Sunday, September 10, 2017
Blog 4
Discuss the value of loyalty within Odysseus’ world. To what extent are our main character’s loyal to one another. Offer three examples from this week's readings. (Don't forget to cite where you are getting these examples with specific page numbers from the text). What are the consequences of disloyalty? How does Homer develop his message?
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The theme of loyalty plays a crucial role in the development of the Odyssey. When people are loyal to their masters and please them, everything works out most of the time. However, when people are not loyal to someone with authority of them, there are consequences. Odysseus serves as a mediator in a sense between the gods and ordinary mortals throughout the story. The gods tell Odysseus what they want him to do, and Odysseus relays that message to his men. If Odysseus is not loyal to the gods, or if Odysseus’s men are not loyal to him, the consequences are severe. When Odysseus pleases the gods and his men carry out his orders, the crew gets a step closer to home. When Circe instructs Odysseus on what to tell his men when they go through the sirens, his men were loyal and did exactly what he told them to do. Odysseus was attracted to the song of the Sirens and begged his men to release him. The crew obeyed him on page 471 by keeping the wax in their ears and tying him up even tighter. Getting through the Sirens got Odysseus and his men a step closer to home, and that is what happens when Odysseus obeys the gods and Odysseus’s men obey him. However, there are also plenty of examples where his men were not faithful to him, and this delays their nostos or homecoming. The first example we see is not long after the Greeks defeated Troy. Aeolus, the keeper of the winds, has compassion on Odysseus when he visits his island. Aeolus put a bag on Odysseus’s ship and bound it to control the winds, and they would return to Ithaca if no one messed with the bag. The crew actually can see Ithaca at the end of their journey, but Odysseus’s men become jealous of him and make a fatal mistake on page 439. They thought that there were treasures in the bag and were jealous that Odysseus got all the prizes and they did not get any. When Odysseus sleeps and his men open the bag, the ship is blown all the way back to Aeolia. Odysseus pleads with Aeolus, but he is convinced that Odysseus is cursed by the gods and refuses to help him. The lack of loyalty by his men at the very end of the journey ends up delaying their homecoming for a few more years. Another example of Odysseus’s men not being faithful is with the Cattle of the Sun. Odysseus strictly warns the crew to not mess with the cattle when they rest on the island because the blind prophet told Odysseus not to. His men are hungry, and when Odysseus sleeps one of his most trusted men decides to defy him. He convinces the men that they should not die of hunger on page 475, so they eat the cattle. Odysseus was angry when he found out, but there was nothing he could do about it. Zeus sent a massive storm that killed everyone except Odysseus, and even Odysseus’s consequence was great because his homecoming got delayed another eight years. The main reason why Odysseus’s homecoming was delayed in the first place was because he angered Poseidon. When telling the story of the cyclops to Alcinous on page 433, he tells him that he taunted Polyphemus and told him his real name after taking out his eye. Polyphemus is a son of Poseidon, so Polyphemus cursed Odysseus and begged his father to exact revenge on Odysseus. Odysseus became too proud and boasted about himself too much, so Poseidon decided to punish him for hit. Homer purposely develops his message this way because he wants the reader to see what the consequences of not pleasing or not being loyal to the gods were.
In the Odyssey, loyalty is one of the main themes. The idea of loyalty is discussed often throughout the epic. In Odysseus’ world the value of loyalty is not the same for everyone. Women are expected to remain loyal to their husbands no matter what, but men are free to be with whoever they want. Although there are some men who stay loyal to their wives, most do not. Odysseus for example, was not loyal to his wife Penelope. On his long journey home, Odysseus was around many women. At one point in his journey, he and his crew docked on Circe’s island. Circe turns Odysseus’ men into pigs. He goes to Circe to get her to return his men. Eventually she does, and he goes to bed with her (446). This is just one of the examples of Odysseus’ disloyalty to his wife Penelope. In contrast to Odysseus, Penelope remains loyal to her husband even though he has been gone for twenty years and she is being perused by other men. Instead of forgetting her husband and marrying one of the suitors, she plays tricks on them and manipulates them to prolong any action she may be forced in to. When Odysseus had the chance, he asked his mom if Penelope had remained loyal to him. She told him that Penelope had (455), and even though Odysseus had not been loyal to his wife, he was extremely satisfied that she had been loyal to him. That shows the different standards enforced in Odysseus’ time. Odysseus experiences no consequence for his disloyalty. If anything, it was almost expected that he would have been with other women during his time away from his land and his wife. Also to contrast Odysseus’ disloyalty is Eumaeus, Odysseus’ swineherd. Eumaeus remained fiercely loyal to Odysseus. Even after twenty years away, Eumaeus remembered his king and spoke very highly of him. He praised him almost as if he were a god (490). Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, was also very loyal to his father. Instead of joining in the suitors and their “fun” and marrying off his mother to a new man, he journeys to find out more information on his father and his prolonged return. It would have been very easy for Telemachus to have taken over Odysseus’ land and power, especially since he barely knew Odysseus, but instead he held out hope that his father would one day return from war. Homer uses these different characters to compare and contrast the value of loyalty throughout the Odyssey. Readers often admire Penelope over Helen from many reasons but one of them being loyalty. Penelope was loyal to her husband unlike Helen, which causes readers to like Penelope more than Helen. Homer uses loyalty as a theme to draw the readers to characters, like Penelope but also Telemachus, Eumaeus, and away from those who have been disloyal like Odysseus and Helen.
