Theme Of Loyalty In The Odyssey

One of the most important values in The Odyssey is loyalty as it appears multiple times throughout the epic poem. One of those multiple times where it happened Calypso wants Odysseus to stay with her after he has been trying to get back to his wife and she even offers him immortality. “My lady goddess, here is no cause for anger. My quiet Penelope - how well I know - would seem a shade before your majesty.” (p# 893) That quote is important

In Eurycleia, the Nurse of Telemachus, we have another example of loyalty held up to us as admirable. While Eurycleia is a servant, therefore of the lowest status, and there purely to meet the needs of the child Telemachus, we are told of her lifelong devotion to her task. It is made clear that in every sense she has fulfilled the role of mother to Telemachus, and that she has earned his love through her steadfastness. We also are expected to admire her loyalty and compassion when she comforts Penelope, telling her that she knew Telemachus had left for the mainland of Greece, and had sworn not to tell Penelope until Penelope discovered for herself that he had gone.

Intro: There are a wide variety of themes present throughout the Odyssey, written by Homer. Be it hospitality, perseverance, vengeance or power of the Gods, loyalty is truly the theme that brings the whole book together. Being 10 years after the Trojan War, many have forgotten about Odysseus and his men as they constantly brave what the gods throw their way. This essay will be talking about Odysseus and Penelope’s mutual loyalty to one another, the loyal relationships between Gods and men and finally, the loyalty Odysseus’ men show for him until death. This essay with prove to us that without loyalty, Odysseus’ legendary journey would have been put to an end near where they started. The general theme of loyalty is what kept Odysseus

After twenty years apart from Odysseus, Penelope longed for her husband to return with the frank hope that he still lived. She stayed faithful to Odysseus even when everyone declared he was dead and her handsome suitors battled for her hand in marriage. Loyalty is the most desired value in an individual, human or not, whether it’s toward your family, country, or a cause.

Loyalty is heroic. Loyalty is defined as faithfulness or devotion to a person, cause, obligations, or duties. In Homer's Odyssey one can see loyalty in many forms. Odysseus is loyal to the gods whom he realized held his life in their hands. Penelope was loyal to Odysseus, while trying not to offend the rude suitors. Telemachus was loyal to a father whom he only knew from the stories he had been told. Time and time again we see loyalty in the strongest sense, complete fidelity in time of uncertainty.

In The Odyssey, the hero Odysseus shows many heroic traits, the one I think is most important is loyalty.

     Penelope shows her loyalty in several ways. She shows loyalty to Odysseus by waiting for his return for twenty long years. She did not choose a suitor until she knew for sure that Odysseus was dead. To delay the decision of choosing a suitor, Penelope said she would marry a suitor after she had finished weaving her shroud. She showed that she was weaving the shroud during the day, but at night, when it got dark she secretly unwove it. That is how Penelope shows her loyalty to her family.

Loyalty is a trait that can help guide you through many difficult situations. It is a quality that the Ancient Greeks were shown to value through their epics. Odysseus, hero of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, is a character that reveals several values of Ancient Greek culture through his qualities of honesty, devotion, and support. One of the most prominent values portrayed throughout the story is loyalty.

Loyalty has always been seen as a commendable trait, not only in human beings but in any creature, all through history. Soldiers have admired their enemies for their loyalty to fallen comrades, thousands of stories have been written about the intense loyalty animals portray for their owners, and even companies in the workforce look for loyalty in potential employees. Loyalty has been seen as something that distinguishes the trustworthy from the untrustworthy, and something that sets the great apart from the good. The archetypal hero commonly has a cause, whether it be another person or personal beliefs, that they are loyal to, and this unwavering loyalty is what makes them appear so highly in the eyes of the reader. Loyalty can be found in practically any work of literature, but within The Torah, The Odyssey, and Inanna is the idea that true loyalty, although a rare attribute, is the key to a successful relationship.

In The Odyssey, the theme of loyalty relates to Odysseus’s physical journey back to Ithaca. Many characters in the epic are loyal and faithful, like Penelope, Telemachus, Eumaeus, and even Odysseus himself. Penelope remains loyal to her husband, by not choosing a suitor during the 20 years he’s gone. “And there she [Penelope] sat down with the case on her knees and burst into sobs as she drew out her husband’s bow,” (Homer 317). Just carrying out Odysseus’s bow with such sorrow shows how in love she was with Odysseus and how the thought of choosing a new husband moved her to tears. As Penelope remained loyal to Odysseus and

Penelope: In the opening chapters of The Odyssey Penelope is angry, frustrated, and helpless. She misses her husband, Odysseus. She worries about the safety of her son, Telemakhos. Her house is overrun with arrogant men who are making love to her servants and eating her out of house and home, all the while saying that they are courting her. She doesn't want to marry any of them, and their rude behavior can hardly be called proper courtship. She has wealth and position; she has beauty and intelligence; most of all she has loyalty to her husband. But against this corrupt horde who gather in her courtyard shooting dice, throwing the discus, killing her husband's cattle for their feasts, and drinking his wine, she is powerless.

Being loyal means being committed to something or someone. Nowadays loyalty means nothing to anyone. Someone will betray you whether your friends with them or not. In the poem “The Odyssey”, Odysseus shows loyalty. Odysseus shows loyalty by always sticking by his men, his love for his wife, and wanting to come home to his son.

Throughout William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar and Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, loyalty is strongly presented as a major motif. In both texts, loyalty is highly valued as one of the most important traits to a person’s character. Not only do the loyal characters receive better fates, but those who are not loyal are punished for the actions, usually through revenge. In Julius Caesar, the characters that remained loyal to Caesar are the few who wind up alive at the end of the play, and in The Odyssey, those who remained loyal to Odysseus were rewarded by Odysseus, and those who weren’t were killed.

In the Odyssey loyalty is shown in many different ways. An example is when Telémakhos was defending his mother and father. He defends them after the suitors try to take over the kingdom and his mother's hand in marriage. In the story it states,” You suitors of my mother! Insolent men, now we have dined, let us have entertainment

“The Odyssey” is read as a moral story. Odysseus learned lessons and faces many obstacles that challenge his faith and loyalty. He was able to survive because he learned he needed to listen to the Gods and Goddesses. An example of Odysseus being loyal to his wife and crew was when he heard the Sirens. In book 12, line 192, it states, “So they spoke, sending forth their beautiful voice, and my heart was fain to listen, and I bade my comrades loose me, nodding to them with my brows; but they fell to their oars and rowed on. And presently Perimedes and Eurylochus arose and bound me with yet more bonds and drew them tighter. But when they had rowed past the Sirens, and we could no more hear their voice or their song, then straightway my trusty comrades took away the wax with which I had anointed their ears and loosed me from my bonds.” He warned his men, told them to put wax in their ears, and tied himself to his ship. This shows how he was loyal and faithful for not being tempted by the Sirens.