INTRODUCTION
Faithful: true to one’s word, promises, vows, etc. The Odyssey written by Homer is about Odysseus’ 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. Along the way, Odysseus battles the wrath of the Greek gods. His wife Penelope and his son Telemachus fight off the suitors for Penelope's hand on the throne. Holding them back long enough for Odysseus to return back to Ithaca. As Odysseus loses all his crew throughout the journey, he finally returns home from his long brutal voyage. Penelope and Odysseus finally reconnect after being apart for so long. Throughout the Odyssey, Penelope proves to Odysseus that she is loyal by not turning against Odysseus, grieving over him, and by never cheating on him with the suitors.
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Therefore, Penelope didn’t want to go against Odysseus because she still believed in him, but the suitors forced her to. When the suitors find out that Odysseus will be home soon and that they did the wrong thing, they finally hear what Penelope has been trying to say to them. She says, “So I finished it off. Against my will. They forced me” (19.175). Penelope feels that she has to be loyal to Odysseus and that involves not going against him. Over the course of the book, the suitors have been taking over Penelope and forcing her to do things that she doesn’t want to do. With that, she has to do everything she can to do what she wants and not get the suitors mad at the same time. For that reason, Telemachus was explaining how Penelope doesn’t want the suitors at her house because they are causing trouble. The suitors are doing things to Penelope that she doesn’t want to be done, but she is too scared to say it for herself, so Telemachus claims, “Suitors plague my mother— against her will— / sons of the very men who are your finest here” (2.55-56). When Telemachus was telling Mentor about what was happening to his mother, Penelope, he was saying that the suitors are taking advantage of her because Odysseus wasn’t there, so he couldn’t do anything to stop them. And they knew Penelope would try to do something to stop them because she won’t let them force …show more content…
In fact Penelope keeps grieving over Odysseus because she loves him. Since he has been gone for so long, she misses him and forgives him for leaving her and Telemachus. Odysseus says to his wife Penelope, “Odysseus, / ravage no more your lovely face with tears / or consume your heart with grieving for your husband” (19.301-303). Penelope cannot stop grieving over Odysseus. She feels that grieving might help her stop missing him, but it’s not. People tell her to stop grieving over him because they all think that he will never return because he has been gone for 12 years. Penelope and Telemachus are the only two that believe in that. And they will no matter how they feel or what people keep telling them. For example Penelope was sad that Odysseus was gone so she started crying. Penelope says, “Penelope, once they reached the upper story, / fell to weeping for Odysseus, her beloved husband, / till watchful Athena sealed her eyes with welcome sleep” (19.679-681). Penelope is still upset that Odysseus is gone even though he has been gone for so long, so Penelope is crying over Odysseus because she still misses and loves him. Penelope continues to stay loyal to Odysseus by grieving over him even though Odysseus is still
In The Odyssey, Homer conveys a mixed message about Odysseus’s crew. At times, they seem loyal, whereas other scenes reveal them as disloyal. Homer does this to help center the attention on how Odysseus can fall victim to temptation and stand up to take control of his crew. The critical moments where Odysseus and his crew are in disagreement are significant because they demonstrate how Odysseus is epic, yet still human and flawed.
At Odysseus’ house Penelope and Telemachus are dealing with president suitors that wish to wed Penelope, however no matter how much Telemachus tries to get rid of them, “You should be ashamed yourselves...I beg you by Zeus, by Themis too...leave me alone to pine away in anguish.” (p.95 70-75), Telemachus is pretty desperate to get rid of the suitors because they are intruding on his house and making a mess. Penelope has become sullen since her husband has been missing for
Penelope’s husband, Odysseus has been at war for the past twenty years and is presumably dead. During this time, Penelope and her son Telemachus end up living amongst numerous suitors who attempt to court Penelope. However she continues to mourn the “loss” her husband
... in his heart pitied his sobbing wife; but his eyes stood fixed as horn or iron. Through craft he checked his tears" (187). Homer's use of epic simile in describing the tears Penelope shed enhances the reader's understanding of her sorrow. Odysseus longs to be embraced by his wife after twenty years of roaming. However, he knows that if he would reveal his true identity, he might jeopardize his carefully plotted revenge. One can see that even Odysseus' perseverance wavers when he encounters temptation to obtain what he longs for.
... master finally made it home. While Odysseus was gone, the suitors in Ithaca wanted to take over, but Penelope and Telemachus persevered. Most of Ithaca have lost hope for Odysseus but still “Penelope does not believe that Odysseus is dead (Father and Son).” Penelope has not yet given up on Odysseus. She has remained loyal to him and did not let the suitors take over Ithaca. She stood up for her husband that she has not word of for 20 years. Her strong loyalty allowed Odysseus to rule his kingdom once again when he arrived home.
Opposed to that of common thought, superman is not the only type of character that fits the heroic persona. Although “superheroes” typically come to mind when one thinks of a hero, there are many other ordinary people capable of extraordinary things. A hero is a person who takes the initiative to set out on a journey of internal growth. During this symbolic journey, one truly finds himself and betters the lives of other mentally and physically. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus takes the path of heroism, resulting in the reborn spirit of a selfless, modest hero. During the process, Odysseus is faced with many challenges that he must overcome in order to earn the noble title. Odysseus proves himself to be a well-deserving hero because he is intelligent with his decisions, he displays cleverness, and he rids himself of hubris.