-Caroline
Loyalty plays a major role in the progression and development of the plot of the Odyssey. Loyalty or lack thereof shows up in many different forms throughout the epic from Odysseus’ crew to Odysseus’ relationship with the gods. Odysseus’ crew while showing great respect for Odysseus at times , also have great doubt in his leadership as well. During their encounter with the Lotus Eaters they try to combat the effects of the lotus flowers that is given to them on the island to make them forget their homeland, which in turn would cause them to be disloyal to their families and their Greek culture. The reason being in the eyes of the Greek culture forgetting your homeland also in many ways symbolized a type of death. “They headed out and made contact with the Lotus Eaters, who meant no harm, but did give my men lotus to eat. Whoever ate that sweet fruit lost the will to report back, preferring instead to stay there, munching lotus, oblivious to home. I hauled them back wailing back to the ships.” (428). The end of this quote also illustrates an example of Odysseus’ loyalty to his crew in the sense that even as many had eaten the lotus and had begun to forget about their home he still dragged them back to the ship and bound them so that they were not able to escape. This shows that Odysseus truly cares about the safety of his crew and wants to see them return to Ithaca safely. Another example of the relationship between Odysseus and his crew is later in the journey when the ship’s crew starts to question Odysseus’ leadership and take matters into their own hands when they debate whether or not to open the sack from the King Aeolus. “All malicious nonsense, but it won out in the end. And they opened the bag The winds rushed out and bore them far out to sea” (439.) This also illustrates Homer’s point that he continually develops the idea that because of a person’s disloyalty to another causes great consequences and in this case the consequence was they were driven away from Ithaca back to King Aeolus who later refuses to help Odysseus again because he believes that he has been cursed by the gods. Another aspect of the theme of loyalty/ disloyalty is the relationship between the gods and the mortals of this story. Hermes continually shows favor the Odysseus throughout the epic and one example is Odysseus’ encounter with Circe and saving his comrades from her traps. “Take this herb with you when you go to Circe, and it will protect you from her deadly tricks. She will mix a potion and spike it with drugs, but she won’t be able to cast her spell because you’ll have a charm that works just as well.” (445). While this is an example of the benefits of being loyal to the gods there is a flip side to the relationship which is when a mortal is disloyal the gods bring down their wrath upon that person to show them the grave consequences of dishonoring the gods. “The words of the blind seer Theban Tiresias, and of Circe, who gave me strict warnings to shun the island….. In no time they had driven off the best of Helios’ cattle”(473,475). Zeus’ response to this crime by Odysseus’ men was to strike down their ship, which would result in all the crew members with the exception of Odysseus being killed. Homer uses this and many of Odysseus’ experience to develop the point of consequences for disloyalty and the benefits of loyalty to both mortals and gods. - Gracie Cahalan
Loyalty was one of the most important aspects in Odysseus’ world; it plays a key part in the shaping of Homer’s book. Throughout the epic Odysseus’ men are incredibly loyal to him while Odysseus himself is loyal to the gods. When one betrays this trust and loyalty there are often swift as well as very severe consequences. An example of the crew’s loyalty to Odysseus can be seen throughout the entire epic. When their ship is forced to sail through the whirlpool of Charybdis (P. 472) and the six headed Dragon, Scylla the crew, though some hesitation trusts their captains commands and they stay loyal. This is rewarded when the gods allow Odysseus and his crew to pass through the dangerous obstacles with only minimum casualties. Homer’s book also gives readers examples of what happens when the men on the ship fail to have adequate loyalty as well as trust. On Page 440, Odysseus’ men decide to look through the gifts given to him by the god Aeolus, one of the bags included a tightly bound sack with wind to help the ship sail to their homes in Ithaca. The men were angry that Odysseus had seemed to come back with many treasures, while searching the bags the crew opened the one with the wind, in response to this violation the gods blew them all the way from Ithaca back to the Island of Aeolia. If the crew of the ship were more loyal to Odysseus this would have never happened. What seemed like a minor mistake cost many of the crews their lives. Perhaps the most costly decision for the Odysseus and his crew was when they were on the Island inhabited by the god of the son. Odysseus had his men promise they would in no way harm or eat any of the animals on the island, the men agreed. However, a short time later while Odysseus was sleeping, the men gathered together and decided to defy his commands (P.475). The crewmates went off to eat many of the sun god’s cattle herd. Odysseus was livid at his crew. Soon after their ship left the island the sun god, Helios asked Zeus if he could punish the immortals for their actions, Zeus said he could. As the sleek ship was cruising along the ocean, a lightening bolt suddenly struck the ship and killed everyone on board except for Odysseus. Homer’s epic truly encompasses the benefits as well as the negative aspects of loyalty in his time.
