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Loyalty within the odyssey
Loyalty within the odyssey
Odyssey reflecting heroism
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In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus showed many traits. I believe the most important trait he showed was loyalty. He showed it in multiple situations. Odysseus showed loyalty when dealing with the sirens, the louts eaters, and the cyclops. Odysseus showed loyalty when on the island of the cyclopes by getting his men out of the cave. Odysseus had his men hide under the cyclops sheep. He tied his men to the sheep so they wouldn’t fall off, which left him unable to be tied up. He was also left untied so he could untie his men once they got out. This is just one way he showed loyalty. Another way Odysseus shows loyalty is with the lotus eaters. All his men fell for the temptation of the lotus eaters. His men became addicted to the lotus and forgot
A very obvious example of loyalty is, Penelope. She is faithful to Odysseus for over 20 years and does not give up for long time. Even when the suitors came to her house and ate her food and overstayed their welcome she did not budge and still stayed faithful to Odysseus for the whole time he was gone. She told the suitors that when she finished her tapestry she would choose who she wants to marry, but every night she would undo a piece of the tapestry just so it would take longer and it would give Odysseus more time to come back just so she would not have to choose one of the suitors.
Loyalty, as defined in the Odyssey seems to be the constant devotion to someone, the hopefully longing of their return and victory. Homer seems to value loyalty over many of the other human traits, as Eumaeus gets not only Homer’s famous “you” but his own book as well. The swineherd is not the only character that Homer uses to show loyalty, Penelope and Telemachus show unyielding faithfulness to Odysseus throughout the epic poem; as do many other characters even gods. Homer demonstrates the value he places on loyalty through the use of these characters with their devotion to Odysseus. Through the use of these characters Homer shows the value of loyalty by their loyalty to Odysseus.
In a world ruled by kings and gods, there isn’t much room for emotions or showing weakness. At some point every human-being will show some moments of weakness in difficult times. Odysseus, a man that is held to such high regard seems to go against the norms of the time by
One of Odysseus’ traits is bravery. One example of Odysseus’ bravery is when he injures a Cyclops that is 5 times his size, “I drew it from the coals and my four fellows/ gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops/ as more than natural force nerved them, straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it/ deep in his crater eye. 329-332” This quote shows how brave Odysseus and his men are to face the Cyclops. Odysseus was intelligent to think about this idea, but he was brave for actually following through and doing it. Odysseus was also brave for fighting Penelope’s suitors even when he was outnumbered, “Now shrugging off his rags the wiliest fighter of the islands/ leapt and stood on the broad doorsill, his own bow in his hand/ he poured out at his feet a rain of arrows from the quiver/ and spoke to the c...
In Homer`s epic poem, The Odyssey translated by Allen Mandelbaum, illustrates Athena`s loyalty to Odysseus's journey.Athena tells her father to have Calypso let Odysseus go free.Athena assists Odysseus through all his trails that he faces like when Poseidon makes the storm that destroys Odysseus raft, she has Nausica help Odysseus,she disguises herself as a small girl,Penelope's sister, and as Mentes,and helps get rid of the suitors,so she is a big part of Odysseus's journey .She is there from the being and to the end, to get him home.Athena keeped her loyalty even when Odysseus made it home.
... come, in weariness before your knees, your waters? Here is your servant; lord, have mercy on me.” (V, 467-473). Not only does Odysseus prove that he rids himself of hubris, but he also displays the transformation he endured during his hero’s journey, therefore proving his nobility and worthiness of being a hero.
In The Odyssey (Part 2) by Homer, Penelope’s actions reveal that when one has loyalty to someone, nothing, not even possible death, will break the bond of love and trust between them.
