses may have other personal reasons as to why he chooses not to engage with Calypso, but the major one is that he has a wife to return to. To make matters worse, the torture went on for years until the gods agreed the man be let to go back to his home. In the agreement which was reached, it was not mentioned whether Calypso would be punished for her mistakes. That goes a long way of saying that the other gods also, in their different areas of the mandate, have committed their own injustices and that amidst all that, they have enjoyed the protection of the other gods.
Unity amongst the gods cannot be accounted for. Up to this point, it is agreeable there are many gods, and each has its own jurisdiction. According to the text, the gods are all supposed to work to maintain order within the community for the benefit of the people. The position of the gods, notably, is dependent on the existence of the people (Ellemers 340). For such a function, it would be expected that there are unity and cohesion amongst the gods. However, this is not the case. In the case of Ulysses, even after a consensus was reached that he be allowed to go home, it is recorded that “Neptune would not allow him to go home and that he continued to persecute him.” (Roisman 316). After Neptune made that conscious decision, he was allowed, though not whole-heartedly, to pursue that. After they reached that consensus, Jove expressly says, “They are of one mind and that Neptune cannot stand against them.”
The Character of Man
The character of a man has been highlighted throughout the text. Men of a high low moral standing have been contrasted to men of high moral standing. Ulysses is a man of character, and amidst great tribulation on account of doing what’s wrong but very tempting, he still chose not to engage in that immoral act with a god. Besides, he was sure to enjoy certain privileges and protection from Calypso by virtue of the interaction he would have had with her, but he still chose to pursue what seemed right in his understanding. In contrast to him is Aegithus, who is simply ruthless, immoral, and very unapologetic about it. The man was warned of his vile actions by a god, and he still chose to pursue what was wrong (Roisman 317). Notably, it is not dependent upon the wrath of punishment which the gods warn people of that deters people from doing what is wrong. The character build-up and moral understanding of the person are what deters the person from engaging in what is wrong. Also, the gods have not displayed a good example in terms of right and wrong. Therefore, it is conclusive that the dimensions of right and wrong are not pioneered and defined by the gods. They appear to come from a higher authority.
Ulysses is displayed as a man who is faithful in fulfilling the duties and responsibilities due to the gods. “The gods describe him as capable above all men on earth and the most liberal in giving offerings to the gods.” On an extreme scale, Ulysses is fit to be a god. From the text, the idea of morality could not have emanated from the gods. They have proven to be immoral themselves. An entity that pioneers and advocates for morality have to be an entity which, by itself, highly upholds it at all times and is not found on the grounds of immorality at any time (Ellemers 360). Had the human personality questioned the gods, that would come upon them as contempt and disrespect, and expectedly, the person would suffer a terrible punishment.
Bitterness and resentment is an attitude that was picked up by Telemachus towards the gods. The statement, “He no longer gives any heed to prophecies concerning the whereabouts of his father because, in his heart, he knew that it was the goddess.” While feelings of resentment are healthy while hurting, they ought not to remain for a much longer amount of time than is necessary. Also, it is worth noting that he had more reasons for holding fast to that belief, and that is because he had more knowledge about how the gods would deal unjustly with people at times. The incident of his father only served to affirm his belief. Such are the things that bring about conscious rebellion in the community. A person like Telemachus would not pay heed to any warning from the gods even in the face of stark punishment. In fact, he would be prone to want to have a direct confrontation with the gods.
Deviant behavior is behavior that does not conform to the socially expected behavior within a specified community. All behavior is socially defined. In this particular community, according to the material text, accepted behavior is defined by the gods and then imposed on the rest of the population with punishment ready in case of deviance. When the people who are recognized as the pioneers of morality embrace deviant behavior themselves, then that very same understanding and energy get transferred to the rest of the human population. As if that is not enough, if the gods themselves do not undergo punishment for the immoral acts which they engage in, then the respect which the population may have had towards them and the moral laws will definitely elapse. It is with understanding that Aegithus’ case should be approached because he was privileged enough to be warned by a god, but he still proceeded in deviancy. He must have heard quite a lot about the gods that he ended up learning from them.
Morality and Justice
In dispute to the community-confined definition of morality in regards to the poem, it is notable that there are still members of the community who held fast to what they believed in even in the face of death. The occurrence, therefore, would prompt anyone to deep digger on the issue of morality and gather more understanding concerning it. It is agreeable that the foundation and establishment of the subject matter call for perfection, and this is something that cannot be found amongst the human population. A human is structured in such a way that there is an in-built system of characters, traits, and understanding, but all that requires an environment that has other people for them to manifest (Ellemers 337). They are more likely to do what they see other people doing and not what they are merely old to do. That is precisely where the influence of the environment comes from, in this case, the gods. The other traits which are in-built can either be nurtured or suppressed as the person interacts with the environment and, this is whether a rational choice has to be made as seen in Ulysses’ case.
Justice is an aspect that must remain constant when leadership is in question. Not that this should be said about gods, but the gods have made some successful attempts in the administration of justice in that community. Instances can be inferred from, where the punishment made on the people who wronged can well be termed as just (Basant 316). For example, when the men of Odysseus ate the forbidden food knowingly, they were punished, and that served to deter such further actions. However, justice suffices where there is mercy. When the subject matter involves people, it is well recognized that they are imperfect beings who continually seek perfection from various sources. In an attempt to seek perfection and betterment, the means used have to be considerate of the people and the environment around (Ellemers 350). That is where justice comes in.
Mercy, on the other hand, calls for understanding and consideration in the pursuance of justice. Mercy, as a paramount element of justice, cannot be accounted for fro...