Jack Brunton
The theme of loyalty is very prominent throughout the odyssey and is very important within the Greek culture. However, in this story and in the Greek culture, the standard that a spouse should be loyal to their partner tended to only apply to the women. All throughout the story we see that many of the men have mistresses and regularly sleep with other women that aren’t their wives. Odysseus is a prime example of this. In the beginning of the epic, Odysseus is trapped on Calypso’s island and had been for seven years, and during these seven years Odysseus was sleeping with calypso (477). Calypso was a beautiful goddess-nymph who imprisoned Odysseus for this long with hopes that one day she would eventually marry him. However, we see that despite calypso’s pleading and her offer of immortality to Odysseus, he does not want to stay with calypso, but he wants to return to his wife Penelope back in Ithaca. Additionally, we see another example of Odysseus’ un-loyalty when he is telling the story of his long journey back home to king Alcinous and the Phaecians. In the story he tells of the time, towards the end of his journey, when him and his men landed on Circe’s island. Circe had originally turned Odysseus’s men to pigs but after Odysseus talked to her she turned them back into their human form and offered Odysseus and his men a place to stay. Odysseus and his men ended up staying on the island for 1 year and during this time Odysseus was also sleeping with Circe, again proving to be un-loyal to his wife Penelope (452). However, despite the many accounts of Odysseus’ adultery, Penelope, Odysseus’ wife proves to be loyal. She continuously rejects the suitors despite their constant persistence on wanting to marry. She even tricks the suitors by saying that when she finishes her weave for Odysseus’ father, who is due to die soon, that she will decide which suitor she wants to marry. However, every night she unravels her weaving having to start over everyday so she never finishes it and can continue to wait for Odysseus to return home (562). But in the odyssey, if a women cheats on her husband she is frowned upon and essentially dissed by society because of her adultery. But for men it is extremely common for them to have mistresses and for them to sleep with any women that they please without consequence. This once again shows how women are treated like objects and are not very respected in Greek society.
-Laina
Loyalty in the Odyssey is crucial in the story of Odysseus. The people are required to be loyal to the gods and please them, as well as being loyal to the ones around them. Odysseus being loyal to his people was another major topic, which he was until he left for the war. His people looked up to him and weeped when he left for war, and did not return. Such as Eumaeus, who loved Odysseus. (p.492) Even though the thought he was dead and gone, they still wished for his return to make their kingdom great again. Eumaeus loved him so much, he even called Odysseus brother. His people were loyal to him and he was loyal to his people. On his ship, Odysseus was loyal and took care of his men. He always made sure they were provided with everything they needed, and made sure they knew exactly what was expected of them. Including when he told them to put beeswax in their ears when they went past the land of the sirens. He made sure none of them were affected, so that their journey home could continue on. (p.470) If Odysseus was not loyal to the gods, such as when he killed Polyphemus, he was severely punished. (p.438) He hurt Poseidon’s son, and Polyphemous cried out to him to get revenge on Odysseus. As well as when they went to Helios and ate his cattle that Odysseus was specifically told not to eat. His men ate it while he was sleeping, which was not loyal of them, and they got themselves into trouble. (p.476) Zeus sent a storm that killed all of his men, and he floated back to Calypso. Odysseus during his journey was not loyal to his wife. He spent time with Calypso on her island, and most likely slept with her. As well as, when he met Nausicaa, and Athena made him handsome. Another example would be Circe, when it told us that he spent one more night with her, before he left again. (p.467) While Odysseus was not loyal to his wife, Penelope was loyal to him. Even though there were suitors who were looking to take her hand, she always told them she was waiting for something. First it was that she needed to finishing knitting the burial shroud. Then it was that she was waiting for Telemachus to grow facial hair. She was always waiting for Odysseus to return, because she loved him that much.
