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Themes In Homer's Odyssey

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In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, there is a vast variety of themes within the story that help enhance all of the characters’ moral and ethical composition. These themes vary all the way from their incredible perseverance and loyalty towards their beliefs and goals to their love and hospitality for others. Odysseus, the protagonist of this epic, is a very complex man, however, this allows him to carry with him and encompass many of the themes seen in the story. He had great perseverance throughout his whole journey, and even when he was tempted so many times he even started questioning his own loyalty, he never gave up on going back home. Although, it is not only Odysseus that assimilates these ideas but also others in his family, such as Penelope …show more content…

Not only have 20 years passed ever since they saw each other, but also ever since they have been able to talk, hug and interact among themselves. And even so, the love that they have is still alive. We can mainly see the love between Odysseus and Penelope through how no matter what, or how much time has passed, they never forget each other. Although Odysseus has been attracted to other women throughout his epic, he always comes to remember the faithful wife that is waiting for him in Ithaca. This love between them helped them both go through many hardships. It helped Odysseus whenever he faced trouble and it helped Penelope keep the hope that Odysseus will one day come back to her. Another kind of love that can be seen in Odysseus family is within his father-to-son relationship with Telemachus. Although they never really had a chance to get to know each other, they still constantly worried about each other’s well being. Odysseus worried about how Telemachus's future was in danger due to the suitors, however, for Telemachus it was more than that. Telemachus went as far as to leave Ithaca to find out who his father was and if he is still alive. The relationship Odysseus’s family has and the love it carries gave them all more strength to keep going and manage to keep persevering until the very

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Telemachus and Penelope must take on many challenges with Odysseus gone, such as being a source of moral support for each other and taking on more tasks. With one less person in the family, there is one less shoulder to cry on and absence in moral support is definitely a great loss. Penelope and Telemachus must have a special bond to be able to get through the absence of Odysseus. They must always be there for each other for moral support. Though the man of the house back in Ancient Greece did not do much housework, there are many important jobs that Telemachus and Penelope must fill in for in Odysseus's absence.

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160 Words | 1 Pages

The Relationship between Telemachus and Odysseus his father is very different. First off, Telemachus has really never met his father but there is still some relation there. Telemachus longs to meet his father and have a relationship. It is very clear that Telemachus struggles to come to the fact that his father has been away for so long and questions at the beginning of the books if he will every come home. Once Telemachus is told by Athena in disguise that his father is still alive ( lines 220-228 in Fagles) he longs on a journey to try and find his dad to see if he is alive.

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In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.

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He felt obligated to remain with her in a perfect paradise for seven years. However, throughout the entire time he was trapped with Calypso, Odysseus felt that he was wanted elsewhere. Thus, he longed to return to his home and to his dearly loved Penelope. Odysseus’ passion for being with his wife ultimately won the call for him to return home.

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However, Penelope still loves Odysseus and remains loyal to him by stalling the marriage. She still continues to persist in being hopeful and refuses to believe that Odysseus will never return to her, so she creates several excuses to help her evade marriage for as long as possible. She presents tasks to keep the

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500 Words | 2 Pages

In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.

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198 Words | 1 Pages

Determination is an important for Odysseus because of long desire to return home. He was held confined on an island all alone. He was tempted many times and fell into temptation in the long covenant of his wife Penelope. Determination is also showed in his thought process; his longing to live For instance, when Odysseus finally goes home, he wanted to hurt the men who had been taking advantage of his wife and he follows through with his plan to kill them. Penelope, Odysseus wife is another example of having complete determination.

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One way Odysseus’s character is defined in the Odyssey is through his loyalty towards his family. Calypso tells Odysseus, “Son of Laertes, versatile Odysseus, after these years with me, you still desire your old home?” then Odysseus replies, “It is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home,”

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Odysseus had so much genuine love for his with Penelope and Penelope had so much genuine love for Odysseus. So much so that Odysseus would go through all those trial and torment just so he could get back to her and Penelope would stall the suitors for twenty years because deep down she knew Odysseus was still alive. Odysseus was motivated to go through that whole journey so he could see his wife again. Odysseus didn’t even give in to the temptation of Poseidon’s daughter Calypso, when she offered to make Odysseus immortal if he would marry her and stay on the island forever, but Odysseus wanted to see his wife and he escaped. 　　 Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar so the suitors wouldn’t kill him and take Penelope for themselves, he scopes

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1322 Words | 6 Pages

Their father-son relationship is the most important of all throughout the Odysseus and this is proven time and again throughout the entire body of work. Their relationship is not only important to the story itself but to the themes as well. Family is the fundamental principle that not only they have but that the entire family has. Penelope is especially worried for her son as he is not at home and the suitors have planned to kill him on the sea before he can reach home. Xenia has also been passed down to Telemachus even though Odysseus wasn’t there.

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913 Words | 4 Pages

Although Odysseus was given two chances to stay with a beautiful woman and become immortal, his love for Penelope, never ceased. Odysseus maintained his loyalty to his beloved because Homer wanted Odysseus to have heroic traits to make him more appealing as a role model in

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759 Words | 4 Pages

From Odysseus’ time with Calypso in Ogygia up until the moment he takes back his home and wife from the suitors in Ithaca, the struggles he faces help answer what makes for a good life. Homer uses Odysseus’ journey throughout “The Odyssey” to identify four aspects of a good life: mortality, honor, hospitality, and experiences. Homer reveals that mortality is necessary for a good life when Odysseus denies the opportunity for immortality that Calypso offers, he shows the significance of honor in his description of Odysseus’ bravery in the Trojan war and the consequent respect that Odysseus’ crew has for him, Homer reinforces the importance of hospitality in each city Odysseus travels to, and he conveys that experiences, good or bad, define a good life. The Greeks held their gods in high esteem and therefore when Homer or other characters in the epic refer to Odysseus as being “godlike,” this is one of the highest compliments he could receive.

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745 Words | 3 Pages

Penelope comes up with a lot of ways to say no to the suitors about having affairs with her. By these actions the reader can infer that Penelope will not have affairs with the suitors because she loves Odysseus and no one

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1299 Words | 6 Pages

The Odyssey begins as Odysseus leaves an island he was trapped on for 10 years to go back to his hometown, Ithaca. However, we do not know if he will make it back, as it is highly probable that he will die. The Odyssey is a Greek Epic involving some of their ancient Gods. On the way to Ithaca Odysseus faces many challenges while his wife deals with challenges of her own at their house. Suitors have taken over Odysseus’s home, and are all trying to marry Odysseus’s wife, Penelope.

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1181 Words | 5 Pages

This quote supports the reason because it shows that Odysseus is struggling with being away from his home for a long period of time, and wants to get back to his wife. This means that he misses his wife Penelope, and he wants to get back to her, which also shows that his loyalty is stays constant with her.. The second reason to prove this is that Odysseus does not like Calypso, which will show that he will remain loyal to Penelope. Odysseus becomes very sad, “But as for great Odysseus-- Hermes could not find him within the cave. Off he sat on a headland, weeping there as always, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish, gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears.

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