Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The value of loyalty in the odyssey
The value of loyalty in the odyssey
How is loyalty seen in the odyssey
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Imagine leaving your wealth, home, family, and even country behind for twenty years. While away, people will inevitably attempt to steal your possessions, seduce your spouse, and act as though you will never return. Most likely, more people will try to harm your estate than those who will continue working and behaving in an honest manner. This notion holds true in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. While Odysseus wages war and struggles to return to Ithaka , a multitude of suitors court his wife and live at the cost of his possessions. On the other hand, a few people like Eumaios remain steadfast to the truth and work to maintain Odysseus’ estate and possessions. Eumaios, Odysseus’ swineherd, embodies compassion, love, and loyalty.
Throughout the poem, Homer portrays Eumaios as a compassionate character. Compassion, derived from the Greek word sympatheia and Latin term compassio, means feeling the suffering of another person. Essentially, Eumaios puts himself in the place of the misfortunate characters he encounters. To begin, when the Odysseus beggar arrives at the swineherd’s home, Eumaios tells him, “Come to the cabin. You’re a wanderer too. / You must eat something, drink some wine” (14.53-4). At this point, Eumaios does not know the true identity of the “wanderer.” He thinks the person merely needs his assistance. Not even knowing the person’s background, Eumaios benevolently invites the stranger into his home to give him food and shelter. In this same book, when the Odysseus beggar goes to sleep, “His own host threw over him / a heavy blanket cloak, his own reserve / against the winter wind” (616-8). Eumaios simply regards the needs and comfort of his guest over that of his own, as he thoughtfully places his cloak on the Ody...
... middle of paper ...
...uring this critical time.
Lloyd Banks once remarked, “I take things like honor and loyalty seriously. It’s more important to me than any materialistic thing or any fame I could have.” Eumaios truly lives his life by these words. During the two decades of Odysseus’ absence, Eumaios chooses to be one of the only people to remain loyal to Odysseus. When all the other men are pursuing Penelope and worrying about obtaining wealth, Eumaios behaves as though Odysseus is still in Ithaka. He openly despises the suitors and eventually helps destroy them when Odysseus returns. Eumaios does not concern himself with wealth and possession. Instead, he follows his heart, which includes continuing the job entrusted to him, helping those in need, and standing up for what he believes in.
Works Cited
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York, NY: Anchor, 1963. Print.
Odysseus’s revenge towards the suitors, whose only crime was the crime of theft, was unnecessarily cruel, after all, a hero must be able to forgive. It has been twenty years since anyone on Ithaka have seen, or even heard news about Odysseus. Therfore, it would have been perfectly pliable to pronounce him dead. “ He has been gone for twenty years.” The people of Ithaka were all under the impression that Odysseus, has in fact, passed a...
In book 9 of The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus was forced to make many critically important decisions. Although he made some wise decisions that portrayed his leader-like characteristics, many of his choices were poor ones that led to more difficulty along the journey. When Odysseus and his men entered the cave, his men wanted to raid Polyphemus’ cheese stores, and then return for the flocks. However, Odysseus was irrational and greedy, and told the Phaeacians this: “But I would not give way...not until I saw him, saw what gift’s he’d give” (9.256-58). By waiting for the lawless Cyclops to come back and grant the soldiers gifts, he and his men were put in danger, since Polyphemus was not friendly, nor was he willing to give them anything, and
In The Odyssey, Homer contrasts Odysseus and his native island of Ithaka with other characters and places that are perceived to be superhuman and subhuman as well as with the less than fully human. Throughout the course of this paper, you will be introduced to a vast number of characters and several circumstances will be examined in order to answer the question of what it is to be human and fully human. Up until the time Telemakhos leaves to find news of his father, he is viewed as nave and child-like by the suitors and his own mother, even though he is in his late teens. This lack of recognition can be attributed to Telemakhos’s poor choices, or lack of choices early in the epic. While Telemakhos remained loyal to a father he has never known, without Athena’s assistance, he would have done absolutely nothing about the suitors.
Homer’s The Odyssey, a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism, still fascinates scholars and casual readers alike today in the same way it fascinated its audience at the time it was written. The Odyssey, a journey of determination, patience, and virtue, tells the tail of Odysseus, the main character, on his voyage home to Ithaka after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus goes through many unforeseen trials and tribulations, which exemplify his character. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character.
One important characteristic that Penelope and Odysseus share is their loyalty to each other. Odysseus failed to return home seven years after the Trojan war. Because he is assumed dead, 108 wealthy noblemen and princes invade his palace and refuse to leave until Penelope has married one of them. By marrying her, the suitors hope to gain control over Odysseus’s wealth and power. However, Penelope remains faithful to Odysseus. But, as a woman, she is powerless to remove the suitors from the palace. And without a man in the household, she is subject to her father’s decisions. However, despite his wish for her to remarry, Penelope clings to the hope of Odysseus’s return and remains faithful to him. She waits and gathers information by asking strangers who arrive in Ithaca about Odysseus. She goes through the stories of their encounter point by point, and asks about every detail while tears stream down her eyes. Although the suitors promise her a secure future, Penelope continues to wait for Odysseus. Without Odysseus, she does not believe that she will ever be happy again.
