Odysseus Losses

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There are many losses during one lifetime. Someone could lose a family member, or lose a belief in something. The diversity of types of losses is showcased in the Odyssey by Homer. This epic poem takes place ten years after the end of the Trojan War. This is a story of how Odysseus, the main character, gets home. At Odysseus’s home, Penelope and her son, Telemachus, are warding off the suitors who are trying to win Penelope’s hand in marriage. Through Telemachus’s loss of hope for Odysseus’s return, Odysseus’s men losing faith, and the bow and arrow trial Penelope set up for the suitors, the Odyssey shows that a personal loss can lead to a loss of hope. As Telemachus visits other countries, he learns about his father’s bravery in the Trojan War and the …show more content…
In conversation with Telemachus, the king of Sparta, Menelaus, says “Odysseus”. His destiny/suffering, and mine the endless pain/of missing him. We do not even know if he is still alive.” (Homer, 155, 106-109) In saying this, we can see that Menelaus claims to not know if Odysseus ever made it out of the Trojan War. Here, the loss Telemachus is feeling is the loss of his father. The more Telemachus hears about the heroics of his father, the more he feels as though he didn’t make it out of the Trojan War. While Telemachus is learning more about the Trojan War from neighboring kings, Odysseus is making his way across the ocean with his crew. Odysseus’s men were losing faith in Odysseus with every new place they visited. The men believed that Odysseus was not being completely honest with them and was withholding a grand fortune. In discussion with the other men, one of the crew members stated, “It seems everyone loves this man/ and honors him, in every place we sail to./ He also has loot from sacking Troy./We shared the journey home with him, yet we come/ back home with empty hands.” (Homer, 260,

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