Theme Of Faithfulness In The Odyssey

In The Odyssey, Odysseus’s longing for his home and family is what drives the story. That is his one goal in the entire book, and that really states something

Athena has a great interest in Odysseus and tells him everything he should know on his journey home so he can come back alive. For instance, when Odysseus reveals himself to the suitors, she makes their spears miss him while they are in a fight. “But Athena made their shots all come to nothing, one man hitting the doorpost, another the door, another’s bronze-tipped ash spear sticking into the wall. ”(Book 22, lines 272-275). She also releases him from being trapped on an island for seven years, and she influences his son to keep faith that his father is still alive.

Odysseus is a legendary hero in Greek mythology, king of the island. He is the main protagonist of Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. He is also a protagonist character in the other Homeric epic, The Iliad. In the epic Odyssey, Odysseus has many defining characteristics. His most distinguishing traits are strength, courage, and confidence.

Homer's great literary classic, The Odyssey, represents and illustrates many emotional and mental values. All of these values can be classified under three different main themes that are constant throughout the epic tale. These themes are: A boy's struggle to be a man, a king's struggle to reclaim his kingdom, and a man's struggle to return home. As one reads this book it will become more and more evident to them that a man's struggle to get home is the most important theme throughout Homer's adventure.

Odysseus is not only a brave, strong, and smart man, but he is also caring.

Odysseus heroic qualities are strength, courage, dignity, a thirst for glory, and self-confidence. He also shrewd and ingenious, all of which make him the ideal hero in both the physical form and the spiritual aspect. Odysseus being faithful and loyal to his wife shows his dignity. Even though he has been away from his home and family for twenty years his only thoughts are with them. He overcomes all the extreme dangers he encounters showing his strength and courage. His shrewdness and intelligence shows when he, the King of Ithaca, is disguised as a beggar before Telemakhos.

     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.

They sent Hermes, the messenger god to convince Calypso to let Odysseus get back to his wife and son. His problems were not over yet once he left the island, however, because he had made Zeus an enemy. Zeus sent a terrible storm to rip apart Odysseus 's raft with the intentions that he be lost at sea forever. Gods saved him from this fate, though, when Ino and Athena give him a veil to keep him from drowning and changing the wind to make sure the waves carried Odysseus home. It was very important that Odysseus was so reverent towards the gods; otherwise he never would have made it home from the Trojan War.

Odysseus’ support to his crew through every situation and hardship, throughout The Odyssey, is one main sign that the Ancient Greeks valued loyalty. In the Lotus Eaters, Odysseus, “...drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, / tied them down under their rowing benches / and called the rest…”(9.48-50). Through this difficult situation, Odysseus is shown supporting his crew as their leader and keeping them on the right path by taking control of those who were possessed by the magic of Lotus plants. When his crew members struggled to stay on course, Odysseus was able to take responsibility by supporting and guiding them. Another event that showed this is Odysseus and his crew’s encounter with the sirens. According to the text, "Going forward / I carried wax along the line, and laid it / thick on their ears." (12.115-17). Here, Odysseus shows his support to his crew by contributing to protecting them from being hypnotized by the tempting sounds of the sirens by preparing wax to plug their ears with. Again, Odysseus and his crew know they will face the challenge of staying on course, and Odysseus takes these actions to support them and secure their safety. Odysseus’ support in both situations that put him and his crew in danger, reveal the Greeks’ value of

The epic, The Odyssey, centers around Odysseus, whose disposition can be controversial. Like all heroes, Odysseus displays both positive and negative characteristics, which determine whether he is a admirable figure or not. In my opinion, the parts of his character that are commendable outweigh his lesser qualities, making him an honorable role in the poem. Odysseus’s three main favorable attributes are his cleverness, his determination, and his leadership.

Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle, is the most powerful and influential non-human being in The Odyssey. Athena was the one to start Odysseus’s journey home. By stating that her heart broke for Odysseus, who was away from home for 20 years and had suffered much, Athena was able to convince Zeus to make Calypso release Odysseus, although it was against Poseidon’s wishes. Also, Athena could be credited with helping Telemachus become a true man instead of the boy he used to be. Disguised as Mentes, Athena’s advice to Telemachus about the suitors and his mother was to either drive the suitors away or throw his mother out of the house and take over the house. After this, Telemachus, for the first time, stood up to the suitors and told them to leave, or he would call the gods and Zeus would punish the suitors. However, as benevolent as she may seem, she is additionally unforgiving. When she had decided that all the suitors shall die, she stuck to it. Even when Athena told Odysseus to beg

The goddess Athena then appears to Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, disguised as an old friend of his and tells him to travel to Pylos and Sparta in search of his father, meanwhile banishing the suitors from his father’s estate in Ithaca since Odysseus would return soon. In Pylos, Telemachus learns that the two brothers leading Odysseus’ expedition had a sort of disagreement leading to their separation. Later, in Sparta Telemachus learns that Odysseus is being held captive on an island by the goddess Calypso. However, the gods order Calypso to allow Odysseus to return to Ithaca.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus goes on a long journey in which he takes part in dangerous adventures. Odysseus is an example of Homer’s greek hero. He is a leader of his people and they depend and follow him. Odysseus is brave; he believes in himself and trusts that he is doing the right thing. Odysseus values his honor and is confident in himself.

The overarching theme of The Odyssey is the belief that man cannot escape the destiny which has been preordained for him by the gods. Destiny plays a vital role in the survival of Odysseus throughout his adventures. As Odysseus languishes on the island of Calypso, Hermes commands her to free Odysseus in order for

“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.