How Is Odysseus Loyal

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INTRODUCTION

Faithful: true to one’s word, promises, vows, etc. The Odyssey written by Homer is about Odysseus’ 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. Along the way, Odysseus battles the wrath of the Greek gods. His wife Penelope and his son Telemachus fight off the suitors for Penelope's hand on the throne. Holding them back long enough for Odysseus to return back to Ithaca. As Odysseus loses all his crew throughout the journey, he finally returns home from his long brutal voyage. Penelope and Odysseus finally reconnect after being apart for so long. Throughout the Odyssey, Penelope proves to Odysseus that she is loyal by not turning against Odysseus, grieving over him, and by never cheating on him with the suitors.

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Therefore, Penelope didn’t want to go against Odysseus because she still believed in him, but the suitors forced her to. When the suitors find out that Odysseus will be home soon and that they did the wrong thing, they finally hear what Penelope has been trying to say to them. She says, “So I finished it off. Against my will. They forced me” (19.175). Penelope feels that she has to be loyal to Odysseus and that involves not going against him. Over the course of the book, the suitors have been taking over Penelope and forcing her to do things that she doesn’t want to do. With that, she has to do everything she can to do what she wants and not get the suitors mad at the same time. For that reason, Telemachus was explaining how Penelope doesn’t want the suitors at her house because they are causing trouble. The suitors are doing things to Penelope that she doesn’t want to be done, but she is too scared to say it for herself, so Telemachus claims, “Suitors plague my mother— against her will— / sons of the very men who are your finest here” (2.55-56). When Telemachus was telling Mentor about what was happening to his mother, Penelope, he was saying that the suitors are taking advantage of her because Odysseus wasn’t there, so he couldn’t do anything to stop them. And they knew Penelope would try to do something to stop them because she won’t let them force …show more content…

In fact Penelope keeps grieving over Odysseus because she loves him. Since he has been gone for so long, she misses him and forgives him for leaving her and Telemachus. Odysseus says to his wife Penelope, “Odysseus, / ravage no more your lovely face with tears / or consume your heart with grieving for your husband” (19.301-303). Penelope cannot stop grieving over Odysseus. She feels that grieving might help her stop missing him, but it’s not. People tell her to stop grieving over him because they all think that he will never return because he has been gone for 12 years. Penelope and Telemachus are the only two that believe in that. And they will no matter how they feel or what people keep telling them. For example Penelope was sad that Odysseus was gone so she started crying. Penelope says, “Penelope, once they reached the upper story, / fell to weeping for Odysseus, her beloved husband, / till watchful Athena sealed her eyes with welcome sleep” (19.679-681). Penelope is still upset that Odysseus is gone even though he has been gone for so long, so Penelope is crying over Odysseus because she still misses and loves him. Penelope continues to stay loyal to Odysseus by grieving over him even though Odysseus is still

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