I love the moment where Athena reveals herself to Odysseus
by saying,
“It would be a sharp one, and a stealthy one, who would ever get
past you in any conniving; even if it were a god against you. You wretch, so devious, never weary of
tricks, then you would not even in your own country give over your ways of
deceiving and your thievish tales. They
are near to you in your very nature. But
come, let us talk no more of this, for you and I both know sharp practice,
since you are far the best of all mortal men for counsels and stories, and I
among all the divinities am famous for wit and sharpness…”
The laughing way
that she addresses him is not only funny, but thought provoking. When Athena makes this comparison of herself
and Odysseus, it shows us how similar they really both are. After all, they were each trying to fool the
other into believing they were not who they seemed, and it always is that way
with Odysseus and Athena. After all,
they both love to be “Nobody.” This
passage really highlights the differences in the Iliad and the Odyssey, and
what exactly makes up a hero who is pleasing to the gods. There aren’t many people in the world more
strikingly different than Achilleus and Odysseus, yet they are both considered
great Greek heroes of great honor. They
both had such different paths to heroism, and I don’t particularly like either
path. After all, is it really any better
to be known as a person so devious that you can’t trust anything they say,
because they’re always working for their own advantage than to be known as a
mighty, fearsome, unforgiving, anger-driven warrior? Both of these concepts of heroism are
interesting, as they are also reflections on the gods of Greece. After all, both of these are great qualities
to the gods. Perhaps that’s why these men are
considered heroes, they are as close to the vision of the Greek gods as they
can get without attaining immortality.
P.S. I commented on emilylaforce "Can you say controlling?"
P.S. I commented on emilylaforce "Can you say controlling?"
I love that you pointed out how Athena compares herself to Odysseus. It really does show that the greatest Greek heroes truly resemble the gods themselves. What I find comical is when gods get angry with humans and when humans get angry with the gods when they all share similar characteristics, other than immortality which only belong to the gods. Also, when Athena compares herself to Odysseus it also points out that if humans can be godlike couldn't it also be that gods are simply sometimes human-like? It truly makes you realize why the gods favor certain humans so much because they see a little bit of "god" in them.
ReplyDeleteI like your observations, Tinsley. Odysseus and Athena really are strikingly similar, and it's funny to read about their interactions. The differences in Achilles and Odysseus and their "styles" of heroism also struck me as odd. What strange people are these Greeks that their heroes are so bloodthirsty and conniving? But I think it points us to what was esteemed in their culture. Strength in battle was very important, as was wisdom (which also could be seen as cunning). By reading these epics, even though they are fictional, I think we get a glimpse of what kind of people were the leaders of their society. It's so different from modern day... rarely do we see such raw strength and the search for honor, but we do see the conniving "looking out for myself" mentality.
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