The value of loyalty within Odysseus’ world plays a major role in the development of the story. Loyalty and even only the idea of it are discussed often within the epic itself and also within Odysseus’ stories. One major example of loyalty is Penelope’s loyalty and faithfulness to Odysseus despite him being gone for twenty years. When Odysseus’ eventually returns home to Ithaca, he begs the question of Penelope’s loyalty. His mother tells him that, yes, she has remained loyal to him and only him even in spite of all her suitors trying to marry her (p. 455). This is a heavy contrast to Odysseus’ disloyalty to Penelope. He meets many women throughout his travels and does nothing to stop their advances onto him. While on the Island of Ogygia, he even goes to bed with Circe and stays with her for seven years, although one could argue that it was against his will, it does not seem like he tried to get away from his life of luxury. Another example of loyalty is that of Odysseus’ people in Ithaca. While many of the other kings fight for control of his land and people, there are those who remained faithful. Eumaeus, for example, takes a wanderer, a stranger he does not know, into his house and feeds him while singing praises on Odysseus and his family (491). Another example of loyalty within the country is Odysseus’ own son, Telemachus. Despite, essentially never knowing his father, he does not just wed his mother to one of her suitors and take over as king. Instead, he chooses to search for his father and return to him what is rightfully his. Lastly, is the example of loyalty within the sailors themselves. In the beginning of the epic and the first of Odysseus’ stories, it appears that his men listen to what Odysseus says with little to no complaining. When they pass by the sirens, they plug their ears and tie him up just as he told them to. When passing by the six-mouthed monster and whirlpool, they keep the ship close to the rocks just as he said. However, it appears that the longer they are away from their homes and families, the more disobedient they become. When they landed on the island of the cattle of Helios, , they blatantly ignored Odysseus’ command to not eat the cattle. However, they do so as he sleeps and are ultimately all killed during a storm created by Zeus (475). Within the epic, the punishment for being disloyal is death, usually in some painful manner. One could argue that Ajax’s death was due to his disloyalty because he claimed he was better than the gods he promised to worship. The suitors were disloyal to Odysseus by ignoring his strength and determination and attempted to persuade his wife, Penelope to forget her marriage and promise to Odysseus and marry one of them so they could get his country. However, when Odysseus returns he brutally kills all the suitors during a battle after he trapped them within his house and revealed his identity.
Loyalty was held in high regard in Greek society, this is portrayed through multiple examples in "The Odyssey", the Homeric Epic. The most obvious example of loyalty and it's worth is how Penelope remains loyal to Odysseus as a spouse instead of marrying herself and all the rest of Odysseus's possessions off to one of the suitors. A specific example of her loyalty to him would be how she accepts the gifts given by the suitors but she does not accept any one of their hands in marriage. (p. 549) This leads Odysseus to admire her even more, seeing as he is a trickster and frequently dishonest himself to his gain. This also increases the worth of Penelope as a woman in Greek society, something that was mentioned on a previous blog. A secondary example of the value of loyalty would be the bond between Argos and Odysseus. This is a different kind of loyalty, seeing as dogs age much faster than humans, the only loyalty Argos could offer Odysseus would be holding on until he returned rather than providing him anything of benefit.(p. 533) This story between Argos and Odysseus is much like that of the Japanese legend of Hachi. Hachi would await his owner at the train station each day until he returned home from work. One day, his owner did not return for he had fallen ill and died. Hachi remained sitting patiently for his owner to return until he himself died. Loyalty like a dog is also description, often used in the negative context, but it can help one to understand just how loyal Argos was to Odysseus compared to the other dogs. A final example of loyalty would be the loyalty of Telemachus. Telemachus's loyalty is similar to that of Penelope's loyalty, but differs in that he goes to search for his father and frequently discourages his mother from marrying the suitors. (p. 547) Perhaps without Telemachus, Penelope would have lost her loyalty, having no one at the house that she was directly related to, her grief would have been immense. Without the loyalty of Telemachus, Odysseus would have not been able to make a plan to kill the suitors and secure his home of Ithaca. The consequences of disloyalty in greek society are devastating, especially if one is disloyal to the gods. This can be shown through numerous examples, when Ajax is shipwrecked and dies, the numerous occasions when Odysseus became shipwrecked for upsetting the gods, the butchering and consumption of the cattle of Helios (p. 475) by Odysseus's men. The list goes on and on. Loyalty was a large part of Greek society and Homer shows that throughout not only the Odyssey, but the Iliad as well and he does it quite well.
