“[...]the gods brought me to the island Ogygia, where Kalypso lives, with ordered hair, a dread goddess, and she received me and loved me excessively and cared for me, and she promised to make me an immortal and all my days to be ageless, but never so could she win over the heart within me.” (p. 117-118). The theme in The Odyssey by Homer is the idea that loyalty is a good trait to have and it can benefit those involved. Loyalty is shown throughout The Odyssey towards multiple characters. Homer provides us with examples of loyalty to prove being loyal can aid most of the people involved. There are many examples of loyalty in The Odyssey. Mainly loyalty is shown when Penelope waits for Odysseus to return to Ithaca, Odysseus trying his best to return home, the gods being loyal to Odysseus throughout his journey, Telemachus helping his father with his journey, and the swineherd being loyal to Odysseus. One of the most prominent examples of loyalty in The Odyssey is shown through the character Penelope. Penelope is the wife of Odysseus. She has waited on the island Ithaca for twenty years in hope of Odysseus returning. In the beginning of the book, it is made clear that …show more content…
The first test, to prove his loyalty to Odysseus, is given to Eumaeus in his hut. Odysseus asks if he could stay one more night in the hut. He does this to test Eumaeus’s hospitality. When Eumaeus agrees to let Odysseus-who is in disguise-stay, it proves that he is loyal to others and shows hospitality. The second test is given to prove loyalty to Telemachus. The swineherd welcomes Telemachus as if he was his own son. The author writes, “Just as a loving father welcomes his dear son after a nine-year absence, returning from a foreign land, an only son, his favorite for whom he’s undergone much grief, that’s how the loyal swineherd hugged Telemachus…”(p.1) This proves the swineherds’ loyalty towards Odysseus and his