Book 13, Lines 132-143
“I lose face among the gods, Zeus,
When I am not respected by mortal men
The Phaeacians yet, my own flesh and blood!
I swore that Odysseus would have to suffer
Before getting home- I didn’t say
He would never get home, because you had already
Agreed that he would- and now they’ve brought him
Over the sea while he napped on their ship,
And set him down in Ithaca, and given him
Gifts of bronze and clothing and gold,
More than he ever would have taken out of Troy
Had he come home safely with his share of the loot.”
Through this passage in which Poseidon displays his displeasure towards Odysseus’ advancements home, we can use these characteristics to see the god/mortal oppositional pair. From Poseidon’s complaining to Zeus, we can see that gods are somewhat similar from mortals. Poseidon is afraid of what his mortal Phaeacians will think of him if he did not keep his promise of getting revenge on Odysseus. Even within the gods, there is a chain of command that can also be broken. Even if Zeus allowed Poseidon to get revenge on Odysseus, Poseidon abuses his power and keeps delaying Odysseus for a long twenty years. I’m not sure if it is because he is a god but he seems to hold a grudge for quite a long time.
The gods’ power to control certain aspects of life bring up the oppositional pair of fate and free will. Poseidon speaks as is Zeus planned for Odysseus to get home after Poseidon is able to get his revenge. Poseidon says, “because you [Zeus] had already Agreed that he would [return home]’ and is mad that it is happening so soon. It appears that it is within the gods’ control to get the mighty hero back to Ithaca. However, we previously saw Athena begging her father to help Odysseus and not delay his return home. Is suggested that Odysseus was fated to return home but when he would return would be determined by the willingness of the gods, except for the revengeful Poseidon.
I question the relationship between Zeus, Athena and Poseidon. When Athena asks Zeus to send Hermes to help Odysseus, he says that mortals are at fault but proceeds to listen to his daughter. When Poseidon mentions it, he is free to do as he wish, as long as Odysseus will return home someday. When Athena makes progress to get Odysseus home, Poseidon will hold him back. Even though he seems to side a bit more with Poseidon, he cannot disregard what his daughter wants. I wonder what the relationship between Athena and Poseidon are like, considering the fact they they are at ends with helping Odysseus but have never come face-to-face about it. I think that a lot of Odysseus’ long journey is due to the ‘neutral’ position that Zeus takes on it.
An interesting response–very thoughtful material on the gods’ complex relationships, and on Zeus’s neutrality. Their allegiances seem to shift; in the Iliad, Aphrodite plays a significant role (and is often at odds with Athena!). There are added complications of family relation, as well; Poseidon is Zeus’s brother; Athena, his child.