Loyalty is a key concept and characteristic throughout the Odyssey. When one is loyal in the ancient times of Greece, whether it is to a god or to another human being, rewards often follow. On the opposite end of the spectrum, disloyalty is frowned upon by people and the gods in certain aspects. Judgment and punishment from the gods is closely related to the act of disloyalty, more often than not to the point of death. This excludes men in this time who cheat on their wives. Examples of loyalty from the past two readings are abundantly found within the relationship between Odysseus and his crew during their journey to reach Ithaca. Just before Odysseus and his crew were about to reach the Sirens, Odysseus instructed his crew to fill their ears with wax. He did this because the Sirens were known to lure sailors into rocks that would sink a ship through their beautiful song. While Odysseus told his crew to fill their ears, Odysseus just tied himself to the mast of the ship and told his crew not to untie him until the safely passed the Sirens. When they did pass Odysseus begged and pleaded to be untied but his crew remained loyal to their superior and obeyed his commands from beforehand. This loyalty let the crew live instead of perishing into the rocks (pg. 471) Disloyalty is what ends of killing his crew. This can be found when they are on the Island of the Sun (pg. 475). Before they landed on the Island, the blind prophet from Hades tells Odysseus not to eat of the cattle that resides on the Island. So when Odysseus and his men arrive on the Island, he tells them what the blind prophet told him. They are obedient until the last day and, while Odysseus is sleeping, one of his men convinces the others to eat so they will not die of the hunger they are feeling. This angers the gods and Zeus is talked into punishing the crew by striking the ship with a lightning bolt. Odysseus barely survives because he did not participate. This is a prime example of the disloyalty leading to death. However disloyalty can not lead to death, too. For example, Odysseus and his crew finally are able to see the coast line of Ithaca, because of the help the king of Aiolos provided; the wind bag and breeze. Odysseus is overjoyed to see Ithaca, but his sights on his homeland do not last for long. His crew becomes jealous of what their leader has and thinks that the bag of wind is a precious gift. They then open it because of their jealousy and our blown back to the island of Aiolos (pg. 439) . After this incident, the king refuses to help them a second time because of the behavior of the crew previously. The king and gods, on top of this, curse Odysseus for the actions of him and his men. As you can see loyalty is greatly appreciated and prized in the days of the Greeks. Homer portrays this over the book in more examples. The ones I have provided are only a couple of examples.
Loyalty is something of utmost importance in Odysseus' world; however, true loyalty is somewhat one sided. For example, Odysseus and Penelope are portrayed as being honorably loyal. Yet, further analysis shows that really only one side of this relationship remained constantly loyal. Penelope, on one hand, remains constantly faithful while Odysseus is gone for about two decades. Suitors are constantly egging her on to leave Odysseus and pick when of them. After all, it will be twenty years before Penelope eventually sees Odysseus again. However, she remains faithful and, in the end, is rewarded by seeing her husband again. In contrast, Odysseus does not remain completely faithful as he sleeps with Circe (446). However, this action does not seem to have any negative consequences. Perhaps this is because Athena proved this action necessary in order for Odysseus to get his men back from Circe.
However, a women's disloyalty seems to have awful consequences, and Homer develops this message by paralleling Penelope and Odysseus with Agamemnon and Clytemnestra (461). On one hand, the women remains loyal and the man does not. There are not any real, negative consequences and the two eventually will be reunited. However, on the other hand, the woman, Clytemnestra, is not loyal while the man, Agamemnon is. This ultimately ends awfully as Agamemnon is slain in his own house by none other than his wife and her new lover. It is based on these observations that one can conclude that loyalty in Odysseus' world differs between the two genders. This is expected though as women are seen completely differently than men in this era.
