Odysseus’s Caution and Calypso’s Obsession – An Analysis
Odysseus’s Caution and Calypso’s Obsession – An Analysis “Think: no city of men in sight, and not a soul to offer the gods a sacrifice and burn the fattest victims” (113). Hermes uses these words to describe why he rarely visits Calypso’s island when he goes there to ensure Odysseus sails to his homeland and lives his fate. Hermes doesn’t feel comfortable as gods need their followers near them. There are no humans who pray and show affection to him on this stranded island. I believe the main heroes of the Greek epics resemble the gods of these stories by this aspect, their need for admirers. We can also see this by inspecting the importance of “nostos”. The theme of returning home has a huge part in Odysseus’s story. Those who manage to return from their adventures were greatly admired in Greek culture. This respect is very crucial for heroes, thereby, returning to their fellows also becomes very import...