Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and a major character in The Odyssey, is significant in the story so far by becoming the supporter to both Odysseus and Telemachus. Unlike other gods and goddesses, Athena favors and lavish Odysseus to the point that she became the passionate goddess that plead with her father, Zeus, to help Odysseus out. Due to Odysseus being confined in Ogygia, Calypso’s island, Athena personally made a visit to Ithaca and encourage Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, to go out on a voyage and seek his father that will solve the situation with the suitors constantly pursuing after his mother, Queen Penelope. Before Athena appeared as Mentes in front of the young lad, Telemachus was nothing but a prince that is constantly waiting for the right opportunity for his father to appear, afraid to speak up to the suitors that would go against him, but it was …show more content…
After encouraging Telemachus, the prince lashes out against Antinous, one of the suitors that are constantly partying and wasting his resources. This shows that Athena is a major character in the story by simply motivating Telemachus, changing him from a person that is afraid to speak up into someone braver with the courage to find his long lost father. Additionally, when Odysseus was finally freed from Ogygia, runs into problems at sea when Poseidon spot Odysseus attempting to return to Ithaca, Athena personally counter back the fatal violent attacks Poseidon sent towards Odysseus, and that save the hero’s life. By simply saving Odysseus’s life, the guarantee of Odysseus returning to Ithaca increases. Athena’s encouragement through her dialogue and actions made her an important character in The Odyssey that change and save Telemachus and Odysseus