In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, the protagonist Odysseus is traveling home from the war in Troy. Odysseus has been traveling home for twenty years and throughout his journey longs for his son Telemachos and his wife Penelope as well as his estate in Ithaca. Odysseus is a man with a penetrating mind as well as outstanding valor; however, a weakness of Odysseus is his sensualness. Odysseus always encounters women throughout his journey home. These women adore Odysseus because of his attractive looks and brave spirit and wish for Odysseus to remain with them. Although Odysseus is vulnerable to the rich and beautiful women he encounters, he rejects their kind offerings with the determination to be reunited with his wife Penelope.
Eumaeus, the loyal swineherd, introduces himself to a disguised Odysseus through a short speech on pages 303-304, lines 63 – 110. It is important to note that throughout the speech Eumaeus believes the identity of the disguised Odysseus is that of an old man wearing rags resembling that of a beggar. This speech exemplifies that the Greek culture during this time highly regards spirituality, hospitality, justice, vengeance, and the treatment of servants. Eumaeus’s personal values regarding loyalty, perseverance, and his ambitions are also revealed throughout his speech to Odysseus. The information provided throughout this speech is influential to the rest of the texts plot and impacts Odysseus’s decisions regarding how to deal with his estate.
Through temptation and torture, Odysseus never forgets that he must put others’ needs before his own desires. Like a hero, Odysseus has to sacrifice the options that benefit him in order to benefit his others. Specifically, Odysseus accepted the fact that he laid with Kirke in order to free his men from her spell. Though it went against all of his ethics and unfaithful to Penelope, Odysseus’s main objective was to return home with all of his crew alive. He illustrates his true loyalty to Penelope when he declines Kalypso’s offer of immortality. Odysseus immediately responded and refused Kalypso’s offer: “My lady goddess…come (Book V, 223-233).” Many individuals would not decline immortality, but he did not ponder over the thought of living for eternity. Odysseus made this decision based on his ethics and because of true love. Odysseus also makes ethical decisions to save people’s lives. For instance, ...
In The Odyssey, Homer, or more so, the characters, often referred to Odysseus as the ‘Great Odysseus’. In the text, it is obvious to see that Odysseus demonstrates arrogance, charisma, over-confidence, and pride. Odysseus and his m...
He ultimately turns down his offer because he craves a deeper connection from Penelope’s love. Odysseus expresses his sorrow by saying, “My heart aches for the day I return home...” (Homer 235). His loyalty fueled by this love pushes him to take chances against gods, goddesses, and monsters. Calypso tries to sway him from leaving by suggesting that her beauty is greater than any wife he could have. Odysseus honorably replies with, “She’s only human, and you are a goddess, Eternally young. Still, I want to go back” (Homer 235). We have all been pushed to our limits in the hopes of reconnecting with something lost, and at times, it truly feels that we are invincible. Love runs deep through our veins, which gives us an unspeakable
“A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true”; this Socratic idea demonstrates a very distinct concept of morality. It shows that morality is not to be based on emotion, but on logic. If a person chooses to use their emotions to fuel a system of morality, things could go downhill quickly. Just like Socrates had to choose between emotions and logic, in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, the protagonist Odysseus struggles between emotions and logic as he tries to get his crew back safely after the Trojan War has ended. As he embarks on his journey home, he is faced with many obstacles and options that question his ethical beliefs. As time goes by and more and more of his crew eventually die off, he successfully moves on past his setbacks and finds himself back in his kingdom of Ithaca, only to discover it crawling with suitors attempting to woo his wife, Penelope. Odysseus is mostly construed as a tragic war hero with many flaws. He finds himself in many life-threatening situations as a direct result of his actions, he is characterized by having too much pride, and he is unfaithful to his wife. However, Odysseus is very much so still a hero because he perseveres and has an internal drive that gets him home no matter what, despite the fact his hubris is one of his biggest hindrances, his pride gets his men out of many dangerous situations, and even though he is physically adulterous to his wife, he emotionally longs for her then entire time he tries to reach home.
Identity is a theme that runs strongly throughout The Odyssey. While much of Homer's work is devoted to Odysseus' journey, an examination of his son Telemakhos provides an excellent example of character development. From the anxious and unconfident young man to which Book I opens to the courageous exactor of his father's estate, Telemakhos undergoes notable emotional maturation. The spiritual journey illustrated by Telemakhos, through his own personal odyssey, provides strong evidence that the epic is, indeed, about identity.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The
Homer’s The Odyssey is a Greek story that follows the journey of its primary character, Odysseus, back to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many challenges in his journey home, from encounters with Polyphemus the Cyclops, the witch Circe and even the ghosts of dead Greeks. Meanwhile, his household in Ithaca is being threatened by suitors of his wife, Penelope, all wanting to inherit Odysseus’ possessions in the belief that he was already dead. Like many epic heroes, Odysseus possesses many admirable qualities. Three good characteristics of Odysseus are—cleverness, bravery and strength—here are some supporting instances from the epic that demonstrates Odysseus possession of such characteristics.