Infiyalty And Loyality In Homer's The Odyssey

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

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

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.

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

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.

For Odysseus to feel safe and secure again in his homeland, he tests the local swineherd Eumaeus for his loyalty in order to get information about the palace. Odysseus does not know much about the palace. To get information, he tests Eumaeus for his loyalty by seeing his reaction to his prayer to the gods. “May Zeus. . . give you your heart’s desire for the royal welcome you have shown me here!” (303) Eumaeus says it is his duty to welcome Odysseus because of his loyalty to the King. This makes Odysseus feel secure around him. After being welcomed, Odysseus tests Eumaeus about the palace by asking him who the king is. “[W]ho was the man who bought you. . . [w]hat’s his name?” (305) By asking Eumaeus this, Odysseus is able to acquire information about the suitors and Penelope. He needs to feel secure

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.

Loyalty to family, community, and the gods is an important quality in the lives of ancient Greek citizens. These qualities are clear demonstrated in The Odyssey through Penelope, Telemakhos, and Odysseus.

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.

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.

Several characters in both pieces remain loyal and in return, although not always directly, they succeed because of it. In The Odyssey, the relationship between Penelope and Odysseus is the most prominent example of this. Despite waiting nearly twenty years for her lover to return, Penelope refuses to marry any suitors. When Odysseus returns home to find she is not remarried, he is joyous knowing she did not betray him. Homer reveals this pure happiness when the reader learns that “Penelope’s surrender melted Odysseus’ heart, and he wept as he held his dear wife in his arms, so loyal and so true” (Homer 346).

In The Odyssey, written by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald, we learn life lessons that will be remembered for generations to come. Loyalty is developed when someone is faced the opportunity to betray someone he loves but his bond to them prevails in the end. Penelope, the queen of Ithaca, is faced with this challenge when her beloved husband Odysseus is gone for 20 years. Her house is

Loyalty and Faithfulness are two characteristics that would make up a great person. Being loyal by sticking to something and showing your support and Faith is having trust and confidence in someone or something. Having these characteristics is important because it is key to success Both of these traits however make up the god like Odysseus. And the result of him having these traits ended in success and him coming back home. Loyalty and Faithfulness was very important in the Odyssey and Odysseus displays those characteristics to his family, to the gods, and to his crew.

Numerous mythologies we have read throughout this semester have had an underlying message. Those who are loyal to their beliefs, their spouses, and the gods are rewarded, but those who prove to be unfaithful are dealt with harshly. From the multitude of examples in mythology, I have chosen four to discuss: Cupid & Psyche, Odysseus & Penelope, Medea & Jason, and Antigone & Creon. Each of these characters and their stories exemplify either rewards or punishments for their actions from the gods and fates. First, we must discuss how to define loyalty in a way the Greek and Romans would agree with. Loyalty wasn’t just wives obeying husbands, or servants obeying masters, but also the people obeying the rules of the gods. Obedience is a key part of the ancient concept of loyalty, as you cannot be truly loyal to a person or to the gods without respecting their wishes and being obeying them.

Odysseus shows loyalty in many ways and to different people all at once. He’s loyal to his crew, his wife, and to Ithaca. This is a very important trait to have, as a king should always be loyal to his people. Odysseus’ loyalty is shown in one of the scenes of The Odyssey when they catch a pig on what to seems to be an abandoned island after a few of them go to find food. One of his brothers comes running down from the trail and yells at them to stop, telling them that the pig is a crew member. He then tells them that there’s a witch on the island who turned them into animals. The man seems absolutely crazy but Odysseus gives him the benefit of the doubt which most men wouldn’t do. Odysseus then goes to the witch and saves his crew. This is just one of the many ways that he shows his faithfulness. Another shocking way he does this is that he completely refuses a goddess. Odysseus tells Calypso that he would rather be with Penelope than be with her. Mortal men don’t simply just reject goddesses; Odysseus is completely loyal to his wife, Penelope. His devotion to Ithaca is almost as outstanding as his devotion to Penelope. Odysseus had many losses in the war with Troy and could have easily