Apathetically, he decides to not tell his men about all the blood-curdling terrors that lie ahead, thus revealing deception. He warns his men that the future adventure is none like the ones they have had; however, he fails to inform his men the full truth, “‘Surely what lies ahead of us now is worse than what we lived through’ …their arms and legs were waving high above me and my bronze spears were useless” (Rosenberg 95/96). Odysseus comes off as a loyal, relentless authority to those unaware of him not telling the full truth to his men. He could be describe as trustworthy; nevertheless, his decision to keep the menacing path ahead confidential is unjustifiable. Although Odysseus has made unreliable decisions, his good-will and desire to see his loved ones again overpowers them. He illustrates how he is devoted to returning home when he denies the gift of eternal life, “‘she would have made me immortal if I had chosen to remain with her. But my heart constantly longed for my homeland and Penelope’” (Rosenberg 97). He explains how much he yearns for his wife and homeland through the action of Choosing to go back to his homeland over becoming immortal and remaining with Calypso. Odysseus is noble and ingenious although he also tends to act before he thinks, consequently making him knowledgeable yet
A man by the name of Heinrich Himmer once said, “My honor is my loyalty.” This meant that one can only have honor if they are a loyal person. In the Odyssey, Odysseus knew that his men would die. Most people would give up knowing this. However, Odysseus remained loyal to his men, hoping he could still get them home. He also remained loyal to his wife, Penelope, as he always wanted to get home and return to her. Penelope was fiercely loyal to him. She realized that he might die and never return. However, she still waited for him. She waited for twenty years and always rejected the suitors. Even though their loyalties resided in generally different places, these two characters were excellent examples of people, whose loyalty gave them hope.
In that regard, it was no wonder Odysseus’s is such an atrocious leader. A great example of Odysseus being disloyal is on Calypso’s Island. “…He lay with her each night, for she compelled him.” (892) This quote shows how Odysseus is disloyal to his grieving wife, and sleeps with a goddess daily. A leader cannot expect loyalty when the leader is notorious for being unloyal. “Now Circe, ‘loveliest of all immortals,’ persuades Odysseus to stay with her.” (903) This is another quote that shows Odysseus cheating on his wife, while his wife is at home is at home distraught over her missing husband. A great leader leads by example. By that philosophy, it should not be expected of Odysseus’s men to be loyal to him, when Odysseus cannot stay faithful to his own wife. Consequently, Odysseus is also extremely selfish, on top of being incredibly
Throughout the Odyssey, there are many relationships that represent love between two people. These relationships show loyalty, compassion, and the wanting to be near one another. Two of these kinds of relationships are between Odysseus and Telemakhos, and Odysseus and Penelope.
...rished and he was left alone. He was loyal to his crew and never gave up on them, even after they defied him. When Odysseus returns to Ithaca he sees his son Telemachus for the first time since he was just an infant. Telemachus says to his father, “All my life your fame as a fighting man has echoed in my ears - your skill with weapons and the tricks of war…” (Homer 926-928) This shows us that Odysseus has a reputation as a hero, and while his son grew up he heard how heroic his father was. In The Odyssey, Odysseus lives up to his reputation time after time while using his cleverness and loyalty to persevere through danger.
In Odysseus’ life, loyalty is more important than anything and everything. Through The Odyssey, Homer shows readers that loyalty has a limit and that if someone expects others to be loyal to them, they must be loyal to others.
One characteristic of Odysseus is honesty. In The Odyssey, Odysseus always kept his word. For example, Odysseus is honest with his crew and explains to them that the island of the sirens is dangerous and some men will die. Odysseus explains, “‘Friends... it’s wrong for only one or two/ to know the revelations that lovely Circe/ made to me alone. I’ll tell you all,/ so we can die with our eyes wide open now/ or escape our fate and certain death together./” (12.167-171). Instead of being dishonest and putting his crew in a huge greater danger, Odysseus his honest with his crew. This is a heroic act because Odysseus makes his men aware of how dangerous the situation is and can help them survive because of their newfou...
_The Odyssey_ is believed to have been written by Homer and is infused with loyalty throughout the entire epic story. Odysseus is the most faithful, loving, and loyal husband, to Penelope, that any woman could dream of. Odysseus, in the beginning of his description of the trials and tribulations that he has endured, pledged his eternal loyalty to his ever-faithful wife Penelope. ?We are mortal weary and sick at heart/? [if only] now may I see once more/ my hall, my lands, my people before I die!? (Homer 7:233-240). Thought Odysseus did lie with the goddess his loyalty to Penelope held true. The ?Enchantress in her beauty? (Homer 7:274) enslaved the grand Odysseus to her will; yet Odysseus ?in [his] heart [he] never gave consent.? (Homer 7:276) The goddess offered Odysseus a choice, the ?promise [that he] should be/ immortal, [and] youthful, all the days to come? (Homer 7:275-276) or to continue his long continuous voyage to his queen Penelope. Because Odysseus chose to return to his devoted Penelope instead of gaining immortal life he has provided...