How important is Book 11 to the overall meaning of The Odyssey? Essay

How important is Book 11 to the over all meaning of The Odyssey?The overall entail custodyt of Book 11 to the epic is that it shows howthings change over time (Anticleias death, the suitors at his home),which can be missed if someone is not around. It also shows us thatthe Ancient Greeks believe in destiny and intervention from the gods.The sacrifices and prayers from Odysseus and the economic aid he pays toTeiresias about returning(a) to Ithaca show this. If he did not payattention to Teiresias he may have done something to displease thegods (such as cleanup position the Sun-gods cattle and sheep). This couldhave lead to intervention from the gods to prevent Odysseus and hismen from returning to their home. Book 11 also shows that theybelieved greatly in the afterlife, only irrelevant modern religions theybelieved that everyone went to the pits (Hell), with the exception ofthose souls who were left to wander the earth for all eternity. Theafterlife was always thought to be a lot darker and bleaker than mountain now seem to count on.It is Circe who tells Odysseus of the trip which he and his men musttake. He then has to tell all of his men. All of them are very agitated when they first find out that they must travel to the endsof the earth. They know it is qualifying to be a journey of many perils.This is why Homer describes the men as heart-broken telling us Theysat down where they were and wept and tore their hair. plainly theirlamentations achieved nothing. (Book 10, lines 566-568.) This showsthat they are greatly disheartened by the news, having thought thattheir next transit would take them back to their homeland. They knowthat there is nothing that they can do to avoid this risk filledjourney, which makes it an even more arduous a task for them.It is probable that the men were aware that their end was fastapproaching. all journey to Hades made by a living virulent is going tobe dangerous. It would only usually be made by the souls of the dea d,who would not need to sail, as Odysseus and his men did. This wouldhave most credibly made the men think that they would not complete theirtrip to Hades or would not return from it. At this point of the voyageI dont think that anyone, with the probable exception of Odysseus,expects to see Ithaca or their family again. It is more credibly thatknowing they are heading for Hades, t... ...tors and cheats whom this dark world brings forth in suchprofusion to spin their lying yarns which nobody can test. (Lines,364-366.) This too is a possibility, as Odysseus has no proof of whathe is precept, and that could be another(prenominal) reason he has offered to stayup to a year. Alcinous then asks Odysseus to continue, as he has theartistry of a bard. (Line 369.), asking more of his friends, theirexpedition to troy weight and their deaths, saying We have endless timeahead of us tonight, its too soon for us to go to our beds. (Lines373-374.) Odysseus agrees to continue the tale, but does imply he istired, saying that there is also time for sleep.I think that Homer sees humankind as chess pieces, which the gods ordestiny are playing with. From the prophecies made, and what we knowto happen after them, it seems that occurrences in the poem have beenpre-destined. I think in The Odyssey Homer sees humans asinsignificant overall. The have dinky influence over their lives thegods decide what will happen with them. The lives of mortals seem tobe a game for the gods, where they all want their character to win.Athene wants Odysseus to win, but Poseidon does not.