Homer, the greatest antediluvian Greek poet, wrote both the Iliad and the Odyssey, two verse forms that continue to intrigue the educated modern universe. The Odyssey is a narrative of the great hero Odysseus doing his manner place after the events of the Trojan War in the Iliad. Odysseus is plagued with many bad lucks that prevent him from returning place instantly after the war ; it takes him ten old ages to eventually return to Ithaca. In the Odyssey Homer uses many dreams, prognostications and portents to find the way the narrative will take. Dreams are introduced during a crisis in the narrative, they are a anticipation or reading of what is to come, a symbol that has to be interpreted by the dreamer. A prognostication is a anticipation or prediction of the hereafter which is confirmed by portents from the Gods ; in the instance of two prognostications being given it is up to the carrier to make up one’s mind which route he wishes to ship on. Prophecies are the most impacting on the narrative as they are the true prediction of the hereafter, which gives people assurance to move and presents the route that is about to be embarked on. An portent from the Gods is ever seen either shortly after a prognostication is given or is the portents in which the prognostication was based upon. Dreams are the agencies through which the Gods act, a elusive Godhead intercession in the plot line in which the Supreme beings have their volitions fulfilled. Dreams impact the narrative line as it is the Gods manner of commanding an act to be done by the dreamer, it makes the narrative unfold as the Gods deem tantrum. Dreams, unlike prognostications are non ever true and can intend the antonym of what they seem. In a manner a dream can be considered a prognostication, as it gives the dreamer a disguised prediction of the hereafter ; hence, prognostications are the most impacting on the narration of the Odyssey.
The chief ground for dreams within the Odyssey is to go on the development of the secret plan. Homer used dreams in both the Odyssey and the Iliad, but presented them in really different ways. In the Iliad a dream was ever received by a male and was presented by Zeus, whereas in the Odyssey we see dreams ever presented by Athena and experienced by a female. Penelope experiences two dreams given by Pallas Athena. The first dream is where Athena disguises herself as Penelope ‘s sister Iphthime and comes to reassure her about Telemakhos ‘ ocean trip and that the suers will non convey him any injury. This dream is used to reassure Penelope and forestall her from worrying and be aftering anything foolish. This is a great act of compassion from Pallas Athena, something that you do non see really frequently from the Gods. Athena deeply attentions for Odysseus and will make anything she can to do certain everything goes every bit planned. This dream is used more to bode for the reader and fix them for the approaching events than it is to impact the plot line. Penelope is largely reassured of her boy ‘s safety and given the cognition that a Goddess is on his side. If Penelope had non had this dream she would hold merely worried madly until Telemakhos had returned to Ithaca, she would non hold been able to make anything dramatic against the suers besides pleading with them to save her boy.
The last dream in which Penelope experiences from Athena is where an bird of Jove swoops down and putting to deaths twenty geese that are feeding by her house. The bird of Jove so speaks “ All these geese were suers, and the bird was I. See now, I am no bird of Jove but your Godhead come back to convey black decease upon them all! ” Feigning she does non cognize what it means, Penelope asks the cloaked Odysseus to construe this dream for her, which is besides a prognostication in the sense it is announcing the hereafter. This is used to progress the plotline of the narrative, holding a important consequence on the narrative. In this dream concocted by Athena, Penelope is reassured that Odysseus is in fact alive and in Ithaca. She so badly says “ We have twelve axe caputs. In his clip, my Godhead could line them up, all twelveaˆ¦Then he ‘d endorse awayaˆ¦and whip an pointer through. Now I ‘ll enforce this test on the suers. ” The 1 who is able to accomplish such a effort will be able to claim Penelope as a married woman. She knows that no 1 will be able to accomplish this except for Odysseus. This laid out what was to go on next in the narrative. By making a competition she proved all the suers to be inferior to Odysseus. Without even recognizing it, Penelope had given Odysseus the agencies to destruct all the other suers and repossess his family. This is impactful on the narrative as Odysseus so proves who he is and kills all the suers in his place, demanding retaliation. Odysseus is so place after 20 old ages gone, repossessing his family and his married woman and reconstructing peace.
Another dream that has significance is the one Pallas Athena gives to Nausikaa. Athena disguised as a miss Nausikaa ‘s age convinces her to travel down to the river to rinse her apparels and the work forces will desire to get married her because of this. She ends up the following twenty-four hours traveling down to the river to rinse her vesture, where Odysseus is kiping. Athena ‘s program was to hold Nausikaa offer him some vesture and ask for him back to the castle. Athena has put a appeal on Odysseus doing him handsomer than earlier, which has Nausikaa autumn in love with him. The Queen and King take an instant liking to Odysseus and commit to supplying him a ship and bodyguards to return place to Ithaca. This is of import to the plot line as this ends up carry throughing Poseidon ‘s prognostication of one twenty-four hours destructing the Phaeacian ships. It besides is how Odysseus ends up acquiring place, taking to his devastation of the suers and reuniting with his married woman. The dreams in the Odyssey do impact the narrative line, as they give the following measure so they narrative can come on. The dreams are the godly intercession of Athena to direct the actions and events in the manner that she deems tantrum.