Loyalty is not something limited to just marriages. For example, without Athena's loyalty to Odysseus' family nothing would get done. Without Athena Odysseus would never have even gotten off of Calypso's island, Telemachus would not have been able to go look for his father, Odysseus, after leaving the island, would have died multiple times at sea, Odysseus would not be able to make an secret entrance into his estate, and Penelope would not appear as extra beautiful to the suitors (385, 352, 488, 548). Athena's loyalty is something that is seen throughout the epic as extremely important and helpful to Odysseus and his family.
In conclusion, loyalty is an interesting topic in the time of Odysseus. It seems that loyalty is extremely important, yet at other times it is okay to be unfaithful. Furthermore, it appears that women are held to a higher aim of loyalty than men and their consequences for being disloyal are much higher than men's. This kind of theme makes sense though with Homer's characterization of women as previously discussed. It is apparent throughout this epic that women were viewed much differently in this time than they are today.
Loyalty, as well as disloyalty and it’s consequences, are significant themes in Homer’s Odyssey. Many aspects of character including loyalty were valued in Greek culture and civilization, yet were broken in many instances.
A man’s crew is expected to be loyal to him at all times. This is essential to make sure that everything goes smoothly on the ship and in all things that the crew does. However there are several instances where Odysseus’s men are not loyal to him, and it has great consequences such as the death of the men who are disloyalty. When Odysseus and his men sail to the island of Helios, the sun god, the men disobey Odysseus’s orders and eat Helios’s cattle. (pages 474 - 475). This disobedience has consequences in that the sun god asks Zeus to punish Odysseus and his men for making a meal of his cattle. (pages 475 - 476). Zeus sent a terrible storm when all of the crew were aboard the ship, and all of the men were killed accept for Odysseus. ( pages 476 - 477).
Another example of loyalty, and in comparison to disloyalty, is that of Odysseus and his wife Penelope. Odysseus is gone for many years, and is not loyal to his wife, nor is expected to be in this Greek culture. Yet, Penelope remains loyal to her husband, as she is expected to be despite the many suitors staying in her home. This example is also reflective of the roles of women back in the Greek civilization. One instance where Odysseus us unloyalw to Penelope is when he is on the island of Calyspo. ( He speaks of his arrival on page 477). Calypso is in love with Odysseus and he stays, or rather is captive, on the island with her for seven years.
Eumaeus, a swine herder who is employed by Odysseus is loyal to his master. We see this when Odysseus returns home to Ithaca, but is put into disguise by the goddess Athena. ( page 488). Odysseus goes to Eumaeus’s hut and since he is in disguise, Eumaeus does not recognize that it is his master. Even to who he believes is a strangers, Eumaeus praises Odysseus as a fair master. ( pages 490 - 500). Eumaeus could have easily talked down about Odysseus since he did not realize that he was speaking to his master himself. This scene is also an example of xenia, the Greek guest/host relationship, as Eumaeus is welcoming to who be believes is a stranger.
-Karli
Loyalty can be seen throughout the entire Odyssey in varying levels and the consequences for it are both rewards and punishment. Most recently loyalty can be seen in the actions of Eumaeus the swineherd. Over the course of several years and even with the troubling suitors, Eumaeus never lost site of who is true master was. Throughout the stranger’s stay with Eumaeus, Odysseus is brought up several times. All of which Eumaeus can be heard saying nothing but praise and grief for his lost master. Because of his undying loyalty to Odysseus, he is protective of Penelope and wary of the suitors. (492). Eumaeus is not disloyal in the slightest, thus earning the title of “noble swineherd” throughout the book. Despite Eumaeus there are multiple examples of disloyalty and its grim consequences. The most outstanding example would be between Odysseus and his crew. They became complacent and ate the cows of Helios. This ultimately ended up costing them their lives when Zeus struck them idea. (476). Homer develops this idea of loyalty through the issue of guest-host relationships as well. Insurmountable loyalty is shown to the stranger even without his true identity being known. Eumaeus constantly is defending the stranger from the suitors. On the road, a couple of the suitors begin to antagonize Eumaeus and the stranger. When the suitors specifically begin to provoke the stranger, Eumaeus defends the stranger as well as Odysseus almost simultaneously. This would not have occurred if the guest- host relationship did not exist within the Greek culture. Eumaeus defends the stranger on the sole basis of Greek culture. The fact that this stranger was sent from the gods or could be a god himself is enough cause for Eumaeus to defend the guest in Odysseus's' house. In addition to Eumaeus, Telemachus is also extremely loyal to the stranger before he knows his true identity. When Telemachus arrives at the hut of Eumaeus, he discovers the stranger. One of the first things he says is how the stranger should be treated with the upmost hospitality. (494). He laments that Odysseus is not there to give him the true hospitality he deserves. Despite this, he is determined to show the stranger the respect demanded by the gods. He asks Eumaeus to feed him well and give him a place to rest as well as take him to Odysseus' own house to show hospitality. In the Odyssey, the consequence of disloyalty in many cases, especially those involving the stranger, results in death.
