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