Illustration of Odysseus tied to a ship's mast

The Odyssey

by Homer

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Discussion Topic

Examples of unfair divine justice in The Odyssey

Summary:

An example of unfair divine justice in The Odyssey is when Poseidon punishes Odysseus and his men for blinding the Cyclops, despite their actions being in self-defense. This prolonged their journey home, showcasing the gods' tendency to enforce justice based on personal grudges rather than fairness.

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In The Odyssey, what are three examples that illustrate the unfair nature of divine justice?

I answered this question once before, but here it is again... 

Zeus sending the storm that blew Odysseus and his crew to the Land of the Lotus Eaters, leading him on a ten year journey to get home was a bit extreme for a bit of over-zealous after war partying at Ismarus.  But apparantly, Zeus was on the side of the Ciccones.

After blinding the Cyclops and then taunting him with his name, Polyphemus curses Odysseus with the loss of his men, the loss of his ships, and an incredibly long trek home, and even if he ever got home, trouble would be waiting for him there.  Poseidon does as his son, Polyhemus, asks and works against Odysseus at every step.

Calypso keeps Odysseus on her island for seven years, while he is yearning to get home to his wife Penelope (in the meantime, finding solace for his plight with Calypso).   This comes after Zeus blows up Odysseus' last ship because the men ate Helios' sacred cows.  Of course, Zeus had seen to it that their ship couldn't leave for a month and the men were starving.  Helios  wasn't concerned about some starving sailors... he was more concerned about his cattle.

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In The Odyssey, what are three examples that illustrate the unfair nature of divine justice?

Your biggest example comes from Calypso in book five of the Odyssey.  When Hermes come to inform her that the gods have ordered her to release Odysseus, she makes a long an impassioned plea about the unfair nature of the justice the gods mete out.  She accuses Zeus of sexism, saying that the male gods take human lovers all the time, but when goddess take mortal lovers, the way Dawn took Orion or Demeter slept with Iasion, the gods immediately grew angry.  She definitely feels like the gods do not have justice in mind but instead arbitrarily enforce whichever rules benefit themselves the most.

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What are some examples of unfair divine justice in The Odyssey?

Zeus sending the storm that blew Odysseus and his crew to the Land of the Lotus Eaters, leading him on a ten year journey to get home was a bit extreme for a bit of over-zealous after war partying at Ismarus.  But apparantly, Zeus was on the side of the Ciccones.

After blinding the Cyclops and then taunting him with his name, Polyphemus curses Odysseus with the loss of his men, the loss of his ships, and an incredibly long trek home, and even if he ever got home, trouble would be waiting for him there.  Poseidon does as his son, Polyhemus, asks and works against Odysseus at every step.

Calypso keeps Odysseus on her island for seven years, while he is yearning to get home to his wife Penelope (in the meantime, finding solace for his plight with Calypso).   This comes after Zeus blows up Odysseus' last ship because the men ate Helios' sacred cows.  Of course, Zeus had seen to it that their ship couldn't leave for a month and the men were starving.  Helios  wasn't concerned about some starving sailors... he was more concerned about his cattle.

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