Athena In The Odyssey - 1592 Words

The story of homer s epic poem the The Odyssey takes place ten years after the Trojan War is over. There are many heroes of the war that come home to their families, however there are even more that are lost through the long struggling years of the war. Of the few who stayed behind, Odysseus goes through battle after battle, problem after problem, and has had the most trouble coming home. The story opens in the tenth year since the war has ended, almost 20 years since our mighty hero Odysseus went to war and left his palace, his wife Penelope, and even his infant son Telemachus behind. Telemachus grew up without a father wondering if Odysseus will ever return home. The story of the Odyssey captures the reunion between long lost†¦show more content†¦It is through her they learn the qualities that define a hero. From her first act of assistance to her final peacemaking, she is largely responsible for the creation and conclusion of the plot. Telemachus daydreams before meeting Athena for the first time (B1:L134-136). Growing up without his father Odysseus, the only knowledge Telemachus knows of him are only the stories told him by his consorts. With all the suitors roaming freely through the great halls of his father s palace, chasing after his mother Penelope s hand in marriage, Prince Telemachus is left hopeless to stop them. Athena uses her great skills of strategy and wisdom to quickly find a way to inspire our hero Telemachus to journey to find his father. She shapes shifts into Odysseus old friend Mentes, and predicts that Odysseus is still alive and that he will soon return to Ithaca. â€Å"Take my words to heart. At daybreak summon the islands lords to full assembly, give your orders to all and call the gods to witness sail in quest of news of your long- lost father, Athena declared (B1:L315-325). With these words of encouragement, Athena uses her disguise to influence the prince to find his father. If it not for Athena, Telemachus might have taken his father for dead and encouraged his mother to marry one of her suitors. The journey is also important because the journey of Telemachus plays an important part of him becoming a man on his own. When Telemachus reachesShow MoreRelatedAthena In Homers Odyssey : The Persuasiveness Of Athena1480 Words   |  6 PagesA Father’s Daughter: The Persuasiveness of Athena in The Odyssey In Homer’s The Odyssey the reader is introduced to a number of powerful women, who, as per the social rules of the time, are expected to bend to the whim of their male counterparts. 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