Question

What does Odysseus's rejection of immortality from Calypso imply about Odysseus's view of what it means to be human? How is this view brought further with his trip to the Underworld?

Answer 1

Answer:

According to the poem "The Iliad" by Homer, it is narrated that a great warrior and King of Ithaca went with the Greek forces on the siege of Troy, eventually winning the battle and taking lots of battle spoils.

However, Odyseesy and his men encounter rough seas and shipwreck and eventually he stumbles upon the island of Calypso who fed and nourished him and his men and promised immortality which he refused.

His refusal of this offer shows that he still longs for his home Ithaca and his beautiful wife Penelope and he still wishes to remain human.