Loyalty & Disloyalty in The Odyssey
The Odyssey has many themes of loyalty in the story as well as themes of disloyalty. Throughout the story, Odysseus’ relationships with characters prove these motifs. Odysseus himself is a primary example of loyalty and he shows it in the interactions with the characters. Many of the disloyal interactions result in consequences that affect Odysseus in the form of the adversities he goes through in the story.
The god’s relationship with Odysseus symbolizes loyalty and disloyalty. For instance, Poseidon’s relationship with Odysseus. Odysseus mocks the gods and states that “the gods could not stop the Trojan War'' (Iliad, near the end). This is disloyalty to the gods, specifically Poseidon, as the gods help
…show more content…
Throughout the story Penelope stays loyal to Odysseus by waiting 20 years for her husband to return. Odysseus shows his loyalty to Penelope by wanting to go home as far as rejecting immortality for Penelope. Penelope proves this when she says “How I long for my husband--alive in memory, always” (88). Odysseus shows his loyalty to Penelope when he tells Calypso to “Look at my wise Penelope. She falls far short of you, your beauty, stature. She is mortal after all and you, you never age or die… Nevertheless I long--I pine, all my days'' (159). Odysseus chooses Penelope over a Nymph who is far more beautiful than her. Odysseus even goes on to reject Calypso’s offer of immortality if he stays so that he can be with Penelope. Odysseus isn’t loyal to just his crew or his wife, he is loyal to Ithaca and his son. Telemachus is loyal to his father even though Telemachus does not know Odysseus at all, he still gives loyalty to Odysseus. Odysseus’ servants also show loyalty, mostly Eumaeus the swineherd, who is loyal to Odysseus after 20 years and helped him fight the suitors. Eumaeus goes as far as to build a wall to defend Odysseus’ pigs and sleeps outside to guard his swine. Philoetius the cowherd, is also another servant who is loyal to Odysseus and helped him fight the suitors. The relationship between Odysseus and Argos the dog is also a bond of loyalty because Argos waited for Odysseus to return. Odysseus and the suitor’s relationship represent disloyalty.Odysseus revealed himself to the suitors and didn't care if he was king or if he was back, they were going to kill Odysseus anyway and still planned on courting Penelope. This lead to Odysseus’ vengeance on the suitors killing them
Without loyalty, Eumaeus would have ignored Odysseus’s commands instead. Additionally, in “Odysseus and Penelope” Penelope proves her loyalty to Odysseus by not marrying any of the suitors. She instead ‘“[arms herself] / … against the frauds of men’” due to her love
“A true hero is not just someone who is brave and strong, but someone who is loyal and true to their cause, their values, and their friends” (Anonymous). This quote from the poem “Beowulf” truly embodies the most important aspect of heroism: loyalty. Without loyalty, one does not have a will to get things done, but instead is ignited by a false sense of passion and driven by a superficial hope for recognition. Thus, the argument is born: in “The Odyssey” by Homer, is Odysseus making his journey to Ithaca out of loyalty to his homeland or just simply to be a hero? In this epic, Odysseus is met by treacherous obstacles and beasts, somehow surviving them all and continuing on his voyage.
Two of the themes are loyalty and homecoming. Loyalty is important in this story because Penelope, Argos, Eumaeus, and Philoetius were loyal to Odysseus the whole time that he was fighting and trying to get back home. Homer writes, “but death and darkness in that instant closed the eyes of Argos, who had seen his master, Odysseus, after twenty years…” (Homer 1249) This shows us that Argos wanted to see Odysseus one last time before he passed away.
Penelope has waited 20 years in Ithaca for her husband’s return while the suitors try to court her. Penelope could have restored order in the palace simply by marrying one of the suitors and driving the others out. However, her love and loyalty toward Odysseus is so strong that she is not content with anyone else. Ada also remains loyal to her family. After her father died, she could have given up on Black Cove Farm when she realized that it was difficult work to maintain.
