Loyalty In The Odyssey

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In 490 B.C, King Darius made his final push towards Athens. The Athenians were waiting for the Persians to arrive, ready to fight. It seemed crazy for Athens to retaliate against the Persians at this point. Historians still wonder why the Athenians and their 10,000 soldiers stood up to the Persians and their 25,000 soldiers, but this is because of their gallantry. The Athenians valued pride over cowardice.. Athenian men, since childhood, were inspired by tales of the Odyssey, Iliad, etc, and were taught to never turn their back on their country in times of hardships. These books and their upbringing, not only instilled a sense of nationalism, patriotism, and loyalty, but also them strive for fame achievable during war. Although it might have seemed foolish to fight the Persians, the Athenians were intelligent; in fact, they were relying on their strategic intelligence to overcome the difference in their army size. Ultimately, loyalty and the desire for fame inspired the Athenians to take such bold actions. These traits coupled with their intelligence led to the Athenians’ victory. …show more content…

Loyalty meant everything to them, and if they hadn’t fought back, they would have likely been killed, and their wives and children would have been enslaved, a fate worse than death for many of the Athenians. Moreover, they swore that they would protect Athens, one of the greatest cities of Greece, from intruders so that it could continue to prosper. They believed not only that loyalty meant everything to them, but also pride. They believed that pride was superior to cowardice and would fight no matter what the odds are. If they backed down now, they would forever be known as cowards, citizens who swore to protect their country, but failed and put life over

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