Topic > The Great Significance of Willpower and Destiny in the Odyssey and the Aeneid

In both Homer's Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid, destiny and free will are both significant. Destiny is immutable, it may seem like coincidence, but it is something that no one controls alone, but within destiny you have a choice. Free will is defined whenever characters make decisions or when you can do something as long as you have the resources, skills, and abilities to do it. Each destiny and free will have some connections with each other and can also be influenced by each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the Odyssey, the clear evidence about fate and free will is when Polyphemus curses Odysseus in the book as they are fleeing. "Hear me, earth-seeking, dark-haired Poseidon. If indeed I am your son and you recognize yourself as my father, let Odysseus, city-plunderer, son of Laertes, who has his seat in Ithaca, never come to that house; but if it is decided that he will see his people again and return to his house with solid foundations and to his country, he arrives late, in bad luck, with the loss of all his companions, on a foreign ship, and finds trouble in the his home.” “So he spoke in prayer and the dark-haired god listened to him.” Polyphemus begs his father Poseidon and fate to help him curse Odysseus. This shows that fate and free will are important to each other. other is Ulysses' choice to blind the Cyclops and reveal his name to him, so it is his fate to suffer at sea from Poseidon, his arrogance and pride determine the subsequent course of events free will to decide how and what to do to overcome difficulties during the journey home. For a moment he spends a year with Circe, enjoying the luxurious life and having fun with others. On the other hand, it's a waste of time, he could have gone home a year earlier, maybe he wouldn't have needed to face the upcoming problems; On the other hand, the time he spends peacefully on the island is relaxed and immersed in the joy of happiness, but he also loses his man, Elpeno, who gets drunk and accidentally falls from the roof. Ulysses can decide how long to stay and when he wants to leave, he is also allowed to do whatever he wants, but in the circumstances of ability, whatever decision Ulysses makes will not change the fact that he will return home, but it will affect the process. As for the Aeneid, Carthage's patroness Juno continues to remind us that fate may determine that the Trojans found a city in Italy, but it does not dictate how they will end up doing so. He knows deeply that one day Aeneas will defeat Carthage and conquer Rome, and he also knows that there is no way to rewrite fate, even if it is someone else's. If something is meant to happen, there is still some space as to how it will happen. Juno decides to make the best of the situation and interfere with the life of the Trojans until they can finally found their city. “Give up what I started?” Am I defeated? Am I powerless to keep the king of the Teucrians away from Italy? The Fates forbid me, I suppose?'. As Juno said in the first episode, when she sees Aenea and her men happily sailing towards Italy. For me, I believe Juno sees fate and free will as two concepts, they are not completely opposite, which is why she tries her best to stop the journey but is certain that they will get home in the end as fate is doomed. .Another example of an Aeneid is Dido, destined to fall in love with Aeneas. Dido does not have the possibility of refusing to fall in love with Aeneas, what she can do is try to keep him company or prevent him from.