He has been away from home for over twenty years, and his wife for nearly seven, living by himself on a small island. Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, has had men trying to get her hand in marriage ever since Odysseus left to go on his own epic adventure. Penelope, however, refuses, and loyally continues to wait for her husband. They often miss each other, and “Every day for the last seven years he's (Odysseus) has sat on the same rock gazing out to sea, weeping for home and Penelope. Athena speaks to
Showing that he loves and cares for her. However, Odysseus’s love for Penelope is clearly misplaced and confused for his longing of home. He says he loves Penelope and misses her, when in actuality he just misses his home and being revered as a king where he lives. Kalypso concedes “ you wanted her forever, that bride whom you pine each day.” (87).
Penelope used this to her advantage by emotionally manipulating the suitors to make sure that they would not destroy Ithaca before Odysseus could return. After testing Odysseus following his return to make sure he was real, Penelope breaks down. She sobbed as she let “her heart surrender” as she asked Odysseus for forgiveness for not “at first glance, greeting, and holding [him]” because she explained that she “cringed with fear that some fraud might come”(23. 231, 240-244). Penelope was under so much pressure to protect everything that Odysseus had left behind.
She proves how loyal and steadfast she is. Even though Odysseus has been gone for 20 years, and could be dead or never return home, Penelope has not remarried. She does her best to protect Telemachus, and raises him by herself. The reason for her loyalty, is likely that she could not imagine a world in which she was not Odysseus’ wife. After being married to him for so long, she likely uses her marital status as a defining part of herself.
He felt obligated to remain with her in a perfect paradise for seven years. However, throughout the entire time he was trapped with Calypso, Odysseus felt that he was wanted elsewhere. Thus, he longed to return to his home and to his dearly loved Penelope. Odysseus’ passion for being with his wife ultimately won the call for him to return home.
For the many years that Odysseus has been away, Penelope is able
Odysseus is truly loyal to Penelope because he leaves Ogygia (where he was trapped) as soon as possible, puts all of his effort into making it home to his wife, and even flirts with Princess Nausicaa to get him home. Even though Odysseus has been through
After Telemachus and his father share a reunion, he leads his father to his house. Upon arrival, Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar and finds that the house has been taken over by sires trying to court his wife as a result of his actions. After completing Athena’s task, Odysseus reveals himself to his wife. However, Odysseus finds it very difficult to convince his wife that he has truly come back. When Odysseus reveals something no one else knows, Penelope runs to him and throws her arms around him.
Penelope comes up with a lot of ways to say no to the suitors about having affairs with her. By these actions the reader can infer that Penelope will not have affairs with the suitors because she loves Odysseus and no one
In the Penelopiad in the first two pages, Penelope discovered the truth after the Odyssey and she stated herself that she had been faithful the entire time and Penelope has been seen time and time again to be good so we can trust her on that. Second look at differently translated version of the Odyssey, in the first and second about Penelope and Telemachus, it shows that Penelope did in fact missed Odysseus. In the first page in Penelope and Telemachus, a poet called Phemius was singing a song and it upset Penelope because he was singing about Odysseus’s Journey “I miss him all the time that man,My husband whose story is so famous throughout Greece” Another reason that Penelope stay faithful to Odysseus out of love and not fear is when in the Second page of the Penelope and Telemachus text Telemachus yelled
Several instances of strong allegiance to Odysseus can be seen as Odysseus returns to Ithaca and interacts with Eumaeus under disguise. Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, is one of the reoccurring examples of continued loyalty to Odysseus throughout the epic. Eumaeus mentions that anytime someone comes to Ithaca proclaiming “news” concerning Odysseus, Penelope will welcome them and ask for details, only to be disappointed and continue grieving. Even ten years after his disappearance, she shrugs off her suitors in hopes that he will someday return to her. She has come up with numerous schemes to avoid marriage, thus preventing another from ruling Ithaca in Odysseus’ absence through marriage to her.