Odysseus Loyalty

When we look at the character of Eumaeus from The Odyssey we see a simple man who shows great loyalty and has a servant's heart. Without Eumaeus, Odysseus would have had much trouble trying gain back his old ways of life. Eumaeus shows great loyalty in two main ways. He takes care of Odysseus possessions, and he fights with Odysseus even though it could mean his death. When we look at how Eumaeus was a servant, there are two things that stand out. The way that he takes care of the swine as if they were his own and how he took care of Odysseus even when he was in disguised as an old beggar. When you look at the characteristics of Odysseus you can see that he has these same qualities that Eumaeus has. If Odysseus had not been in Eumaeus life, …show more content…
He was a servant as he took care of Odysseus swine and he acted as a servant as he cared for Odysseus even when he didn’t know who he was. Eumaeus took care of the pigs as if they were his own. He built up the swine’s living area with stone walls and wood fences. Eumaeus did all of this without even being asked to do them. “Alone, apart from his queen or old Laertes, he’d built them up of quarried blocks of stone and coped them well with a fence of wild pear.” (Pg. 434 Line 10) When Eumaeus first saw Odysseus, he was disguised as an old beggar and was being attacked by dogs. Eumaeus quickly stopped the dogs from hurting Odysseus “but the swineherd, quick to move, dashed for the gate, flinging his oxhide down, rushed the dogs with curses”. (Pg. 435 Line 19) Eumaeus didn’t have to stop the dogs from attacking the old beggar, but he did. He had a better reason not to stop them, as he was continually having his swine taken away from him by the suitors. How could he have known that this old man was here to steal a pig for the Suitors? However, he welcomed the beggar into his house to feed him and give him shelter. “Come, follow me into my place, old man, so you at least, can eat your fill of bread and wine” (Pg. 435 Line 50) Emmaus continued to take care of the beggar by providing him a bed and even one of his cloaks to keep him warm. Odysseus Showed Service to Eumaeus by treating him so kindly before he had left on his trip. Eumaeus acts with such a kind heart partly because Odysseus showed him so much kindness. He could have learned this behavior from seeing someone with such a high ranking being kind to someone with a lower ranking. It is rare that you ever see a King showing kindness and respect to one of his low-level