Despite its age, The Odyssey prevails through the millennia as a timeless classic due to its riveting description of the values and customs of the Ancient Greeks as well as an enlightening perspective of the nature of humans and gods. Odysseus' twenty-year journey changed a once arrogant and boastful man pursuing glory into one that valued homecoming and returning to his family.
In The Odyssey, the affairs of the world are ultimately dictated by the whims and decisions of the gods above. While men's decisions impact their lives and future, their fates are nonetheless held in the palms of the deities. While the gods ostensibly claim that their intervention is to instill justice, the Greek gods' nature leads them to do otherwise. Unlike other omnipotent deities, Greek gods were humanized and had similar characteristics to humans, both positive and negative ones. Thus, they were fundamentally incapable of serving perfect justice, as, like humans, self-interest innately came before the well-being of others and society. A historical insight into Greek culture is highlighted in The Odyssey, especially pertaining to proper societal customs. Upheld by the gods, these customs include such behavior as the importance of hospitality and treating guests well, as well as strict measures of honor and appeasement. In some cases, the sacrifice of children or retributive murder must be made to uphold one's status and appease the gods. However, these tenets no longer mattered to gods when they jeopardized their selfish interests, like Zeus' decision to disregard his own principle of hospitality when defending it and his loyal people risked him angering his brother Poseidon. The innocent Phaecians were always loyal to Zeus and dutifully took care of their guest Oddyseus without knowing his identity, but Zeus let the angered Poseidon do whatever he pleased to punish the Phaecians. Such actions lack the motive of justice, instead being roused by self-interest. Furthermore, despite tormenting Odyssey for a decade during his journey, Poseidon finally decides to spare him on a whim.
The Odyssey portrays an intriguing perspective on the relationship between divine forces and human action. Due to the Greek belief in humanism, they highlighted and put forward the human experience in their art and literature. As a result, many Greek epics and reliefs detail the feats and accomplishments of human heroes, and The Odyssey is one of the many works that celebrate man's abilities through a series of trials and tribulations in a long journey. While divine intervention dominates the course of one's fate, the choices and decisions of individuals, too, can substantially impact their lives. Most of the events that transpire in the novel are the result of the independent choices and consequences of the human players. For example, though he received guidance from the gods, the completion of Odysseus' journey was essentially a result of his own strength and cunning. It was through Odysseus' sheer willpower alone that he and his crew were able to escape the island of the Lotus Eaters and regain their desire to return home. Likewise, Odysseus' victory over Polyphemus was not the result of the gods' meddling but through his own cunning and wit, exploiting the weaknesses of his enemy. In addition, using his merits, Odysseus successfully charted around Scylla and Charybdis and freed his men from Circe. Lastly, Odyssey's prudent planning led to a scenario where he was armed against his suitors and could swiftly cut them all down. However, the limits of human individualism and free will become apparent through the gods meddling in the lives of individuals they favor. Athena's influence was a significant component of Odysseus' success, but it could not be determined whether she manipulated his actions or better inspired him to follow his free will.
Through the journey of Odysseus and the separate path of The Iliad's hero Achilles, Homer presents the dichotomy between the concepts of nostos and kleos. Odysseus was once a part of the youthful pursuit of glory and fame in battle, engaging in reckless and lawless actions and joining the glorious conquest against Troy. There, he, along with several other heroes, achieved incredible feats, such as Achilles’ unrivaled ferocity in battle and Odysseus' idea of the Trojan Horse, which snuck the Greeks behind the fortified walls of Troy. Nonetheless, their lawless actions to achieve glory resulted in unfortunate repercussions, and not many of the warriors that embarked on Troy, including Achilles, returned home alive. Instead, their lives were illustrious, yet they shined brightly only for a brief moment. Achilles, a man who earned glory suitable for a god, warns Odysseus from embarking on the same path as him, that "[He]'d rather serve as another man's labourer, as a poor peasant without land, and be alive on Earth, than be lord of all the lifeless dead." While Achilles instead valued life more than anything else after death, Odysseus coveted the glory won by Achilles early on. As a result, he blundered several times due to a brazen pursuit of glory, like during his encounter with Polyphemus. At first, Odysseus cunningly introduced himself as "Nobody" to the Cyclops, an act of self-effacement that would allow him to rescue all his men while taking advantage of the Cyclops' stupidity. However, when his men are just about free from the Cyclops' island, Odysseus submits to temptation and reveals his name, hoping to win glory by outwitting and blinding a Cyclops. However, his brash action resulted in his voyage being prolonged and plagued with even more obstacles, as the blinded Polyphemus prayed to his father Poseidon to curse Odysseus. In contrast, Odysseus' primary desire shifts to nostos towards the end of his journey; he realizes that the action of returning home to his family and kingdom far surpasses whatever temptations-whether it be glory or alternative wives-can offer. Nostos, one's homecoming, more so refers to the continuation of stability and a man's legacy in his home rather than the existence of the home. When Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, he accomplishes his nostos by reinstating order in his kingdom, proving his unshakeable relationship with Penelope, and raising a noble son following his father's ways.
A decade ago, Odyssey departed Troy a vainglorious man, bloated with hubris and quaking with a thirst for adventure and glory, all of which jeopardized his crew and his return home. Nonetheless, his journey, filled with defeat, humiliation, and the recognition of his shortcomings has humbled him and changed him into a more reserved, wiser, and honorable man.
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