Examples 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

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.

     Odysseus shows loyalty like Telemakhos and Penelope to the gods and his family. Odysseus is a man that can be described as tenacious. He is always focused on one objective and that is to get home. He is persistent and overcomes any temptation that gets in his way. An example of this is when he is with the beautiful nymph Kalypso. She offers him immortality to stay with her and leave his thoughts for home but he gave it all up for his family and home. He never gave up hope and continued to trudge his way back home. He also shows loyalty to the god by not cursing them for all the harmful events that occur during his journey home.

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.

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

In The Odyssey, Odysseus portrays an important trait to the story, perseverance. His perseverance really stands out as something that he has and always will have. On his long journey home, he never gives up and just stays where he is, no matter how tempting. He always manages to push through and keep getting closer to his goal of returning home. An example of when he does this is when he is faced with the challenge of getting past Skylla and Kharybdis. He knows that either path will kill at least some of his men and possibly him, but he knows he has to keep going. "And all this time,/ in travail,

Loyalty: Loyalty is most apparent in Penelope's resisting of the suitors, but it is a trait essential to all the characters in Odysseus' family. For twenty years Odysseus never stops wanting to return home. Telemakhos will not send his mother back to her father and force her to choose another husband. Instead, he sets out to find news of his father. The servants Eurykleia and Eumaios are also important exemplars of loyalty. Athena's devotion to Odysseus is another.

According to both Greek and Homeric values humans should have reason, but very often they express passion, which leads to contradictory emotions and obstacles in life. Odysseus, a man with a complex life, struggles with many internal, personal contradictions that have a collective impact on his decisions throughout his existence. The most important contradictions Odysseus faces are loyalty and betrayal; humility and hubris; and wisdom and folly,

Another trait that Odysseus demonstrates repeatedly throughout the story is his loyalty. In various situations he never gives up on his crew, even when he has reason to. During an episode in the epic, Odysseus travels to the underworld to receive a prophecy. He meets his great friend Elpenor, who has died earlier in Circe’s hall. Because he is unburied and unmourned he asks Odysseus to build a cairn in his honor. Odysseus replies, “Unhappy spirit, / I promise you the barrow and the burial.” (Homer, lines 609-610). Although Odysseus is preoccupied with finding Tiresias, he shows loyalty to his crew mate by spending time with his spirit, and carrying out the spirit’s request. It could have been easy for Odysseus to ignore the spirit of Elpenor, but Odysseus shows a real emotional reply to this meeting. Not only does he show loyalty to his crew but his homeland as well. Although he could have given up during the ten year span Odysseus wandered from home, he persisted even though giving up would have been easier. At one point Odysseus is detained by the enchantress, Circe, but remains determined to reach home:

Odysseus showed that he was loyal to his men just not by leaving them behind, but he revealed his true colors to notify his men that they cannot not ever give up even when things get difficult. He was known for his leadership skills; leaving home for so many years, to return back to his family. During Odysseus early life, he had the ability to solve problems as well as outwit his opponents. He promotes his own code of conduct through his exploits. Odysseus is more intense than Achilles, more pensive, but still is able to create explosive violence. Odysseus is all about being victorious; even when it was time for him to return back to his home.” A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time” (Odyssey). This quote represents all of the misery that he came upon his excursion. He played a special role in Homer’s lliad; demonstrating his abilities to advise his followers so they can be independent.

“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.

With this loyalty Odysseus maintains the courage of a true leader through the perils of his journey.  His name alone is given to him to show us, the readers right from the start of the book his will.  Odysseus comes from the Greek meaning to be at odds with, very much like Odysseus is through his voyage.  In the beginning we also hear about the scar that Odysseus bears, which was given to him to him at the young age of 12, when he was rammed in the process of killing a wild Bohr.  This again showing us that even at an early age in his life it was not easy, and that he will endure wounds in his life.