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The Role of Loyalty in The Odyssey Essay

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Intro: There are a wide variety of themes present throughout the Odyssey, written by Homer. Be it hospitality, perseverance, vengeance or power of the Gods, loyalty is truly the theme that brings the whole book together. Being 10 years after the Trojan War, many have forgotten about Odysseus and his men as they constantly brave what the gods throw their way. This essay will be talking about Odysseus and Penelope’s mutual loyalty to one another, the loyal relationships between Gods and men and finally, the loyalty Odysseus’ men show for him until death. This essay with prove to us that without loyalty, Odysseus’ legendary journey would have been put to an end near where they started. The general theme of loyalty is what kept Odysseus …show more content…

She tries to do the same to him, but he previously took an antidote that was handed to him by Hermes. Circe black mails Odysseus into not turning his men back unless he makes love to her. He with the witch for a ‘year’ on the island of Ogygia and finally decides that he needs to be with his true love so he leaves her. QUOTE!!(Book 11) On the return of the legendary Odysseus, Penelope really does not believe what she sees and claims the figure standing in front of her is actually not the man of her life. QUOTE!!(Book 23) Gods played a great role back in ancient civilizations and still do so to a certain extent, just not as intensely. Today, we have many different gods and religions, but for the most part, they are not nearly as serious as they were back in the days of Odysseus. Gods were believed by all to run the whole show and could end lives if they chose. Whatever humans did had to reflect on what the Gods would think of it since it was they who controlled the thin line between life and death of every living soul. The relationships between men and Gods are shown as a serious topic in the Odyssey for several reasons and are also shown through several examples. Athena is shown to be the most kind and helpful Goddess for Odysseus and this is shown by her doing all in her power to help him get back home to his family as

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