Book IX,page 437, lines 526-533
For the purposes of this assignment, I used fate and destiny interchangeably.
Odysseus’s journey throughout the Odyssey is a long, meandering path that forks at many turns, due to both his own actions and those of his enemies and benefactors. This particular passage depicts the moment that explains a major source of Odysseus’s plight. Odysseus makes the decision of revealing his name to the Cyclops Polyphemus of his own free will. My analysis focuses on the illusion of free will presented in this passage and throughout the Odyssey. Superficially, it would appear that he made the decision of his own free will, but stated that his crew didn’t convince his “hero’s heart.” Because Odysseus represents the archetype of a hero, he must suffer a hero’s fate. That is because everything has been already decided for him, his choices only serve to cement his fate. This passage is important because it serves as the premise for the Odyssey. If he did not reveal himself to Polyphemus, then he would not suffer Poseidon’s wrath, and perhaps the many other perils he faced.The foreshadowing describes Odysseus’s journey clearly, that he is fated to return home, and destined/cursed to encounter trouble along the way, in the form of arriving late, “having lost all companions, in another’s ship,” to a household under siege. This foreshadowing repeats as a reminder than nothing will change, everything is predetermined. The decisions that Odysseus and others make keep delaying his return to home, and yet, his fate is to return home.
Polyphemus prays to Poseidon for a curse on Odysseus. This curse of suffering is issued by Poseidon but destiny and fate prove to be superior, a force that not even the gods have control over. That doesn’t mean the Gods are powerless though. They act as agents of Destiny, just like the Fates. Homer has written it so that all beings in his epic are subject to the same treatment. Throughout the Odyssey Odysseus faces many choices, from choosing to not stay with Calypso or the Phaeacians, to disobeying the goddess Ino until it became a matter of life and death. His destiny is to return to home, but he seems to exercises choice and free will along the way, developing the epic that much more. These choices all look like Odysseus exercising his free will on the road, but in reality, he is fulfilling his fate; all roads lead to destiny.
True in many cases is the dilemma of what is fated and what is our own choice. in Odysseus’ scenario was it truly his fate that he was following or rather was it the fate of the men that were with him. Many of them are not mentioned by a name yet still they have a fate. Working off of what you have said, if Odysseus truly had no hand other than falling to fate then it was not his own that he succumbed to but rather the fate of those around him. The crew members being fated to die may have caused Odysseus’ curiosity to get the better of him and go explore the island more when he could have left. Along with that, the fate of those on the boat may have caused him to scream out his name so that they too would die because of the wrath of Poseidon. I feel if it were not for the fate of his crew he would have reached his home far earlier since he was destined to return to his home from the start. He just became tangled in several other lines of fate.
Hi Harry,
This is an excellent passage to have chosen, and you write about it in clear and engaging prose. As you note, it’s a prayer, delivered from Polyphemous to his father, Poseidon. It’s also something of a curse, since it involves calling suffering down on Odysseus. That curse or wish at the end that you zoom in on (“May he come home late, having lost all companions/ In another’s ship, and find trouble at home”) is particularly fascinating, since it is echoed again in Book 11, when Tiresias predicts that if the Greeks harm Helios’ cattle, Odysseus will “come home late/ and badly, having lost all companions/ And in another’s ship” (XI.111-114)
Two areas for improvement:
1) ARGUMENT. That word, “if” is worth considering. It’s a key word in the passage, and shows up in Tiresias’ predictions, too (IF you eat the cattle of the sun, THEN you suffer). Your argument here seems to me to be that fate cannot be altered–this is what you most clearly state as your position. Yet you note, “If he did not reveal himself to Polyphemus, then he would not suffer Poseidon’s wrath, and perhaps the many other perils he faced.” My question, as a reader, is whether you see all these “ifs” (so to speak) as irrelevant to the eventual outcome (i.e., no matter what happens, Odysseus will get home, but alone, etc) or if you see these “ifs” as determining the course of events–a course of events that can be foreseen and predicted, but is not necessarily set in stone–a course of events that Odysseus’ actions help to shape. I think either position could be argued for, using evidence from the text to persuade the reader of the point.
2) DETAILS! The passage itself is packed with verbal features that are worth dwelling on and discussing in detail. I love your point that the passage is a direct response to Odysseus revealing his name. You could take this further, noting that Polyphemous in fact *echoes* the speech in which Odysseus reveals his name (both invoke Ithaca and Laertes). Why does he do this–what’s the effect of having him repeat O’s words?
I think also you could zoom in on the word “fated” specifically as it is used in the passage. Here, the word does in fact suggest a fixed destiny (“if he is fated to see his family again…”). However, this destiny one whose exact contours are not set in stone: if he must see his family again, he can do so with or without his crew, having suffered more or suffered less along the way. How does the word “fated” pull against the very nature of the prayer, which is asking for a particular future for this man?
Really solid work over all.
Best,
Prof Kolb