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

How important is Book 11 to the general meaning of The Odyssey?The overall signifi layaboutce of Book 11 to the epic is that it shows howthings change over date (Anticleias death, the suitors at his home),which nates be missed if someone is not around. It alike shows us thatthe Ancient Greeks believe in destiny and intervention from the gods.The sacrifices and prayers from Odysseus and the tutelage he yields toTeiresias about returning to Ithaca show this. If he did not payattention to Teiresias he may form done something to displease thegods (such as killing the Sun-gods cattle and sheep). This couldhave lead to intervention from the gods to prevent Odysseus and his men from returning to their home. Book 11 also shows that theybelieved greatly in the afterlife, solely unlike modern religions theybelieved that e very(prenominal)one went to Hades (Hell), with the exception ofthose souls who were left to wander the landed estate for all eternity. Theafterlife was always thought to be a shell out darker and bleaker thanpeople now calculate to think.It is Circe who tells Odysseus of the aerate which he and his men essentialtake. He hence has to tell all of his men. All of them are verydistraught when they first find out that they must travel to the endsof the earth. They last it is going to be a journey of many perils.This is why homing pigeon describes the men as heart-broken telling us Theysat down where they were and wept and tear their hair. But theirlamentations achieved nothing. (Book 10, lines 566-568.) This showsthat they are greatly disheartened by the news, having thought thattheir coterminous sweep 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 weighed down a task for them.It is probable that the men were aware that their end was fastingapproaching. Any journey to Hades do by a keep mortal is going tobe dangerous. It would only usu ally be made by the souls of the dead,who would not need to sail, as Odysseus and his men did. This wouldhave intimately likely 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 likely thatknowing they are heading for Hades, t... ...tors and cheats whom this dark world brings out 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 saying, and that could be another 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, their junket to Ilium and their deaths, saying We have endless timeahead of us tonight, its early 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 playacting 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 little 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.genus Athene wants Odysseus to win, but Poseidon does not.