Amelia Pasco
10/11/16
6*
Loyalty
How can loyalty affect someones life? The answer is loyalty can
often make friendships flourish or sadly end. When there is loyalty,
there is someone there to lend a helping hand in the most desperate
times. Having loyalty also gives a sense of security and trust that can
lead to happiness. The result of not having loyalty often ends with
nobody there to help in a time of need. In the epic poem, The
Odyessey, Homer demonstrates that loyalty leads to strong friendships
that can last for a lifetime. Without loyalty, there is chaos and
destruction. This can be shown through the encounter with Odysseus
and Penelope after Odysseus had been gone for twenty years, the
event with Odysseuss men and Circe, and when Odysseuss men
slaughtered Helioss cattle.
In The Odyessey, Penelope remains loyal to Odysseus in two
ways; when she protects herself from the suitors while still waiting for
Odysseus and when she creates the task of stringing the bow because
she knows only Odysseus can complete the task. While Penelope
protects herself from the suitors while still waiting for Odysseus, she is
in doubt that Odysseus is really Odysseus when he arrives. Odysseus
gets mad for this, but she had to know for sure that it is Odysseus to
remain loyal to him. Forgive me, dont be angry. I could not welcome
you with love on sight! I armed myself long ago against the frauds of
men, imposters who might come- and all those many whose
underhanded ways bring evil on! (21, 1397-1401). Therefore Penelope
creates the test of stringing the bow and in doing so she proves her
loyalty yet again. The test involves stringing Odysseuss huge bow, an
impossible feat for anyone except Odysseus himself (21, pg.698). By
creating this task, she ensures that only Odysseus is her husband, not
any of the other suitors. She is loyal because she makes it so it is
impossible to marry any of the suitors but Odysseus.
In The Odyssey, the goddess Circe turns Odysseuss men into
pigs. Eurylochus, a member of Odysseuss crew, sees what happens
and tells Odysseus. Down to the ship Eurylochus came running to cry
alarm, foul magic doomed his men! (10, 577-578). Eurylochus did not
tell Odysseus this because he had to, but because he had loyalty
towards his crew. If he was not loyal to his friends, he would not even
tell anyone what happened, just pretend it never happened and forget
all about it. Odysseus also showed loyalty when he learns that his
friends were gone (10, 583). He tries to save them, even without
protection until Hermes gave it to him. Odysseus leaves the ship and
rushes to Circes hall. The god Hermes stops him to give him a plant
that will weaken Circes power. Protected by the plants magic,
Odysseus resists Circes sorcery (10, pg. 675). Odysseus was willing to
sacrifice himself to save his friends because he had loyalty.
Odysseus tells his men to not harm the cattle of Helios because
he is yet again showing loyalty. Odysseus tries to warn his men about
the cattle because he is trying to keep them from destroying
themselves out of loyalty. Eurylochus is disloyal to Odysseus and tries
to get them men to disobey Odysseuss orders. Come, well cut out
the noblest of these cattle for sacrifice to the gods who own the sky;
and once at home, in the old country of Ithaca, if ever that day comes-
well build a costly temple and adorn it with every beauty for the Lord
of the Noon. But if he flares up over his heifers lost, wishing our ship
destroyed, and if the gods make cause with him, why, then I say:
Better open your lungs to the bid sea once for all than waste to skin
and bones on a lonely island (12, 884-894). Because Eurylochus was
disloyal to Odysseus, he leads all of the men away from Odysseuss
attempt to help them. Thus Eurylochus; and they murmured Aye!
trooping away at once to round up heifers (12, 895-896). The men
were not loyal to Odysseus and did not heed his warning, and so
brought death upon themselves.
In conclusion, there are many people throughout The Odysseus
that show loyalty like Penelope, Odysseus, and Odysseuss crew.
Loyalty is needed and with it, there is happiness and success. Without
loyalty, there is evil and destruction. The Odyssey shows this through
the encounter when Odysseus sees his wife, Penelope, after twenty
years, the encounter with Circe, and when Odysseuss men slaughter
Helioss cattle.