Prophecies on the other manus are more impacting on the narrative than dreams are. In the beginning Pallas Athena looking in camouflage to Telemakhos predicts that “ ne’er in this universe is Odysseus dead. ” This is the foundation as to why Telemakhos sails to other lands to hear intelligence of his male parent. Pallas Athena tells him that he must sail to foreign lands to hear intelligence of his male parent and whether he is alive or dead, but she reassures him that he is alive. She so tells him that one time he does hear intelligence of his male parent it will be clip to see how to progress with the suers ‘ . With this Athena is puting the province for Telemakhos to larn of his male parent being alive and for him to derive some experience, she besides has him removed from the house so he will non be harmed, so that upon Odysseus ‘ return he will be able to assist him get the better of the suers of Penelope. In another conversation with Telemakhos, Athena predicts the suers ‘ day of reckoning by saying “ neither do they cognize anything of decease and the black panic close upon them. ” This is boding the suers to all come to their deceases, which happens with her soft counsel by the terminal of the Odyssey at the manus of Odysseus. She is subtly suggesting to Telemakhos that his journey on the seas will be fruitful and fulfilling as he worries about the ill-wishing all the suers have on him. She reassures him by stating him that he has a goddess protecting him and that the suers are near to their day of reckoning and do non yet cognize it, a decease that she will be responsible for and personally see it through. When Telemakhos arrives and holds tribunal with Nestor, Athena turns into a sea-hawk and gives Telemakhos a warm welcoming among them. They believe that as turning into a sea-hawk a God was among them and that Telemakhos is being protected by immorality, it is a good portents. Telemakhos is continuously directed by Athena so they narrative goes in the way that she wants it to. Prophecies seem to hold a direct impact on the narrative. You see chief characters make determinations because of them and are invariably influenced by the Goddess Athena, and backed up by marks of good portents.
When Odysseus meets Teiresias the prophesier he tells of two ways that his travels could potentially stop. If Odysseus or his work forces are avaricious, everyone will decease but him ; if they take the way of righteousness everyone would last and return to Ithaca. He warns Odysseus that they will be beached on an island in retaliation for him blinding the giant. By Odysseus going aware of his possible hereafter, he knows what to anticipate. He realizes what tests and trials will bechance him and his work forces and is able to strategize in front of clip. The prognostication advances the secret plan because Odysseus so finds out what the Supreme beings have in shop for him. He keeps contending to acquire place, and knows that he will finally do it at that place, doing him fight harder.
Other prognostications are seen in the signifier of portents from the Gods. The first bird of Jove portents is seen when Telemakhos leaves Menelaos, they see an bird of Jove with a white goose in his talons. This ends up being interpreted as Odysseus shortly coming place from his difficult rovings and conveying a rage down on his house. The following portent is when Telemakhos arrives back place in Ithaca, they see a hawk with a dove in his talons. This goes on to be interpreted as Odysseus house will ever be in power. Both of these portents are good portents from the Gods that they are on the right way and the manner they are taking is right and blessed by the Gods. This encourages the people in the narrative to go on on the way they are on. The manner the portents are interpreted is the Gods prophesying of what is to come and what will be. The impact on the narration is that it directs the narrative, and gives the agencies for which they act. The last two portents are seen by Zeus and Athena. Athena at the feast before the twenty-four hours Odysseus will demand retribution makes the walls run bloody and the suers look like decease is upon them. This foreshadows what is to come shortly. Odysseus will kill the suers and blood will make full the hall. Zeus sends Odysseus a thunderclap as a mark of his understanding to what is to come. These have an consequence on the narrative as they give counsel and the bravery for the characters to go on on the way they are on. With the Gods holding to what they are about to make, it gives them the agencies to move.
Athene shows her support of Odysseus mission to acquire place and his retaliation on the suers who tried to get married his married woman while he was off. Athena is the most of import God in the Odyssey. Through all the prognostications and dreams she concocts throughout the narrative, she is the one controlling and maneuvering the narrative to its end merchandise. Dreams affect the narrative by giving the worlds the thoughts that Athena has presented in them. Take Nausikaa for illustration, she is presented the thought to rinse her vesture in the river by a cloaked Athena. She so goes to the river and discovers Odysseus who so comes to the palace and is offered a manner place by her parents. The dreams in the Odyssey are the manner in which the Gods subtly act to hold their want fulfilled and to go on the journey frontward ; it is a manner for Athena to avoid obstructions and have the journey of Odysseus continue swimmingly. Prophecies and portents impact the narration more than dreams as they give the people the agencies in which to move. Omens are seen as a mark of Godhead will and the Gods ‘ consent to approaching events. They can be interpreted to be a prediction of the hereafter as we see with the bird of Jove and the dove. Prophecies are really similar as they are a prediction of the hereafter by a God or a prophesier. Prophecies impact the plot line by the power of suggestion, giving the thought of what will go on and the one prophesied moving upon that. They tell the hereafter and give the events that will go on beforehand, giving Odysseus, Telemakhos and Penelope the agencies to move suitably to what is to come. Prophecies are the most impacting as they create the narrative, the suspense and the defects of humanity that we will see. Greeks held the Gods above everything and the portents were the manner for the Gods to pass on with society. The prognostications and the portents walk manus in manus and make the narrative that the Odyssey Tells.
