Oedipus through Journey of the Hero

One of the female characters in “Odyssey” is Athena. Athena is the daughter of Zeus and the goddess of wisdom, purposeful battle, and the womanly arts. In the “Odyssey” she is portrayed as a helper and guardian of Odysseus and his family. Athena assists Odysseus on his journey home, and Telemachus (Odysseus’s son) on his journey as well. She is also a master of disguise, clever, and wise. This we see

In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus struggles to accept the truth and lets his temper over power him. He can be displayed as a tragic hero. His refusal to accept the truth led to Oedipus’ down fall. A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, “is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.” Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

The character that hindered Odysseus specifically in book five is, Calypso, a goddess. Homer explained the way Calypso hindered Odysseus is by, capturing Odysseus and keeping him on her island for seven years and not wanting to let him go. Homer says “For seven of ten years Odysseus...has been held captive by the goddess Calypso…” (Homer italics 1206). Zeus sends Hermes, messenger of the gods, to make Calypso release Odysseus from her island. She then, obeys Hermes and starts to give Odysseus advice on how to get home from her island. Another piece of evidence that made Odysseus journey extremely difficult is Odysseus missing home. Odysseus started to cry since he has been on that island for so long, he thought he would never return home. “The Odyssey” quotes, “Odysseus who sat apart…and racked his own heart groaning, with eyes wet scanning the bare horizon..” (Homer Line 39-42, 1208). The days of Odysseus’s life was running out, while he was captured by Calypso.

     Throught Oedipus Rex, Oedipus displays his heroism many times. From the Prologue of the play to the moment in which he leaves Thebes, Oedipus' heroics are extremely apparent; however, at the same time, the decisions which make Oedipus a hero ultimately become the decisions which bring him to shame and exile.

"A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." -Aristotle No one wants to be a tragic hero. A great or virtuous character, but sadly they are destined for downfall because of their own judgement. Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.

In Athena’s first appearance she is badgering Zeus about when Odysseus will be allowed to return home, “My heart breaks for Odysseus, / that seasoned veteran cursed by fate so long- / far from his loved ones still, he suffers torments / off on a wave-washed island rising at the center of the seas,” (1 57-60). After years of torments, she is still begging Zeus to have pity on Odysseus and to bring him home. She has not lost vigor or strength. Her demeanor is not one of desperation, rather it is persistent. She has not lost faith in Zeus or the fates in her ten years of advocacy for this man. She is an immortal, and time does not mean to her what it means to Odysseus.

Calypso and Athena share a similar relationship with Odysseus in their desire for him to return home. Calypso, the nymph with the lovely braids, housed Odysseus in the high arching caverns on her island, Ogygia. She did not want Odysseus to leave her company, but after her encounter with Hermes, the messenger god, she changed her mind. Calypso decided that it would be best to send Odysseus on his way

The most powerful female force in The Odyssey is the goddess Athena. She, more than anyone else, brings about Odysseus’ homecoming. The poem opens with her pleading with Zeus to take pity on Odysseus. Zeus issues the command to Calypso to free Odysseus. Athena guides Odysseus every step of his voyage to Ithaca. She tells Odysseus that it is she “who always stands beside [him], shields [him] in every

Throughout this part of his journey, Odysseus transformed from an ordinary man into an epic hero. One of the temptresses who causes Odysseus to delay his quest was, “Calypso, loveliest among goddesses,” who confined Odysseus on his way home and keeps him, “in her smooth caves, to be her heart's delight” (31). Even though Calypso is a temptress, Odysseus does not abandon his initial quest to get back home. However, Calypso does create a huge delay for Odysseus on his journey. Odysseus also meets with the goddess during his initiation. For example, when Odysseus went to the underworld he saw “the soul of Anticlea, dead, / [his] mother” (615). In Greek mythology, the mother is considered a goddess and although Odysseus loves his mother, but he can't grieve over her because he has to complete his journey back home to Ithaca. The Ultimate Boon is the achievement of the goal or quest. This can be found in The Odyssey when Odysseus states “Twenty years gone, and I am back again / on my own island” (1051). He attains his objective and has gained a new experience and understanding of life following all the previous steps. After Odysseus completes his strenuous and grueling 20 year-long journey, he arrives back home to Ithaca to reunite with his family and his

The first woman Odysseus encounters is Calypso. Calypso is the beautiful goddess nymph who resides on the island of Ogygia. Once Odysseus ends up on her island, she falls in love with him and keeps him captive there for seven years. Calypso is very possessive and hopes to marry Odysseus. It takes Hermes, the messenger god, to relay Zeus’ order to release Odysseus to make his way home. Even then, Calypso is desperate for Odysseus to

Divine intervention is often an integral part of ancient epic poetry as seen in Homer's The Odyssey. The role of the goddess Athena was an essential part of Odysseus's journey back to Ithaka. Athena also played a vital part in Telemakhos's life before the return of his father. Even Penelope is impacted by the help of the "grey-eyed" goddess, often inspiring Penelope to hold off the suitors as well as putting her to sleep when a situation became too difficult. Athena demonstrates that she is a critical component of development within the father Odysseus and his son Telemakhos as well as guiding Penelope as a beautiful mother waiting for the return of her husband.

Athena and Leucothea, two of the most influential women in the story, play a prominent role in the story, for they help Odysseus complete his journey! Athena and Leucothea work together to save Oddyseus’s life when he is drowning out at sea. Odysseus had just gotten off the island of Calypso and was on his way home when Poseidon, the God of the sea created a massive storm and almost killed Odysseus. Poseidon was furious with Odysseus because he had blinded his son Polyphemus. Luckily, a mortal named Leucothea comes to his rescue. As Odysseus is drowning, Leucothea yells over the storm, “‘Strip off those clothes and leave your craft for the winds to hurl, and swim for it now, you must, strike out with your arms for landfall there, Phaeacian land where destined safety waits. Here, take this scarf, tie it around your waist—it is immortal.’” (Book #5) Athena then plays a role by helping him get through the storm to the land safely. If it weren’t for these two powerful and wise women, nobody would have heard the story of Odysseus and his completion of

Calypso lusts for Odysseus so much that she holds him captive for many years. Odysseus, however, does not feel this lust for her. At this point in the epic, he wants nothing more than to reach his home and his wife, whom he loves very much. Finally, the gods tell Calypso that is time to release Odysseus, and she obeys.

Discuss whether or not a hero who is tragic by trait and definition can exist within the structure of the monomyth.

Calypso keeps Odysseus prisoner because she loves him and wants to keep him for herself. "Odysseus had spent seven years with Calypso "withdrawing into the cavern's deep recesses, long in each other's arms . . . [losing themselves] in love" (V.250-251)" (Howell, E. N., & Fink, L. S., R.W.T., 2012). Odysseus wants nothing more than to get back home to his home and wife. He wants to leave her island Ogygia but has no ship. Finally, after Zeus sends Hermes to rescue him, he convinces her to let Odysseus build a ship and lets him leave.