Homer begins his story asking for creativity from the muse, and then starts in the middle. The epic is cleverly written to tell the story with as much action as possible. The action alludes to the characteristics of human nature that Homer wishes to examine. The importance of intelligence, loyalty and temptation within human culture are clear within many aspects of The Odyssey.
Homer is very obvious in pointing out the importance of intelligence in various parts of The Odyssey. The main character, Odysseus is called “the man of many wiles” in the very beginning of the story. Odysseus is portrayed as a man who is famous for his crafty mind, his ability to be sneaky and cunning. These qualities are admired and revered by the Greek culture. One …show more content…
The first scenario where this theme is observed is through Telemachus. He answers Athena is regarding a question about his parentage, his remark comes off as implying that his mother is not loyal to her marriage bed. As already discussed, this is more a reflection on his relationship with his father than that of his mother. Homer doesn’t deliver this information this way without a reason, though, both inferences that can be made are important. Penelope’s loyalty is supposed to be questioned this early on. Her clever trick to keep the suitors at bay suggests she is loyal, but the theme of betrayal amongst other couples within the story makes the trust between Penelope and Odysseus stand out. Odysseus’ loyalty is not ever brought into question, at least not that of his sexual loyalty. It is made clear that he sleeps with Circe, Calypso, and other various women throughout his journey. The loyalty of his heart is what is displayed as true, he never falters from his efforts to go home to Penelope. She is one of the reasons he is so determined. Calypso is obviously jealous of this fact and even asks what Penelope has that she doesn’t. Odysseus’ answers reverting back to the theme of intelligence, saying “I 'm well aware that you are right: I too, know that Penelope, however wise, cannot compete with you in grace or stature” (Book 5 pg. 102). The hosts for both Telemachus and Odysseus have various degrees of loyalty amongst their own households. Menelaus and Helen are obviously at odds with each other, made bearable by the amount of drugs Helen keeps in the wine. The relationship between the two of them is heightened in its tension due to the overwhelming amount of trust that seems to be implied on Odysseus and Penelope. The last part of loyalty is the lack of it displayed by Odysseus’ crew. The first instance is when they accuse him of keeping riches from them and open the bag of wind given to
Homer is very obvious in pointing out the importance of intelligence in various parts of The Odyssey. The main character, Odysseus is called “the man of many wiles” in the very beginning of the story. Odysseus is portrayed as a man who is famous for his crafty mind, his ability to be sneaky and cunning. These qualities are admired and revered by the Greek culture. One …show more content…
The first scenario where this theme is observed is through Telemachus. He answers Athena is regarding a question about his parentage, his remark comes off as implying that his mother is not loyal to her marriage bed. As already discussed, this is more a reflection on his relationship with his father than that of his mother. Homer doesn’t deliver this information this way without a reason, though, both inferences that can be made are important. Penelope’s loyalty is supposed to be questioned this early on. Her clever trick to keep the suitors at bay suggests she is loyal, but the theme of betrayal amongst other couples within the story makes the trust between Penelope and Odysseus stand out. Odysseus’ loyalty is not ever brought into question, at least not that of his sexual loyalty. It is made clear that he sleeps with Circe, Calypso, and other various women throughout his journey. The loyalty of his heart is what is displayed as true, he never falters from his efforts to go home to Penelope. She is one of the reasons he is so determined. Calypso is obviously jealous of this fact and even asks what Penelope has that she doesn’t. Odysseus’ answers reverting back to the theme of intelligence, saying “I 'm well aware that you are right: I too, know that Penelope, however wise, cannot compete with you in grace or stature” (Book 5 pg. 102). The hosts for both Telemachus and Odysseus have various degrees of loyalty amongst their own households. Menelaus and Helen are obviously at odds with each other, made bearable by the amount of drugs Helen keeps in the wine. The relationship between the two of them is heightened in its tension due to the overwhelming amount of trust that seems to be implied on Odysseus and Penelope. The last part of loyalty is the lack of it displayed by Odysseus’ crew. The first instance is when they accuse him of keeping riches from them and open the bag of wind given to