Sterling
The value of loyalty within the world of Odysseus is considered a double standard between men and women. Women are held to a higher standard than men are because of the roles they portray. Men are able to do as they please with no consequence because they are considered more important than women. Women are set to serve men and their needs. Therefore, women are expected to stay loyal and faithful to the men in their lives. Men can go and come as they please. There is also an issue of loyalty with the idea of xenia, the guest/host relationship. When strangers show up at their doorstep, they have to be hospitable and take the stranger in and take care of them. The host has to be loyal to the guest in the issue of taking care of them. The first example of the xenia loyalty issue is when Eumaeus invited Odysseus into his home and took care of him (p.492). Eumaeus was a big fan of Odysseus and was happy to take care of him. He was loyal to the idea of xenia by being welcoming and taking in Odysseus in on his travels. An example of the loyalty between man and women is Odysseus and his wife Penelope. Odysseus has been gone for twenty years in war and his journey home back from war. His wife, Penelope, has remained faithful to him throughout the whole twenty years (p.455). She is in a house full of suitors and has numerous opportunities to not be loyal to her husband. But because Penelope has faith that her husband will return, she remains loyal to Odysseus. Odysseus does not remain faithful to his wife. For men, it really does not matter if they remain loyal or not. In his journey home, Odysseus is on the island with Calypso for seven years. She keeps him there with her because she loves him and offers him immortality in order for him to stay with her forever. In this, Odysseus does not except the gift of immortality but he does end up sleeping with her (p.477). In the end, loyalty is a major theme spread throughout the Odyssey. It is considered a double standard between men and women. More is expected out of women than of men. Also, xenia is an important aspect of loyalty. The host must be loyal to any travelers than may wash up on their doorstep. They must take them in and take care of them in order to be hospitable.
-Abigail
Loyalty in the Odyssey is held very highly. Throughout the book there is a trend of loyalty. We see that loyalty is something that men like Odysseus hold very highly. Odysseus’s wife Penelope, who is loyal to Odysseus throughout the story, fights off the suiters for 20 years while Odysseus is away at war and traveling back home to Ithaca. As the main character in the story you would think that since Odysseus’s wife is so loyal for so long, that he would be loyal. We see this, through the text, to not be the case. In fact, we see the exact opposite of Odysseus in the story. On page (446) we see one of the many times Odysseus is un loyal to his wife. However, in this same act he is being loyal to his men. His men are on in island and stumble upon a god’s house. Circe the god tricks Odysseus men into eating and drinking with her but she turns them to swine. Odysseus is loyal to his men so he goes after them to rescue them page (447). This is an example of Odysseus loyalty to his men and his country but in this we see that he is not loyal to his wife and sleeps with Circe. There is a bit of hypocrisy playing throughout this one story. We see Odysseus who is so loyal to his crew and yet too his wife who has been so loyal he doesn’t seem to mind crawling into the bed of very goddess he comes in contact with. Which brings me to my next point. Odysseus was so loyal to the crew that he would risk his manhood to save his crew. But his crew who on page (439) is not at all loyal to him. As they begin sailing from Aeolia after they received the bag of wind Odysseus falls asleep and his crew begin to talk behind his back page (439). They complained about how Odysseus got all the treasure. Then the crew opened the bag of wind and delayed the grew even more from reaching Ithaca. We see that loyalty in the Odyssey is always repaid. If you are loyal more than likely good things will happen to you. Except with women, again the point arises that Odysseus was not at all loyal to his wife but in the end he returned home and defeated the suiters who had control of his house.