Odysseus portrays himself as anything but a hero throughout Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus goes through his life believing he is the best. He has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own, and he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods. Odysseus feels he is always the leader and no one can tell him otherwise. Odysseus should not be considered a hero because he portrays himself as a selfish man that failed his crew, and is controlled by his hubris.
While the relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love, the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope is a love between two people who just want to be together. Odysseus shows his love towards Penelope throughout the Odyssey. In spite of the fact that Odysseus has been gone for twenty years, he never forgets his wife back in Ithaca. One example of how much he wanted to go home was when he went to the island of the Lotus-Eaters. He could have stayed on the island of the Lotus-Eaters where everything he ever wanted was there, but the thing he wanted the most was to be with his wife. Penelope likewise displays this kind of love towards Odysseus.
In the book The Odyssey, some of the characters are downright dirty, they lie, cheat and steal just to get their way. One of these characters is the main character Odysseus. Odysseus is the King of one of the parts of Greece called Ithaca, so when he heard that his fellow Grecians were going to besiege the city of Troy, naturally, he left his baby son and wife in charge of Ithaca and left to Troy with his army. But on his way home victorious Odysseus’s ships were blown off course by a storm. He then had to find his way back to Ithaca, but along the way he met a lot of women, and he was not always as loyal to his wife as his wife was to him. So, overall, Odysseus is very disloyal to Penelope (his wife) and does not deserve her loyalty.
Penelope is the most important female character in the epic because Odysseus ' homecoming is centered on reconnecting with her. Ten years has past and Odysseus has still not returned from the war and is seemingly dead. Many suitors desire to replace him, by taking Penelope 's hand in marriage and Odysseus ' property. While unsure of Penelope 's attitude towards these suitors, readers are constantly reminded of her faithfulness to Odysseus. Although Odysseus does not know whether Penelope remains faithful to him, he still yearns to come home. “The expectations and limitations of the male and female roles in the Odyssey are accepted and never questioned”. (Whittaker 40) Society expects women in Penelope’s position to remain devoted to their significant other even after all these years and not knowing whether or not he is alive but are more forgiving to men who commit adultery like Odysseus. This situation once again brings up the question of a double standard modeled in The
on many things. Odysseus grows as a person and as a leader. During the whole trip Odysseus misses his wife Penelope and realizes how much she means to him. After being reunited with her he can finally continue on with life as a father, husband and ruler. Odysseus learns how to love his family and kingdom again. Many of the trials Odysseus faces are enriching for him as a person. A few of the situations alienated him and gave him a new perspective
_The Odyssey_ is believed to have been written by Homer and is infused with loyalty throughout the entire epic story. Odysseus is the most faithful, loving, and loyal husband, to Penelope, that any woman could dream of. Odysseus, in the beginning of his description of the trials and tribulations that he has endured, pledged his eternal loyalty to his ever-faithful wife Penelope. ?We are mortal weary and sick at heart/? [if only] now may I see once more/ my hall, my lands, my people before I die!? (Homer 7:233-240). Thought Odysseus did lie with the goddess his loyalty to Penelope held true. The ?Enchantress in her beauty? (Homer 7:274) enslaved the grand Odysseus to her will; yet Odysseus ?in [his] heart [he] never gave consent.? (Homer 7:276) The goddess offered Odysseus a choice, the ?promise [that he] should be/ immortal, [and] youthful, all the days to come? (Homer 7:275-276) or to continue his long continuous voyage to his queen Penelope. Because Odysseus chose to return to his devoted Penelope instead of gaining immortal life he has provided...
...lts of the insolent suitors in his own home. The anger of Odysseus is only matched by Telemachus whose restraint is forcefully elevated in order to hamper his new mature instinct of defending his father. Meanwhile, Odysseus is forced to couple this with control over holding his love, Penelope, in his arms. Yet, both characters are able to avoid the impediments and at last battle side by side against their foes.
Loyalty is one moral value that is evident throughout the poem. No character embodies loyalty more than Penelope who remains loyal and true to Odysseus throughout his absence, refusing to give in to the suitors' proposal of marriage and not engaging in any extramarital affair. She constantly praises Odysseus with glowing words,1 and although it may get quite annoying to the reader, she is constantly weeping for Odysseus. Penelope's loyalty to her husband is contrasted vividly in the poem with the story of Clytemnestra's betrayal of her husband. Agamemnon is perpetually wailing and lamenting about his betrayal and death in the underworld. When the slain suitors tell him how they died, he cries out that Odysseus is fortunate because he had won himself a loyal wife.2 The moral theme of loyalty is also clear when Odysseus punishes Melanthios and the serving maids gruesomely for being disloyal.3 On the other hand, Eumaios and Philoitios are praised and rewarded for remaining loyal to Odysseus. Loyalty will always be rewarded- Odysseus comes back to Penelope and the loyal oxherd and swineherd are rewarded while the disloyal are punished.
He remains in Ogygia for years, leaving the care of his home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. Because Calypso keeps him away for years, Odysseus is presumed dead and his absence invites suitors to his home. These suitors look to win the hand of Penelope, Odysseus’ wife. This state of affairs is the overall cause of Telemachus’ departure.... ...