Odysseus Love For Penelope In The Odyssey

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Odysseus’s harrowing plight home is what makes The Odyssey a compelling read. From his narrow escape from Scylla and Charybdis to his long stay with Calypso, the narrative never lulls on a dull moment and instead explores Odysseus’s resolve on his journey back to Ithaca. Seeing the epic’s focal point is the journey, this prompts the question, what exactly is urging Odysseus back home? Popular claims state Odysseus’s love for Penelope is the driving force behind his motivation, but I beg to differ. I will argue Odysseus’s love for Penelope, is in fact, a minimal reason in his motivation for the homeland and Odysseus’s true drive is love for Ithaca itself. Thus, this basis becomes the fuel to Odysseus’s fire and brings the ending past his reunification with Penelope and instead to The Odyssey’s perplexing conclusion. …show more content…
In this first reference Odysseus makes to his wife, there is no interest in her welfare; she is merely the guardian of his son and of his property. He is as little concerned about her for her own sake as if she had been another prize in his cache. When Odysseus refers to Laertes and Telemachus, he questions if they still retain honor, but does not include Penelope in this referral, because Penelope possesses no honor. Just as Telemachus receives the gilded bowl from Menelaus, material possession is one of the highest forms of honor one can receive in The Odyssey, and Penelope is likened to a possession that brings honor to Odysseus. Adversely, Odysseus’s steadfast love for Ithaca pervades much of his

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Who Is Sacrifice The Most In The Odyssey

Who has sacrificed the most in The Odyssey? It seems like the obvious answer would be Odysseus. He spent twenty years at sea. That could be true, but who truly gave up the most throughout the epic was not Odysseus but Penelope. Penelope was left alone for 20 years, unsure of when her husband would come home. During these 20 years, she had to make many sacrifices, and those sacrifices show what she values. By the time Odysseus was gone, Penelope was left alone; she had to rule over Ithaca and raise…

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Penelope In Homer's The Odyssey

Homer’s poem The Odyssey is an exciting tale of a hero going through the trails of life to get back to his loving wife and son. The hero of the story is Odysseus. Soon after the birth of his son Telemachus to fight in Trojan War, leaving his wife Penelope to take care of the palace, his parents, and his child. He was held captive for 7 years by Calypso, and with the help of Athena,Zeus, and Hermes he escaped and began his journey. Starting with the Cyclops, continuing to Circe, and losing most…

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Jessi Zirker PreAP English P. 2 March 11th, 2015 The Odyssey Essay The Time to be Heard As alpha is to omega: men are to women. The constant fight for rights, a voice, even freedom has lived on throughout history up until today. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer translated by Robert Fitzgerald women are seen as nothing more than a boatload of problems. Whether this belief rooted from Pandora releasing all things bad into the world, or Eve being the root of sinful nature,…

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An Analytical Essay: The Role Of Women In The Odyssey

The Odyssey is an epic poem written by the Greek poet Homer, the story tells of Odysseus in a long journey to return to his wife, Penelope. Odysseus endures many hardships and pleasures, he outwits the challenges he encounters with his intelligence in a battle against the gods. Though the plot revolves around Odysseus and his men facing conflict the women within the story have a strong influence among men and are powerful amongst themselves. Women in The Odyssey are usually portrayed as powerless…

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Female Characters In The Odyssey

In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, many themes are portrayed as the tale of Odysseus continues throughout the book. Although the movie is very similar to the book, there are still differences in the two versions of the story. Homer’s epic, The Odyssey is not only the story of Odysseus and his adventures, but also a image of the everyday obstacles we face in present day. This epic is filled with exampes of tasks and harmful consequences that i will evaluate and give my perspective on. In this epic…

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Comparing Princess Leia In The Odyssey And Star Wars

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Importance Of Loyalty In The Odyssey

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Favorable Light In The Odyssey

Vocabulary.com defines the word odyssey as “a long, wandering, and eventful journey”. In the Odyssey, Odysseus goes on his own odyssey that lasts for 20 years and includes a lot of women who help him tremendously. Homer uses the names of ships, Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, Queen Arete, princess Nausicca, the goddess Circe, and the goddess Athena, to help Odysseus with his odyssey, or journey, back to Ithaca. Because of this, The Odyssey portrays women in a favorable light. To begin, an example of Homer…

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