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Bravery And Hospitality In Homer's 'The Odyssey'

865 Words4 Pages

Hannah Lauenstein
Mrs. Gigante
English 10 Honors
17 January 2023
The Odyssey Final Essay Draft

The epic poem The Odyssey, originally written by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson, shows the excellent and timeless qualities of bravery, hospitality, and loyalty that embody human nature. This is evident in Odysseus’ courageous journey back to Ithaca after being trapped on Calypso's island, Ogygia for seven years. Odysseus stumbles ashore on King Alcinous and the Phaecians’ island, and is treated with lots of respect. Penelope's love for her husband is extremely prevalent as she waits 20 years for him to come back, faithfully. Throughout his journey back home, as a reader, you see Odysseus crying an unusual amount. Furthermore, The Odyssey is …show more content…

In this epic poem, hospitality is one of the most important values, and it definitely says a lot about human nature. After Odysseus has set sail for eighteen days, he spots the island of the Phaecians, called Scheria. When Odysseus arrives at the island, at first he tries to hide because he doesn't know what the king’s reaction would be if a foreigner arrives. It turns out that The Phaecians are very hospitable towards Odysseus and welcome him right inside. When the Phaecians see Odysseus sitting on the ground by himself outside, they say, “Alcinous you know it is not right to leave a stranger sitting there on the floor beside the hearth among the cinders (7. 158-161). When this happened in the book, it shows a lot about who the Phaeacians are as people. They never thought twice about letting this random stranger into their house. They had no idea who he was, but still offered him food, shelter, and entertainment. The way this part of the book goes down, shows how there are still people out …show more content…

Loyalty plays a big role in this epic poem because of how Penelope waits twenty years for Odysseus to return home. Penelope had suitors begging to marry her, and be with her. Penelope could have said yes so easily, and she could have given up hope so fast. She didn’t and she stayed loyal to Odysseus, even though she never knew if he would come back. Penelope almost gave up hope a lot, thinking there was no chance he was ever going to come home, but that didn’t stop her from sending Telemachus out to see where he is. When Telemachus goes to report back to Penelope and tell her what he saw on his journey, the commander says, “Indeed, her heart is loyal. She is in your house, weeping by night and sad by day” (16. 40-41). When the commander says this, it means that Penelope is not worried about anyone or anything else, besides Odysseus and getting him home. This says a lot about Penelope as a person, and again the Odyssey is trying to show how there are people who are like this in the world. She had the chance to drop Odysseus and give him up, but she stayed calm and positive, and it worked out in the end. Odysseus also stays loyal to Penelope throughout his journey. He resists the temptation to marry Calypso, Circe, and Nausicaa, and remains on track back to Ithaca. He could have married any of these women, but his heart still belongs to Penelope, so he

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