- Joseph Huett
Loyalty is important to the ancient Greeks. It is vital to the story for Penelope and Telemachus to remain loyal to Odysseus. Without their loyalty, there would be no home to return to. Penelope has stayed loyal to Odysseus despite him being away for 20 years with no news as to his whereabouts. Penelope has never taken another man to bed and Telemachus has the unquestioning loyalty and respect only a son can have. Telemachus immediately willing to enact his father’s plan when they first meet (p640). Athena’s loyalty to Odysseus is unwavering. She helps him leave Calypso’s island, protects him from Poseidon’s wrath, and sends Nausicaa a dream to ensure a comfortable stay for Odysseus with the Phoenicians. In this week’s reading, she further demonstrates her loyalty by disguising Odysseus as an old beggar so he can scout the problem of the suitors (p658). While Telemachus visited Sparta, the suitors conspired to murder him when he came back. As an extension of her loyalty to Odysseus, Athena visited Telemachus and told him of their plan and how to avoid it (pp.621-622). Odysseus is loyal to his crew. Instead of abandoning his crew, he risked his life by confronting the goddess Circe after she turned half his crew to swine (p548). His loyalty and bravery resulted in a comfortable year long stay with the goddess for him and his crew. Disloyalty is met with swift and harsh punishment. His crew, though faithful throughout the whole epic until this point, disobeyed and betrayed Odysseus. He commanded them to not eat the Cattle of the Sun God (p594-598). They were starving and the temptation became too strong. Zeus smote all of them and destroyed their ship. Odysseus was spared because he did not eat any of the meat. Homer develops his message by providing examples of disloyalty and loyalty that give immediate results. The only person unaffected by disloyalty is Odysseus. His disloyalty to Penelope is not seen as a major problem, creating a double standard between men and women. Homer was perhaps trying to point this out.
It seem a theme that runs through the story of the odyssey multiple times is that of loyalty. In the story Odysseus has been gone yet even when it would be easy for Penelope and Telemachus to move on in their life they wait upon the homecoming of odyessous. Even the swineherd remains loyal to Odysseus by honoring him when the two are talking. Odysseus is disguised as an old beggar but even when the swineherd does not know it is hime he talks of him with respect. It is clear to see that even though Odysseus has been gone for numerous years all of his family and close friends still remain loyal to him by honoring him in such a way that makes the reader believe that Odysseus is an honorable man making all the reader favor Odysseus over all the suitors.
Telemachus is one of the main people that stay loyal to Odysseus. He strives to find his father, which shows the love, and respect that he has towards him. Homer's writing shows us that Telemachus is thrilled when he finally realizes the old beggar is his father. This is a pivotal moment because not only does it express the loyalty that Telemachus feels for his father but as the father and son love that their relationship shares. Telemachus could have very easily taken power of Ithaca and forgot about his father but instead the years that his father was gone, Telemachus grew in strength but also in knowledge but taking the temporary place of power that he father held. Most of all the loyalty is shown but the respect that Telemachus gets to his father. He has too much respect to forget about him and his legacy so he strives to lead as his dad did and wait for his return. The hope that he holds on to that his father will return shows his loyalty as well because instead of getting up hope that his father will return, he remains positive and looks forward to his father's homecoming.
The swineherd, Eumaeus is another explains of a person that holds loyalty to Odysseus. He does not recognize Odysseus at first glance because he is disguised as an old beggar but later he realizes. Before it is apparent that it is Odysseus though, Eumaeus shares with the beggar about Odysseus and how he love him very much. Homer's writing states, " but the longing is on me, for Odysseus, and he is gone from me and even when he is not here, my friend, I feel some modesty about naming him, for in his heart he cared for me great and loved me. So I call him neater even in his absence." This quote shows the honor and respect that Eumaeus hold for his Odysseus. Many servants often do not like their master but this quote shows for Odysseus was fair and treated his workers well and loved them. Eumaeus later discovers that the old beggar is Odysseus and is shocked but filled with joy because of the good news. It seems as if everyone was thrilled about the great Odysseus' homecoming.
The final example of loyalty shown to Odysseus is that of his wife, Penelope. Even when suitors surround her she remains faithful to her husband. In the time remaining faithful was vital in a marriage but as we know Odysseus did not remain faithful but did remain faithful to getting back to Ithaca for his family. The epic says, "so welcomed, it was her husband. As she looked upon her, she could not let him go". This quote shows the loyalty and love that Penelope has for her husband. After reading it is clear that many people in Homer’s epic shows loyalty to Odysseus.
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