Why Is Athena Important In The Odyssey

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Often in works of literature, a character stands up for something he or she believes in. In Robert Fagles’s translation of Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus has not returned to his kingdom for many years. Telemachus, Odysseus son, searches for his father while the goddess Athena helps Odysseus get home. Together, Telemachus and Odysseus kill the suitors who are trying to court Odysseus’s wife, Penelope. Athena’s strong belief that Odysseus deserves to be helped changes the course of Odysseus’s life and allows him to take back control over his kingdom, Ithaca. By standing up for what she believes in, Athena helps many victims of suffering while inspiring others to do the same. Athena is the goddess of wisdom who stays loyal and supportive of Odysseus and Telemachus for the entire duration of the epic. After Athena sees Odysseus suffering, she travels down to the mortal world to try to assist him and his …show more content…
Athena and the other gods and goddesses witness Odysseus’s suffering at the hand of Poseidon, the god of the sea. When the gods begin to talk about Odysseus’s fate, Athena immediately defends him. She claims that Odysseus has suffered too much, and the gods should care about him and help him get home. After Athena convinces the gods that Odysseus needs help, Zeus starts to make a plan to help Odysseus. Athena takes it upon herself to help the deteriorating family, and she says “Odysseus journeys home- the exile must return! While I myself go down to Ithaca, rouse his son to a braver pitch, inspire his heart with courage to summon the flowing-haired Achaeans to full assembly, and speak his mind to all those suitors” (80). Though the other gods just watch the suffering in the mortal world, Athena knows what the gods are doing is wrong, and she has the power to help. When Athena stands up for Odysseus, she inspires others, like Telemachus to stand up for what they believe in
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