Loyalty, as defined in the Odyssey seems to be the constant devotion to someone, the hopefully longing of their return and victory. Homer seems to value loyalty over many of the other human traits, as Eumaeus gets not only Homer’s famous “you” but his own book as well. The swineherd is not the only character that Homer uses to show loyalty, Penelope and Telemachus show unyielding faithfulness to Odysseus throughout the epic poem; as do many other characters even gods. Homer demonstrates the value he places on loyalty through the use of these characters with their devotion to Odysseus. Through the use of these characters Homer shows the value of loyalty by their loyalty to Odysseus.
Telemachus shows unwavering devotion to a man he does not even know, simply because that man is his father. Showing not only unyielding loyalty but respect for a man whose stories he has only heard. In fact when Telemachus first meets Odysseus, after being convinced it really is his father, he immediately agrees to help the man take revenge, doing everything as his father orders as if he had known the man all his life. (pg. 346; 270-288) Thus showing extreme amounts of devotion to his father, never wavering even when, they are outnumbered by the suitors. Interestingly enough not only does Telemachus show unwavering loyalty to his father, but he constantly tries to prove himself to Odysseus. “Telemachus reassured him, / “Now you’ll see, if you care to watch, father, / now I’m fired up. Disgrace, you say? / I won’t disgrace your line!” ” (pg. 484; 564 – 567) Not only does this show that Telemachus is loyal to Odysseus and his sire’s line, but that Telemachus also wishes to serve his father and never give him cause to be ashamed.
Penelope is most l...
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When tested to see his true character Eumeaus passes, and goes out to watch over the boars instead of sleeping inside with the rest of the hands. Further proving how much he cares for his master’s possessions, and by extend his master himself. Even he admits that he could have gone off by himself with the Odysseus gone, but stayed to watch of his master’s lands and property until the man returned.
Of all the heroic traits such as honor and glory, given to the reader through Homer’s epic poems loyalty seems to be the strongest, as with Patroclus in the Iliad, so it is with Penelope, Telemachus, and Eumaeus in the Odyssey. Through the use of these characters loyalty is demonstrated to Odysseus, the hero if the poem. Their undying loyalty and devotion to the warring hero gives perfect examples of how humans should act to those they claim to be faithful too.
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.
Odysseus and Telemachus are favored by the gods particularly Athena, Athena respects Odysseus’ wily nature she even begged Zeus to release him from Calypso's island “If now it really pleases the blissful gods that wise Odysseus shall return-home at last.” (p.80 99-100). Then after that she herself went to Odysseus’ house to tell Telemachus that his father was still alive, “Yet I tell you great Odysseus is not dead. He’s alive, somewhere in this wide world.” (p.83-84 229-230). And
Through Telemachus, Odyssues’ son, the reader sees Odysseus’ utter dependence upon the gods’ aid. During Telemachus’ journey, all those th...
Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, also was very loyal to his father even though he was just born when his father left for his voyage. But he still stayed strong and did not listen to the suitors when they told Telemachus that his father was dead. He went out on his own voyage to try and find him himself. Also he wouldn't let his mom merry the suitors
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus’ heroic deeds are recounted through a narrative, written by Homer, that describes his arduous journey of his return from the Trojan war to his homeland of Ithaca. Loyalty, patience, and determination, are necessary traits to survive the perilous, painstaking journey that Odysseus embarks upon to return to his native land. Loyalty is exhibited when Odysseus goes to rescue his crewmen on Kirke’s Island despite the probability of jeopardizing his own life. Odysseus presents patience throughout the entirety of his journey, but most specifically when his crew opens the bag of wind, which causes much regression on the embark homeward. Determination is displayed when Odysseus is on Calypso’s island.
Although some could possibly call Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey, a great leader, the fact that he fails to earn his men’s respect, endangers his men’s lives repeatedly and allows them to die due to his own selfishness states otherwise.
The relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love. That is because they never really got to know each other because Odysseus has been gone for most of Telemakhos’ life. One example of this blind love is when Odysseus hears about how the suitors are mistreating and stealing from Telemakhos. Odysseus gets so irate that he was then even more determined than ever, to return to his family. Telemakhos also exhibits the same kind of blind love towards his father. Even though people have told him that his father was dead, he never believed it. He felt that his father was alive and was willing to sacrifice his life to prove it. Telemakhos was inexperienced at directing a boat, but he was willing to try because he felt something inside of him that gave him the strength to go on. Thus, this relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos gave both of them the courage to overcome the hardships ahead of them.
Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity is revealed in both Odysseus and Achilles: man is a combination of his will, his actions, and his relationship to the divine. This blend allows Homer to divulge all that is human in his characters, and all that is a vehicle for the idyllic aspects of ancient Greek society. Accordingly, the apparent inconsistencies in the characterization of Odysseus can be accounted for by his spiritual distance from the god-like Achilles; Achilles is more coherent because he is the son of a god. This is not to say that Achilles is not at times petty or unimaginative, but that his standards of action are merely more continuous through time. Nevertheless, both of Homer's heroes embody important and admirable facets of ancient Greek culture, though they fracture in the ways they are represented.
By staying loyal to someone while fighting one’s troubles, the motivation for success is amplified due to the fact that one does not want to disappoint their significant person, and he committed to achieving what he must in order to succeed. With Odysseus, he remains loyal to his wife, Penelope, even though there twenty years and thousands of miles between them; however, when Odysseus encounters one of his many obstacles, he has the willpower to succeed because he wants to be home with his wife. For example, after spending seven intimate years with the lustrous goddess Calypso, Odysseus still loves his wife, and it is the thought of Penelope that keeps Odysseus going. By not returning home to Ithaca, Odysseus would not just be disappointing Penelope, he would be devastating her; therefore, Odysseus wants to get home! Equivalently in “The Cave”, there is a repeated line in which the speaker is talking to the main character and says, “And I won’t let you choke, On that noose around your neck...” In this case, with the loyalty of the speaker, the main character is given support and motivation which allows him to continue the fight for an enlightened life. The speaker’s loyalty is demonstrated with the fact that he is supporting the main character no matter what negative situation that person is in, and that the speaker won’t let the person fail even if the main character wants to give up. Loyalty
Telemachus’ and his father Odysseus’ experiences/journeys parallel each other in many different ways. One way that they are both similar is that they are both very well liked by Athena, who accompanies both on their journeys around Greece. Athena acts as guardian to both father and son. A quote which proves this is I, 85 “In the meantime I will go to Ithaca, to put heart into Odysseus' son Telemachus; I will embolden him to call the Achaeans in assembly, and speak out to the suitors of his mother Penelope, who persist in eating up any number of his sheep and oxen; I will also condu...
...cked the poise necessary to take back his home. With his courage intact, and his father by his side, Telemakhos and Odysseus formulate a plan to avenge their household; both men display outstanding fortitude. In commanding the servants (Eurikleia, to be specific), Telemakhos "spoke so soldierly that her own speech halted on her tongue" (XIX.38-39). At this point it is clear that Telemakhos has reached fulfillment and strength in his identity.
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
The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem separated in different books or chapters that shows a fictionalized account of the Trojan War. Book 6: Hector Returns to Troy is the specific portion of the poem that is being covered in this essay. Hector from the Iliad shows a very clear aspect of his personality, a strong sense of loyalty and tenderness for his loved ones and also his people by being on the front lines during the war and showing his people he is willing to fight with them and essentially sacrificing himself for his family. Hector even knows his forgiveness towards his brother, Paris even though Paris is the main reason the Trojan War is in existence.
In the Odyssey, Telemachus, son of great hero Odysseus, who grows up in the world of greed and disrespect where the suitors take over his palace and court his mother, is one of the most significant character throughout the whole epic. His father, Odysseus, leaving the land Ithaca for 20 years, is the only warrior alive in Trojan war who hasn’t make his return home. During Telemachus’ expedition to search for the news of his father, he is under a process of maturation from the beginning in which he is mere a shadow of his father to the end in which he becomes more and more like him in terms of initiative, sensitivity and socialization.
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.