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Examples Of Loyalty In The Odyssey

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In Greek culture, loyalty was greatly emphasized, most importantly towards superiors and family. To teach this lesson, they included various examples of people being rewarded for staying loyal, as well as the punishments for being disloyal, such as in Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. The Odyssey expresses the message that loyalty towards one another is rewarded, as shown by Eurycleia’s and Penelope's cases, and disloyal actions are punished, as shown by Odysseus' mutinous men. First off, the disloyal actions of Odysseus' crew regarding the cases of Helios' cattle and the bag of winds are two examples showing part the message The Odyssey has about loyalty: that disloyal actions are punished. During Odysseus' journey home, he and his crew comes …show more content…

Over the 20 years that Odysseus was missing, Penelope stayed loyal to him, despite having no way of knowing if he was dead or alive. She also faced pressure from the suitors to remarry, and still didn't give in. Because of this, her loyalty to Odysseus was rewarded, as the ghost of Atreus' son says, "How faithfully she kept her husband's image in mind! So the glory of her excellence will not fade, instead the gods will create a song of delight for mortal ears, in honor of Penelope" (Bk XXIV: 98-24). She would be remembered for eternity for staying loyal to Odysseus. Eurycleia is similar in that she stayed loyal to Odysseus after all this time. She does so by respecting his household as well as showing her willingness to play along with Odysseus' plan for the suitors, as well as offering to aid him, as she says "You know how strong and steady my spirit is. I will be as silent as solid stone or iron" (Bk XIX:476-507). Her reward for staying loyal to Odysseus is that she was reunited with her beloved master, as well as not having to suffer the same fate as the other unfaithful maids would.The examples given, as well as others in the story, further support The Odyssey's message that loyalty is important, and is rewarded if

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