When we read Homer's works, we find that an ever-present theme in his poetry is the relative insignificance of mortals and their creations. Relative, that is, to the much larger scale of the natural world. However, in Homeric terms, the natural world is very different from the one we know, and the most important element in Homer's world is the role of the gods. In Homer's works, the gods and their actions, although they may seem strange and irrational to us, are simply understood as part of everyday life. In the Iliad, the theme presented showed the reader the impermanence of human life and what it creates, especially in comparison to the gods and nature. In the Odyssey, instead of presenting a theme that shows the insignificance of human life, Homer shows us the insignificance of human power. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One aspect of the poem that immensely reinforces the idea that humans have little power in this world is the journey Odysseus takes to reach his home. However, the key elements that weave the message into his journey are presented in the poem even before we know the details of his journey home. In Book 4, King Menelaus of Sparta, a companion of Odysseus in the Trojan War, tells Odysseus' son Telemachus the story of his journey home. Menelaus' journey home anticipates and parallels the theme of Odysseus' journey, that the laws of nature supersede human will and power. He lays this out for the reader in several ways: the role of the elements in the journey home, the prevalence of disguise and natural symbols, and the absolute superiority of divine will over human desires. Menelaus' journey, even before his own mouth is heard, is full of misfortunes caused by the elements, particularly the wind and the sea. For example, King Nestor tells Telemachus of a hurricane that split Menelaus' fleet in half and that "the wind and current carried it towards Egypt" (3.315-340). Not only is Menelaus' journey hindered by such violent and adverse weather, but at a certain point it is completely interrupted by its total lack. When Telemachus goes to Sparta to hear Menelaus' tale, he begins with the king marooned on an island off the coast of Egypt because "there is not a breath of breeze that stirs the sea" (4.400-405). These problems with the elements foreshadow Odysseus' ongoing problems at sea during his voyage. For example, after their encounter with the Cicones, Odysseus' fleet is blown off course by "a demonic and howling storm" (9.70-85) which plants them on a random island from which they sail back to Ithaca, but just before arriving. a "torn of the tide" sends them off course once again, and the ships end up near the land of the Lotus Eaters due to "violent and deadly winds" (9.85-95). As is evident, Odysseus' journey actually reflects what Menelaus foreshadowed. The story of Menelaus describes men at the mercy of the elements and reinforces the weakness of men compared to the power of nature. This same message of nature dominating man is found in the story of Odysseus, and is perhaps portrayed even more strongly than in previous examples when Aeolus presents Odysseus and his crew with a sack containing strong winds to aid them on their journeys of return home. Essentially, Aeolus, a god, is giving humans power over the elements. However, once men have gained control over nature to this degree, they still manage to succumb to its power by hastily opening the bag while their captain is asleep and within sight of Ithaca, and as a result they arepushed far away from their home. once again (10.30-60). The story of Menelaus anticipates not only the travels of Ulysses in terms of the misfortunes caused by natural forces, but also in the message that those events transmit. But perhaps more importantly, it also envisions the supremacy of the gods over natural forces, asserting their supremacist role as directors of the natural world and, in turn, securing their role of power over mortals. In the story of Menelaus, the Old Man of the Sea, Proteus, knows how to get around the problems the King has with time when he is marooned on the island (4.530-545). Furthermore, we see the gods' governance of nature when Menelaus pleases them with his sacrifice at the Nile and then is sent "a strong following wind" that takes him back to his homeland (4.655-660). His journey reveals that the gods are in control of nature, a supposition that proves absolutely true on Odysseus' return journey. In Odysseus' travels, we meet several gods who demonstrate this: Aeolus, a god who can put the winds in a sack and send Odysseus home through control of the west wind (10:20-30). Circe, a nymph who sends Odysseus and his crew to the land of the dead with a "fresh following wind" (11.5-15) and then upon his return sends him away with the same "fresh following wind" (12.155-165) . And finally there is Calypso, another nymph, who after freeing Odysseus from his island "called upon a wind to carry him forward" (5.290-300). All these examples follow the foreshadowing that emerged in the story of Menelaus. The tale of Menelaus presents a surprisingly accurate preview of Odysseus' journey. Not only are the actual events very similar, but so is the message they convey. In both cases the events show man fighting against nature and then show the force of nature easily governed by the gods. What is predicted in Book 4 is confirmed in the tale of the real Odyssey, and this affirmation of the natural world's power over humanity carries forward the Odyssey's theme of nature's laws superseding human power. The images of nature and disguise that Menelaus' journey anticipates in Odysseus' travels also contribute to this theme. A contrast between man's desires and the natural world is created in the tale of Menelaus when he attempts to capture Proteus. He and three of his companions are disguised as seals by Eidothea, the daughter of Proteus, to approach Proteus and capture him (4.490-510). This basically shows Menelaus evading his innate conflict with the natural world (since he is a human) and "becoming" part of the natural world by dressing himself in his animal disguise and thus allowing him to get closer to the god and reach him. This episode closely parallels Odysseus' excursion when he and his men land on the island of the Cyclops. After he and his men blind the drunken Polyphemus, they use the flock of sheep in his cave as a disguise to escape by tying themselves to the belly while Polyphemus leads the sheep out of the cave (9.470-520). This has close ties to Menelaus' trick on Proteus, as once again we see men using the guise of the natural world, in this case sheep, to escape the difficulties they would otherwise face in dealing with the gods. What can be derived from these What happens is that men can use images of nature to their advantage when dealing with the gods, since the gods are generally at peace when they control the natural world. Conversely, the gods can be assumed to be not at rest and inherently in conflict with humans, as they are not part of that natural world, or at least not in sync with the natural world over which the gods have control. Furthermore, as shown in the story of.